[RECAP] KARD Turn Up The Heat In LA

4-Member co-ed group from DSP Media, KARD, return to Los Angeles, California with their Playground Tour! BM, J.Seph, Somin and Jiwoo return to the stage in LA for their fourth solo tour, this time at the Orpheum Theatre. The event took place on August 2nd, 2023 in the historic venue.

Upon entering the venue, one thing of note was that the merchandise table was empty and could only see a medium size sweater left. They sold well!

The Venue – Orpheum Theatre

While this venue has become popular among K-POP groups, we still don’t believe it’s a good fit. Parking is next to the venue which is nice and it isn’t extremely expensive. It can be anywhere between $15 – $40 depending on the show. However, the venue itself isn’t great for KPOP dance groups. The worst part was the lights for KARD. For fans downstairs, the lights probably added to the effects. However, if you were seated in the balcony, you were blinded by beaming lights at times that made seeing the members on stage difficult. This caused fans in balcony to stay seated for some of the concert which may have affected their concert experience.

Playground 2023 by KARD

KARD began their concert with their newest hit track, “ICKY” and then moved on to “Without You”. They then introduced themselves to the audience! The cheers were loud for all members but it was visibly louder for Somin and BM. As usual, the members asked who has known the group for a while and mentioned that they’re in BM’s hometown.

They then performed “Hola Hola” and debut track “Oh Nana”. The members chatted with the fans again and wondered who knew them seven (7) years ago and how young that made fans back then (they were as young as 11 years old). On the back screen, they started showing pictures of KARD from their debut and their past promotions. The members commented on how they looked and how much older they’ve gotten. Totally nostalgic!

Solos & Units!

Next up for the concert are unit and solo stages to end the first half. Somin and Jiwoo had a joint stage, followed by BM performing his 2 solo tracks, “Lie” and “Broken Me”. J. Seph then joined BM for a unit stage. The crowd went wild for these stages. Did we mention BM was wearing a leather jacket without a shirt?

A VCR played of playground scenes giving more life to the concept of the tour. KARD were then seen in a behind story of “ICKY” where the members talked about the album recording. They also made fun of each other during that era (i.e. BM looked like a tree with his green highlighter hair according to Somin), and more.

The Music Continues

They then returned to the stage to perform their tracks “Rumor” and “Don’t Recall”. BM said they wanted to create a space with no anxiety, no stress, no negativity. It should be a place where fans can be themselves. He states that as kids, we’d just run around the playground with no worries. With that, they slowed it down for their song “Breakdown” while standing in a row with mic stands.

Bringing The Heat Up In LA!

It was time for everyone to stand back up for their performance of “Gunshot” and “Bomb Bomb” and while the 2nd floor struggled to see, they still sang along. When those performances were complete, it was time for a sexy dance competition. KARD are seen playing rock paper scissors to check what order they will perform sexy dances. Crowd decided Somin was the winner which earned her a sexy dance encore. The four (4) members mentioned this must be the loudest audience for the sexy competition.

The group shared their thoughts about being back in LA again and how the audience always shows so much love. As always, they promised they’ll return to the City of Angels. This was their second to last concert (San Francisco being the last) but Jiwoo mentioned that this stop has been the best. J.seph states he was really sleepy about 20 minutes before the concert started but then he really woke up when the music began. The fans’ energy and support gets them through the concert. Jiwoo also said that the way she can gauge if it’s a great or good show (never a bad one!) is how loud she can hear the audience screams through her in ear; and LA was loud!

Almost Time For KARD To End The Concert

BM asked who came hungry which fans understood right way. This garnered loud screams from everyone present. With the release of their recent EP, came another sexy track, “Cake” which included a sexy performance by all four members. This was followed by a fan favorite, “Dumb Litty”.

Of course, it isn’t a concert without an encore! KARD return to the stage wearing tour shirts and performed “Ride on the Wind”. They also sang “Red Moon” based on the spinning wheel that was brought to the stage. The members took a picture with the crowd before teaching the audience the “ICKY” dance challenge. So, while they started the concert with it, they also ended with “ICKY” which involved the fans singing and dancing along.

Aside from the blinding lights, KARD held an amazing concert for their fans on a Wednesday night in LA as usual.

Check out more photos from our gallery here!

Article by Diana/Mari
Photos by Diana