Knock-Knock, Who’s There? It’s BOYNEXTDOOR at Salt Shed!

Article by Sam Glasscock // Images by KOZ ENTERTAINMENT (HYBE)

With a line almost eight blocks long despite the cold drizzle, Chicago was gearing up for BOYNEXTDOOR’s debut in the city at the Salt Shed! People of all kinds took their spots in line, from young children with their parents, to elderly couples waiting patiently. BOYNEXTDOOR fans, cleverly named ONEDOOR, were standing with their friends chatting excitedly about seeing their bias, holding their lightsticks and photocards, and freebies that they were handing out. Fans also dressed the part, as they recreated member’s outfits from music videos, performances, or just wore the group’s color, a teal blue. 

BOYNEXTDOOR is a K-Pop boy group located in South Korea under KOZ Entertainment, a subunit of HYBE Labels. The group consists of six members; Sungho, Riwoo, Jaehyun, Taesan, Leehan, and Woonhak, ranging from ages nineteen to twenty three years old. The group is known for their fresh, youthful, and “boy next door” like charm, hence the name. They debuted in May 2023 with their single album titled, Who!, that consisted of chart topping tracks such as “One and Only”. While K-Pop is the genre assigned to them, they blend it with influences of groovy funk, retro pop, R&B, and trap. Their chameleon-like style even led them to releasing their fourth EP titled, No Genre, in 2025. This genre-less label for them is incredibly true as they perform their first studio album, HOME, on their first world tour at Salt Shed. 

As the rustic, industrial, and sold out venue filled, ONEDOOR were buzzing with excitement. The floor was packed to the brim with excited fans while the seating above gradually filled in with equally ecstatic people. As house lights went down and stage lights came on, ONEDOOR immediately broke out into synchronized fanchants, hoping to hype up the boys. The group started with their boom-bap hip hop track “06070”, named after the area code of Seoul, South Korea. The choice of song was perfect as the track’s lyrics retrace the group’s journey from trainee days all the way until now. The energy of the show ebbed and flowed as the group danced with Michael Jackson-esque moves and genre-bending sound. Between songs, the members funnily discussed Chicago style hotdogs, the weather, and how this was their official debut in Chicago after performing at Lollapalooza in 2025. During the three outfit changes of the show, VCRs were played on the screen of the group building houses, playing comically large board games, or pulling off extravagant heists. After performing some emotional ballads, the band cranked the energy to the max by playing some of their biggest hits, including “Animal”. After bringing the house down, the members had a silly, yet impressive, freestyle dance battle consisting of some impressive popping and locking that really showed off their years of training and personalities. 

When the concert came to an “end”, the fans cheered for the traditional encore that happens at K-Pop concerts. While the members were doing their last outfit change for the encore, they played their music videos on screen with lyrics for ONEDOOR to perform karaoke, which kept the crowd warmed up for the last few songs. When the band came back, they donned the classic “I ♡ CHI” shirts, while also grabbing accessories that fans had brought for them to put on, including hats, sunglasses, and even a stuffed orangutan. While a usual K-Pop encore is two to three songs, BOYNEXTDOOR took it to the next level. They performed four extra songs, along with their song, “Animal” three more times. For one of the songs, the group asked the audience what song they would like to hear. An overwhelming amount of people scream their favorites back, but the boys went with their song “Serenade”. With bows of gratitude and sweet goodbyes, BOYNEXTDOOR left the stage with more than enough of their boy-ish charm and energy to spare after performing an outstanding show.