Everyone’s favorite podcast host and South Korea’s boyfriend, Eric Nam took over the intimate Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles to close out his expansive world tour with what he called, House On A Hill Encore. Rounding out as show number seventy-five, the close-knit NamNation would come out to help Eric Nam finish off his series of TED Talks in the small capacity venue in a high-energy fashion.
Correlating around the release of the deluxe edition version of Eric Nam’s latest studio album, House on a Hill, which drops on May 10 and features a handful of new songs, the pop artist decided the best way to celebrate the release was this special show in which he would premiere each song featured on the upcoming deluxe edition.
This would be my first time at the Teragram Ballroom, and my second time catching an Eric Nam show. So, I knew ahead of time just how much energy I was about to leave on the venue floor from the constant dancing, screaming, and pure oneness that comes with being part of the NamNation. I arrived three hours ahead of the posted time and watched those hours fly by in a heartbeat as I made some new friends who were going to experience an Eric Nam show for the first time.
Eric Nam’s House On A Hill Encore would kick off with a quick screening of the complete House on a Hill short film, which of course featured Eric himself, alongside the hilarious Nick Mestad as Eric traversed the twisted interiors of an exquisite home, leading into the previously released music video for this album’s cycle.
Overall, the short film was nice and put together the puzzle pieces of Eric’s latest album perfectly conveying the louder message. After a small break, Eric himself would take the stage and jump right into the tour’s familiar setlist, kicking things off with an energetic performance of “Sink or Swim,” leading into “Any Other Way” and “You’re Sexy I’m Sexy” to name a few.
Five songs deep, Eric would dive headfirst into “House on a Hill,” which I’m still sitting over here asking for a studio version of the song’s live rendition. It’s so good. But, with a slight surprise, Eric would bring out the ever-talented Em Beihold, as the duo would sing the album’s title track together, bringing to life the album’s bonus feature.
“House on a Hill” brought unmatched energy into the Teragram Ballroom as both Eric Nam and Em Beihold jumped across the stage, living their best Disney princess lives as the crowd matched the energy; dancing, jumping, and screaming their lungs out.
Eric would now do what he does best; TALK. Addressing the crowd about just how special House On A Hill Encore would be, bringing up his deluxe edition album and how he would be premiering the songs off that edition of the album, which erupted the crowd further, as we’re all always itching for new music from the brain of Eric Nam.
After a quick joke about fake setlists and Panda Express, which had the crowd rolling, Eric would jump into the first new song titled, “In My Mind.” The best way I can describe this song is it’s going to instantly be on repeat and had me grooving the entire time. It was such a treat getting to hear it live, and I can’t wait to hear it live again in the not-so-close future.
Next up would be “Strawberries,” which Eric expressed as a dangerous song once done performing it due to the song’s totally not sexual themes. This man simply loves strawberries. It’s a fun song that fits perfectly within the album, and I can’t wait to hear its studio counterpart.
After we danced our way through these two new songs, Eric would once again chat it up with the crowd as members of the audience would present their Aang posters, which took Eric by surprise in the best way possible. Twinkle Toes would then fight off peer pressure as the excited Los Angeles crowd chanted for the DIVE Studios host to take off his jacket. The keyword there is “fought off.” At least for now.
Eric would jump right into my personal favorite one-man dance party of a song, “Don’t Leave Yet” and “Paradise” before giving fans yet another glimpse into the future with even more new music.
Jumping right into “Hypochondriac,” a song that Eric describes as about his fear of all things germs with a love twist, that was born from the tail-end of COVID. “Hypochondriac” is catchy as all heck, and could become a favorite of mine once the deluxe edition of House on a Hill is released.
The final new song of the night would come right after in the form of “Wish I Didn’t Care,” which Eric Nam and his team have been teasing across social media for the last few days.
The wonderful Lyn Lapid would join Eric on stage for the song’s premiere as the duo sang beautifully together, building off each other’s energies and creating a memorable atmosphere in the Teragram Ballroom, as fans quickly learned the words and sang along.
To further make House On A Hill Encore a special affair, Eric Nam would dive into his archives and pull out the 2017 release, “Cave Me In.” A song I can honestly say I hadn’t heard before the show so it was a nice gift for myself, with the bonus that Gallant would reunite with Eric for the occasion.
As the show quickly was heading for its end, Eric belted out a perfect performance of “Love Die Young,” which completely moved the crowd, some I could see with tears streaming down their face. It was a beautiful moment that continues to be a highlight of the Eric Nam live show experience.
A huge constant throughout the show would be Eric Nam bringing up the fact he wasn’t sure when he would be touring again or releasing new music. Creating a heavy atmosphere for the show, as we all knew we had to enjoy this moment even more. Given that, Eric would now give the crowd what they wanted and remove his jacket while jumping into his dance anthem “Echo.”
“Echo” would once again get the crowd fired up as Eric would also quickly move between “Runaway” and “Honestly” as the pop artist would exclaim that they had a hard curfew from the venue that they needed to meet, so as much as he would love to keep chatting it up with the crowd, he would prefer to sing and dance with everyone.
The pure enjoyment on Eric’s face, as he performs, is always an amazing sight, as we’re reminded from both the crowd’s perspective and the artist’s not to take any of this for granted. As Eric would tell everyone “as long as you show up, I’ll show up for you.” An incredibly beautiful sentiment as the night slowly continued its crawl to a close.
Eric would rush off stage and within seconds the crowd would begin to erupt with “Eric Nam” chants leading the artist and his talented backing band and dancers to return once more for an explosive performance of “Only For A Moment” and fan favorite, “Congratulations.”
Eric Nam’s House On A Hill Encore was the perfect way to bring his world tour to a close, with show seventy-five. The setlist was perfect, combining a familiar group of songs with new experiences that would transform into lifelong memories.
Alongside Eric Nam’s infectious high-energy antics, both Tristan Edpao and Pauler Lam would bring their own heat, creating a contagious dance party for everyone in attendance. Now, we can’t forget about the amazing performance done by drummer Patch Mahoney and guitarist Ryan Hoffman as both men created an exceptional live show, bringing these songs to life in unforgotten ways.
It’s not known when we’ll hear new music from Eric Nam aside from the upcoming deluxe edition of House on a Hill or when his next tour will be. But, I can say, that when Eric Nam comes through once more, I wouldn’t miss it for the world, and neither should you.
