Hannah Bahng kicked off one of her last shows for “The Misunderstood World Tour” at House of Blues on Nov. 25. The line for the Korean-Australian indie artist wrapped around the building. Her fans, nicknamed “blues,” buzzed with excitement as they waited to be let into the venue.

Anika Patil, a third-year biology student at the University of California, San Diego, said she has been a fan of Bahng since she started releasing music in 2023. This concert was the first time Patil had the chance to see Bahng perform live. 

Patil said that even before her debut, she used to watch Bahng’s YouTube videos of song covers.

Bahng is also the sister of Bang Chan, a member of the popular K-pop group Stray Kids. Patil said this is how she originally found out about Bahng’s work. However, she said that after watching Bahng’s videos and listening to her music, she grew to love her unique, creative style. 

“I love her genre of music. I think it’s so unique and so original,” Patil said. “She’s a part of the entire creative process, which I really appreciate. She’s kind of defining her own style, her music is so unique — I love to see that in an artist.”

As fans trickled into the music hall, Bahng had a special photo-op surprise. To the side of the stage was a life-sized cardboard cutout of the artist, posed in a silly, running position. Fans loved the feature, immediately forming a line to take a photo with it. Some mimicked cardboard-Bahng’s pose, while others high-fived the cutout or laid down next to it. 

The immersion into Bahng’s artistic world didn’t end there — almost anywhere you turned was a “Zymmie,” a plush character Bahng designed herself. 

Between clips, phone charms, plush keychains and tote bags featuring the character, fans absolutely adored Zymmie and it was everywhere throughout the crowd. 

Once the lights dimmed for opener Mad Tsai, Bahng’s best friend, the screams of excitement were deafening. 

Tsai emerged onto the stage with a red, backless top that matched his cherry-red hair. Despite his bold look, he was open and vulnerable to the crowd. 

“I never really felt like I had a normal upbringing. I was a queer, Asian kid that grew up in [Orange County],” Tsai said. “I never felt like I was represented when I watched all these teen movies and read all these books… My story was never really told, so I had to resort to writing songs to tell my own story.” 

He then performed “in my head,” a song that reflects heavily on grief and loss. Tsai gave an emotion-filled performance, crying after singing the song. Fans cheered loudly to show support, while he wiped away tears.

To liven up the mood, Tsai covered “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga and sang fan favorites, including “stacy’s brother,” “killer queen” and “BITE.” 

Bahng opened the night with “what never lived,” a single she released in January and included in “The Misunderstood EP” in September.

To follow up, Bahng united the crowd by playing “Sweet Satin Boy” and “tonight’s the night i die to a frank ocean song.” Both songs exuded a dream-like and soulful energy that the crowd immersed themselves into. Fans hung onto every lyric as they sang in unison. 

“Vertigo” continued this same energy, except this time, Bahng switched from playing guitar to the keyboard. 

Bahng then performed the title track from her debut EP, “Absymal.” The song carries a heavier message about suffocating under the weight of unanswered questions and emotional turmoil. Toward the climax of the music, Bahng took a drumstick and played the cymbal alongside her drummer, Puma. 

As the music faded out, she threw the drumstick into the crowd and transitioned into performing “OLeander” and “RIBS (interlude).”  

“It’s time to pick the perfect blue of the night,” Bahng said, indicating she was going to bring one lucky fan onstage. 

A sea of signs and eager waving hands appeared, trying to grab the singer’s attention. The fan that was chosen gifted Bahng a Fuggler plush, which she named Larry. 

Bahng danced and took a selfie with the fan before energizing the crowd even more by covering “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. 

Bahng surprised the audience by playing an unreleased track, “Malibu.” The song had a groovy, upbeat vibe that had the artist twirling on stage. Guitarist Liam Fennell and Bahng went back to back as Fennell played a solo towards the end of the song. 

The next set of songs, “raison d’être,” “Orchid / Flame” and a cover of “WILDFLOWER” by Billie Eilish, showed off Bahng’s ability to captivate fans with her smooth vocals. 

She wound down her set by playing “IM ME AGAIN” and “POMEGRANATE.” Both songs had pop-rock influences that left fans feeling the music in their bones. 

Bahng took a Polaroid photo with the crowd before performing her last two songs, “MISUNDERSTOOD” and “perfect blues.” The night ended with jumping, clapping and hands waving to the beat — all while singing the lyrics wholeheartedly together to savor the moment.