Concert Review: AMPERS&ONE Show Off Exponential Growth on 'Born to Define' Tour
With explosive choreography and confident stage presence, AMPERS&ONE proved just how far they’ve come since debut.
AMPERS&ONE is one of those groups that I’ve always had my eye on. In 2023, I made a vow to keep up with any group that debuted with members who were on the survival show Boys Planet, and one of those groups was AMPERS&ONE. Since their debut, I’ve had the privilege of checking out their first North American tour “My First_” back in 2025, and interviewing them twice (during their debut era in 2023, and again after their last tour).
Now, over a year after wrapping that tour, and with more music under their belt, the group is back in the States on their “Born to Define” tour. I got to check out the impressive show when it made a stop in New York City at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater on May 8.
I’ll just spoil it now: I was thoroughly impressed. Witnessing a group’s growth from their debut is one of my favorite parts of being a K-pop fan. I love to see a group and its members find themselves, find their sound, their unique performance style, and grow their fanbase. AMPERS&ONE is still a young group, having just debuted at the end of 2023, but it’s safe to say that they have already solidified their place in the industry.
During last year’s tour, the group still felt pretty new. They were still finding their footing, weren’t quite as comfortable on stage yet, and their music and stages had a youthful energy. Now, they are almost unrecognizable from the group I saw last year. Their stage outfits are elevated, their choreography is powerful and mature, and the members - Kamden, Brian, Jiho, Siyun, Kyrell, Mackiah, and Seungmo - have grown up significantly.
The setlist for this tour felt like a marathon AND a sprint, and I sincerely hope the members are taking care of themselves given the amount of energy these performances seemed to take. AMPERS&ONE’s discography leans heavily energetic, and even among their slower tracks, only one, "All Eyes On You", made the setlist and it was an encore. This means the entire rest of the set was made up of high-energy choreography, and the group remained on stage for the full show, aside from when they performed unit numbers, giving a few members a break at a time.
The first section of the set was the strongest, in my opinion, beginning with AMPERS&ONE’s latest title track, “GOD.” The members continued with recent b-sides “What You Talking About”, “I’m Down”, “That’s That”, “Did It”, “Hit Me Up”, and “Slide.” Every stage was jam-packed with explosive choreography, where the members showed off their unmatched stamina. Yet they never missed a note or a beat, despite the demanding performance.
In the middle of the show, two duos and one trio of members took the stage for unit performances, starting with Jiho and Kamden’s sensual cover of ENHYPEN’s “FEVER.” Next, Kyrell and Brian did a full 180 with their sweet romantic cover of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.” Finally, Mackiah, Seungmo, and Siyun performed a rock-heavy rendition of “Drag Me Down” by One Direction. I’ve said it before but I always love when groups perform solo or unit stages, as it gives the members a chance to show off their unique performance styles and musical preferences. This section really gave us a glimpse into the charms of each member of AMPERS&ONE.
The full group reunited on stage for the rest of the set, which included fan favorite songs like ‘He + She = We” and “Kick Start.” During a few of the songs, members of the group came down into the audience to get closer to their fans, jumping and dancing in the aisles. It really felt like a big party with AMPERS&ONE and ANDEAR.
Before the encore, the audience was prompted to sing along to an instrumental of “All Eyes On You”, to which we did our best, given the fact that the song was released fairly recently and features some Korean lyrics. The members then came on stage to relieve us, performing the song themselves at the beginning of the encore. The set closed with “Crazy Stupid Fun”, the group’s most iconic party song. There was more dancing through the aisles and we were all told to jump, which was easy to do given the energy of the performance.
By the end of the night, what stood out most wasn’t just AMPERS&ONE’s energy or razor-sharp performances, but how much they’ve grown into confident, compelling artists. When the group performed their debut song, “On & On,” I found myself thinking back to hearing it for the first time while preparing for my first interview with them, and I was overwhelmed with a sense of pride. Seeing them now, commanding the stage with confidence and ease, made their growth impossible to ignore. If this concert proved anything, it’s that AMPERS&ONE are only getting started, and their future looks brighter than ever.
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