(G)I-DLE brought their massive “i-DOL World Tour” to the United States this fall, and I had the opportunity to catch the girls in action on September 8 at the Oakland Arena!
I’ve been a fan of (G)I-DLE since 2020, my first time seeing the group in person was at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball in LA back in December 2023. The girls had recently released their English mini album Heat, and were especially focusing on promoting the single “I DO.” Despite it being a breakup song, I can’t help but feel a happy sense of nostalgia whenever I listen to it. The melodies are absolutely gorgeous, and I will always associate the song with the memory of watching (G)I-DLE performing it live last December.
On my recent trip to the Bay Area, it was time to make some new memories to associate (G)I-DLE’s music with! I spent a weekend in San Francisco to participate in Diplo’s Run Club, a 5K followed by a rave hosted by the DJ himself. That same night, (G)I-DLE would be performing at the Oakland Arena. Eager to make the absolute most out of my trip, I decided the only reasonable option would be to do both! After finishing the 5K and partying it up for a few hours, I took a life-changing shower and rode the BART to Oakland Arena. I had absolutely no idea where to go – this was my first time ever visiting the arena/coliseum area. A few fans guided me to the entrance of the arena, and the kind venue staff let me know early on where to get an Uber at the end of the night. My first impression of the arena was… wow, this place looks like an office building. The interiors were very plain, but there was a really cute photo op area to take pictures at before the show started!
In typical K-Pop fashion, (G)I-DLE music videos aired before the girls took the stage. Lightsticks began to flicker purple and white throughout the arena, and fans began to cheer and bark after each music video concluded.
Around 7:45PM, the arena lights dimmed and the (G)I-DLE members emerged on an elevated platform with huge crystals in the back. Sporting black and silver bedazzled outfits, the girls opened up the show with their iconic single “Super Lady.” You can never go wrong with starting out a show with an empowering song that everyone loves to shout along to! The members followed the performance with “Revenge” from their latest full length album 2, and then hit the crowd with a great throwback – a vibrant rendition of their 2018 hit “LATATA.”
During their introductory ment, Shuhua mentioned it was (G)I-DLE’s first time performing in Oakland. Many audience members (including me) began to shout, as it was our first time at a (G)I-DLE concert! All of the members knew there was an expectation to meet, and vowed to show us a great performance. Yuqi said, “The title of this world tour is i-DOL, because we know this is what you guys want. (G)I-DLE is an idol group, so I’ll show you what the idol really is tonight!”
As the members went on to perform “Oh my god” and “VILLAIN DIES,” I felt myself getting extremely immersed in the performance. At that point, it was more than just a show. It was an entire experience. If anyone had asked me right then and there, I could safely say that out of all the K-Pop acts I’ve seen in concert, (G)I-DLE was one of the best in terms of overall stage presence. Not only can the girls command the stage as a team, but they can also really shine individually! There was a segment for solo performances, and Shuhua kicked it off by doing a dance cover of Tyla’s song “Water.” Yuqi sang an unreleased song titled “Radio” from a shopping cart. I especially loved Soyeon’s solo, which was her rapping along to “Is this bad b****** number?” Soyeon rose up from a lift on the catwalk, and emerged on stage laying down wearing a huge cheetah print coat. She moved around in a seductive manner, which sent the audience into a complete frenzy.
A few additional highlights of the night for me included (G)I-DLE’s performance of “Klaxon.” Remember when I mentioned songs being associated with core memories? I really think “Klaxon” will be associated with the memory of this entire trip. The girls were wheeled out on stage in a cute pink car, surrounded by visuals of palm trees on the screens. The performance had a fun “summer in California” concept, which was perfect for such a bright and upbeat song. I had a blast shouting “I LOVE YOU BABYYYYY / DEO HIT THE KLAXON.”
Another major standout moment was getting to participate in a giant sing along session to “MY BAG” and “I Want That,” as lyrics appeared on the screens during the song. I also really loved how engaging (G)I-DLE’s VCRs were throughout the entire concert! This is absolutely no shade to any act in particular, but I know I can’t be the only person who feels as though sometimes the VCR segments drag along for way too long. This wasn’t the case with this tour! (G)I-DLE prepared some intriguing (and often hilarious) VCR skits for the audience to enjoy. One of them was a parody of The Office, and another included brief interviews with each member.
(Also, there was a HILARIOUS moment where a crew member was blowing confetti off the stage, and the crowd was cheering and barking for him.)
As the show came to an end, the girls had very sweet parting messages for the crowd. Yuqi said, “I feel touched because… (G)I-DLE, I think this is our seven years this year. We all have a lot of Neverlands (fans) who have spent a lot of time with us, and I know some of you are new today, but it’s okay because we have a long way to go together. Are you ready?” She also reminded the audience to be proud of ourselves and love ourselves first, before loving anyone else!
While Soyeon vowed to come back to Oakland with better music and a better performance, Minnie wished that we wouldn’t forget the moment! She said, “I just want to be back here more often.”
As their closing number, (G)I-DLE performed “I DO,” and the song immediately gained a new layer of magic to me. It was the perfect ending to not only an incredible concert, but a life changing weekend for me in the Bay Area. I’m so happy and thankful I had the opportunity to see (G)I-DLE, and I hope to be face to face with them again in Oakland on their next US tour!
