Last week the Studebaker Theater in downtown Chicago hosted K-Pop ensemble AMPERS&ONE for their Born to Define Tour. This marks their third appearance in the Windy City, following their debut solo run and an appearance as the opener for P1Harmony’s U.S. stops in 2025. Fans, known as ANDEARs, made sure the venue was packed and decorated with a sea of the group’s newly released lightsticks. The seven members (Kamden, Brian, Jiho, Siyun, Mackiah, Kyrell, and Seungmo) have garnered quite a fanbase here in the states since their debut in late 2023, and it seems to be growing every year.
Their friendly energy and intense performances are part of their appeal, but their excellent discography full of catchy tracks is also helping them gather audiences all across the country. The music is just as lively as the idols themselves; upbeat bangers like “Crazy Stupid Fun” and “He + She = We” kept the crowd singing and shouting the fanchants all night. AMPERS&ONE’s dance skills are also top notch, and the choreography for “GOD” and “On And On” felt like particularly stunning examples of what they can do on stage. Moments like those are when you’re reminded that behind their approachable and silly personalities are idols who have spent years honing their skills and striving to leave a lasting impact. Putting on a show for almost two hours straight is difficult enough, but staying perfectly in sync and keeping up the momentum during incredibly intense choreography for that amount of time is even more impressive.
Another strength this group possesses is their outgoing and bubbly approach to connecting with their fans. It felt like they were on a mission to acknowledge everyone in the room, and they might have been successful. The members were constantly scanning the room for people to interact with or fancams to pose for, and they sparked a surprisingly long discussion about the local food they ate or wanted to try (deep dish pizza is trash by the way, someone please tell them to try tavern style next time). Something about their casual and friendly attitudes seemed to make it easier for people to let loose and have fun, which was refreshing to see with the recent uptick of stiff crowds. While some concert environments make it difficult to relax or express excitement for fear of judgement, there was an almost constant pressure to get up and move that night. Between ANDEARs’ infectious energy and the members directly asking/gesturing for people to dance with them, it felt criminal to not participate.
AMPERS&ONE stands out as one of the most entertaining K-Pop groups to see perform live. They’re barely out of the rookie phase, but they seem to have a natural talent for charming an audience and getting them on their feet and dancing. Last year’s Chicago stop got so rowdy that the venue started shaking, but luckily this time they had the opportunity to be on a sturdier stage and greet an even larger gathering of fans. The members were on fire from start to finish; performing the hardest-hitting songs in their discography, launching themselves into the crowd multiple times, and even running back out for a surprise second encore didn’t seem to wear them out. While they already made a great impression with their first solo run, AMPERS&ONE really stepped up their game for the Born to Define Tour and put on an even more polished show this time around.
