LIVE REVIEW: AleXa Turns OKC into a “Wonderland” on Her Meet and Live Tour
Photos and review by: Allyssa Arens
Lineup: AleXa
Date: October 25, 2022
Location: Tower Theatre, Oklahoma City, OK
K-Pop fans in Oklahoma City were treated to a delightful evening on Tuesday when idol AleXa stopped by the Tower Theatre on the fifth of eight stops of her First Meet and Live Tour, bringing a high-energy performance along with many heartfelt crowd interactions. This particular show was extra special not only for the audience but for AleXa herself; she grew up just two hours away in Tulsa, Oklahoma, so it was a sort of homecoming show for her, with her parents and other childhood friends in attendance alongside the fans. AleXa also mentioned that this was the first time an idol had performed in Oklahoma, signaling both a growth in the presence of K-Pop in the national sphere and a growth in Oklahoma’s live music scene. Tuesday also marked her first Oklahoma concert since she represented the state in NBC’s American Song Contest earlier this year, winning the entire competition and putting Oklahoma on the map for a genre other than country.
Though she has been releasing music since 2019, ASC marked my introduction to AleXa, as I found it incredibly exciting to have someone representing our state that went against what would be expected from a place like Oklahoma, so to have her win the entire show, especially with a bop as catchy as “Wonderland” was like a breath of fresh air for me.
While K-Pop artists, or idols, are often known for their larger-than-life personas and rabid fanbases, and AleXa’s fans are definitely dedicated, this show felt very unique. Her performance definitely followed what many K-Pop fans have come to expect, with elaborate choreography and lighting and energetic hyper-pop tracks, yet there was also an intimacy to the show that may not happen when watching, say, BTS or BLACKPINK headline arenas. At multiple points, she stopped to talk to and interact with the crowd, even taking a shot with a fan, recording another’s BeReal post for the day, and holding up multiple pride flags that fans had brought. She also showed a video montage of fan interactions from various performances and in-store engagements across the US this past summer. It was clear all through the night that AleXa cares just as deeply for her fans as they care for her.
As for the musical aspect of the show, AleXa further made it clear that this tour is for the fans by opening with “A.I. Trooper”, her song with the same name as her fanbase. This was followed by her debut single “Bomb”, and anthem “Do or Die”. Other setlist highlights included “Villain”, “Obsession”, “Tattoo”, “Kitty Run”, and “Moon and Back”, the closer of the main set. Fans were also treated to two unreleased tracks from her forthcoming EP, titled “Endorphins” and “Please Try Again”. She topped things off with “Wonderland”, her American Song Contest entry that is also currently her most-streamed track, with over 11 million streams on Spotify.
If you have a chance to see AleXa perform, I highly recommend it, even if you don’t consider yourself to be a K-Pop fan (I didn’t before I found her music); her performances are a gorgeous visual spectacle, and her music is infectiously danceable.
AleXa’s current tour continues in Houston, TX on October 27 before wrapping up in California this weekend; tickets and meet & greet packages for the remaining dates are available here.
