The Rose Captivates Kia Forum featuring BOBO.XX

On November 12th, 2023, people headed to the Kia Forum in anticipation of seeing The Rose, a South Korean band known for their powerful and passionate live performances. The venue was ablaze with excitement. Los Angeles was the only stop to have a special guest which ended up being rock-star BOBO.XX.

Opening Act: BOBO.XX

Opening for the evening is BOBO.XX, who lit up the stage with a dynamic set list. It included favorites like “Love Me,” “Running off the Track (ROTT),” “Pain,” and “No More Talking.” The track “Pain” originally has Tablo of Epik High so he made sure to shout that out. Also, BOBO.XX mentioned that his ex-girlfriend was in the crowd so he asked the audience to turn on their phone lights to create a constellation. His performance added even more charm to the evening. With a performance that showcased his flexibility and left the crowd wanting more, BOBO.XX was the ideal lead-up to the main event. Also, it was more special as it was his birthday!

The Rose: Dawn

The Rose approached the stage to flashing lights, fog, and music that cause the crowd to get load. They opened the set with the beautiful “Eclipse”. This established an atmosphere of enchantment that persisted throughout the evening as cheers and clapping echoed throughout the venue. They demonstrated their ability to explore a variety of music with the shift to the somber melodies of “Dawn” and the deeply felt “You’re Beautiful”. “Shift” and “Lifeline” were no exception. During “Shift”, Woosung even had a guitar solo. Each note and word striking a chord with the captivated crowd and cementing The Rose’s standing as talented artists.

The band was able to establish a personal connection with their fans during the first MENT segment. They introduced themselves and then asked their fans, Black Roses, to change their lightsticks to red for the next performance. Songs like “Red,” “Nauseous,” “Back To Me,” and “Yes” showcased The Rose’s depth of emotion. We would definitely consider “Back to Me” a fan favorite as the audience yelled the lyrics.

They tricked the audience saying they had special guests but they ended up being members Jaehyeong and Hajoon who performed their rendition of “ILY”. “Time,” and a captivating performance of “Beauty and the Beast” all added to the emotional journey.

The Rose: Dusk

After the first half of the concert, the band went back stage as a recap video showed their journey throughout the tour. Surprisingly, there was even a clip for LA in the video already [props to the video editor(s)]. The Rose kept the evening going with an emotional performance of “Angel.” The Rose moved on to the thought-provoking track “Definition of Ugly Is”. They then erupted into tracks “Take Me Down” and “Alive.”

Before going into the next set, the members chatted with fans. Dojoon recorded the fans and told them now he has everyone in his phone. After this, Woosung states that this is their biggest venue, yet he didn’t feel like it was. This caused the crowd to scream at the top of their lungs to show them how loud LA can be; the response was that this was the best show.

The Rose charted on the Billboard Top 200 Chart for “DUAL” at number 83. Coincidentally, they also did the same for “Sorry” back when they debuted in 2017. Woosung also gave a speech where he mentions that they’re not special for being on the stage, but to understand that the music is what’s special and brings us together.

The night’s final songs, “Sorry,” “Cure,” and the somber melody “She’s in the Rain,” brought on a wave of emotions. The authenticity and intensity in every note took the audience on an emotional journey. “Sour,” “Cosmo,” and “Wonder” from the encore set left the crowd in awe of The Rose’s capacity to stir up emotions and leave a lasting impression. During the last song “Wonder”, they had technical difficulties and they were not having it. They asked to pause, fix everything, and restart for the perfect performance!

The “Dawn to Dusk” tour is not the first time they’ve been in LA and it’s definitely not the last time. This was The Rose‘s last stop for their US tour but they announced there is more to come so they’ll be holding the concert somewhere around the world soon. Make sure to check them out!

Photo credit: Ashley Osborn / Kia Forum Photos
Article by: Diana