This was written on a purple banner that was handed out before the doors opened at Texas Trust CU Theatre on Sunday, Aug. 31. The instructions were to raise the banner and show this message during photo time, a fan project organized by @daysofourexo_tx.
Texas was the second stop of the KAION Tour, a five-city trek following several dates across Asia. This venue offered an unparalleled level of intimacy for a powerhouse K-pop artist and actor who made his solo debut in 2020 and has since remained limitless in showing the different sides of himself.
The buzz of EXO-L, the fanbase of South Korean boy band EXO, was felt at Grand Prairie. KAI has been absent from his idol life for two years, returning to the spotlight after completing his mandatory military service. The lines weren’t any different than the past couple of K-pop shows we’ve been to as fans passed out freebies and took photos with friends. The concert dress code for Texas was camouflage military, a return to the same requirement KAI asked for at his Seoul show. While EXO-L understood the assignment, some took it to another level with cowgirl outfits and KAI’s face on hairpins.
In EXO, KAI is the lead dancer, rapper and center member of the group. He has been nicknamed the “Idol of Idols” for being one of the best dancers of his generation, known for his charisma and charm on stage. He’s built a career performing in front of EXO fans and is now showing his range as a solo artist with songs like “Rover” and “Peaches.”
Judging by the performance KAI delivered at Texas Trust CU Theatre, it isn’t far out to say that KAI is already at a level where he could tour bigger stadiums next time. His dedication to visual artistry, choreography and storytelling suggests a performer who desires to connect with his fans, making up for lost time by giving it his all.EXO’s Kai performing Peaches in Grand Prairie #KaioninGrandPraire pic.twitter.com/xPeE6yQgsl
— Eric Diep (@E_Diep) September 1, 2025
For over two hours, KAI walks his fans through different chapters, sectioning his music to fit these themes. The first chapter was “A Stranger in the Mirror,” the second was “Reflections of Myself,” the third was “When All Selves Become One” and the fourth was “Welcome to the New Me.” Each chapter introduced him to first-timers and broke down different versions of him.
In a spicy red outfit, KAI fed off the screams throughout the night. These were the screams of joy, finally getting to see Kim Jong-in back in his element, no longer keeping up with him through videos and livestreams. He opened with “Sinner” and continued with “Mmmh,” backed by six dancers (four men and two women). By this point, the space was nearly filled up as he did “Nothing on Me,” seeing how the lyrics of his songs inspire the movements of his dancing. This is something we made numerous notes about, how KAI’s dancing has a magnetic pull that beautifully flows from one song to the next.
The dedication to his choreography means he gets tired easily executing the performances of these songs on stage. He uses breaks to speak with the audience, “Did you miss me?” he said through a Korean translator. “I really miss you too.”
KAI challenged the Grand Prairie crowd to top the screams in Los Angeles, and it got loud. He quickly teased them to calm their screams so he could talk because the show needs to go on. Once it got quiet, he shared the meaning behind the tour name KAION.
“KAION is the combination of the word ‘KAI’ and ‘ON,’ and in Greek, KAION means eternity,” he said. “The meaning is the KAI on stage is only the beginning of eternity. I was recently discharged from the military. I made the title with the meaning that I want to spend forever with you on the stage.”
In the second chapter of the show, KAI changed into a green suit. The video montage showed him painting peaches and other relaxing activities. It didn’t matter if KAI was dancing alone or with several of his dancers; it was an expert-level stage presence to convey his songs with his dancing. Sometimes, he would let the routine tell the story, as seen in “Slidin” and “Ride or Die,” so that it felt like watching a theatrical performance. But when he did “Vanilla” and “Peaches,” Kai was focused, bringing out these confident moods to a pleased crowd.
The show picked up the pace. The barks and woofs chants increased as the show got sexier. After “Come In,” he did “Adult Swim,” a happier song that had everyone shake, shake, shakin’ it for him.
In another address to the crowd, he hinted at an EXO comeback tour, which was met with a lot of screams. The screams turned to screeches as he announced that he’ll come back for a second solo tour. Taking in all of the crowd’s happiness, he gave a shout-out to Buc-ee's, revealing he got a Buc-ee’s keychain from a fan. “And I heard the beef brisket sandwich is really good?” he said. He wanted to try it and asked about Buc-ee’s hours of operation. A couple of fans offered to buy him one. We would love to see KAI or any K-pop star take a trip to Buc-ee's or Whataburger, another popular Texas burger chain he was aware of.
As the night went on, KAI said the temperature was about to go up. “Bomba” tore the roof off. Once we entered the third chapter, an X-EXO KAI, an evil version of himself, was introduced in a video that had a clone of himself merge with his real self. It was probably the most anticipated set of songs as KAI came with a dark leather outfit, shirtless with his abs showing and fed into the crowd who lusted over him. “Your eyes need to take a break,” he said during another intermission. Zipping up his jacket, he playfully asked what everyone’s favorite outfit of his from the show was. It was obvious which one this crowd loved, sounding disappointed that no one picked the red outfit that he put a lot of thought into.
KAI knew the end of the show was coming. What we admired about him is how much he cares about his fans and what they genuinely mean to him. He’s grateful and happy to be reunited with them, thanking them for coming. He wants to make memories with them that last forever. He called this fate being one with his fans again, fulfilling his wish of meeting EXO-L from all over the world.
He did an EXO medley of his favorite songs – “Growl,” “Tempo,” “The Eve” and “Love Shot” – before stopping to let the crowd know his final song was finally here. “Rover” is a fun, upbeat song with a dance challenge that has gone viral on TikTok.
For KAI’s encore and his last chapter, he came out in casual clothes, the Buc-ee’s plushie keychain dangling from the belt loop on his jeans. He did the raw and emotional song “Blue” before promising one more, which was “To Be Honest.”
KAI reminded fans that the wait won’t be as long as before, telling fans to watch back at the videos they took from this evening. He built anticipation on his return by letting them know he’s working on a new album. Like many fans here, he didn’t want the show to end. So we took group photos with the purple banner held high, some with his dancers and some by himself.
“I’ll be back in no time,” he said, spelling out “love” with his hands as he said goodbye. He gave one more big air hug before leaving the stage.
The “King of Performance” probably needs a good rest, but he'll do one last thing: look up at the Texas night sky, cherishing this concert deep in his heart.
