Korean solo artist KANGDANIEL recently returned to the US with his “ACT: NEW EPISODE” tour, and his show at the Palace Theater in Downtown Los Angeles was not one to be missed.
Fans lined up outside the theater, some as early as 4 AM to secure the best seats in the house. At soundcheck, the setting was casual yet intimate, allowing him to interact with fans between songs. He proudly shows off his newly gifted Labubu to the crowd while reciting the TikTok meme “I have the one and only 24-carat gold Labubu.” It made it feel like you were hanging out with your friend.
The stage setup was simple, with a large screen that displayed videos corresponding to each song. KANGDANIEL and his dancers filled up the stage with energetic choreography throughout his entire show. The venue did not have air conditioning, but despite the heat, he powered through every single song, performing it with 100% energy.
The show opened with “Losing Myself” and “Outerspace”. Before jumping into “Get Loose”, he hypes up the crowd: “All you need to do is enjoy it. That’s why we’re here, right? Cheer, dance, and you can sing. It doesn’t matter how, let’s enjoy it and have fun in our own way.” This song is from his fifth mini album, “ACT”. As the album was released in 2024, this tour may have been the first time his fans saw it performed live.
KANGDANIEL mentioned how much thought he put into this tour, wanting to present something fresh and different, “I enjoyed thinking about how I could do things differently for the concert. How should I arrange the songs for the concert? Or how should I do the choreography? Today I’m showing you the results of those thoughts one by one.” He also mentioned that the US tour has a completely different setup from the show in Seoul.
The LA show featured a great mix of songs, ranging from high-energy beats, such as “Electrick Shock,” to darker vibes like “Wasteland.” He also included “Movie Star,” which was a self-composed song.
His vocals and choreography were top-notch, but what really drew me into the show was the way he interacted with the fans. The conversation flowed naturally, matching his laid-back vibe. Despite the venue not having air-conditioning, KANGDANIEL gave so much of his energy to this show, never missing a note or easing up on the choreography. The show concluded with three encore songs, including “No Day”, an all-English track.
Overall, KANGDANIEL brings a fantastic energy to his show, delivering a great mix of songs from his albums. This show felt so personal. It made me feel like I really got to know him as an artist, as he takes time between songs to talk about some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of making the songs. I would definitely see him in concert when he stops in the US again.
His US tour included 12 stops, from North Carolina, Washington DC, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Arizona, and ending in San Jose, CA, before moving on to stops in Latin America.
About KANGDANIEL:
With over 4.4 million Instagram followers, KANGDANIEL ranked 4th place on The Most Influential People Forbes Korea list in 2019. Aside from music, he also debuted as an actor on Korea Disney+ Star series “Rookie Cops” in 2022. Kang has also appeared as the host of Mnet’s dance competition shows “Stret Woman Fighter,” “Street Dance Girls Fighter,” “Be the SMF,” “Street Man Fighter,” and “Street Woman Fighter 2”.
