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■ Ampers&One
Ampers&One is a seven-member South Korean boy band formed by FNC Entertainment. They debuted on November 15, 2023. The name represents combining the ampersand (“&”) and “one,” symbolizing the unity of you, me, and us as one. The group consists of seven members: Kamden, Brian, Jiho, Siyun, Kyrell, Mackiah, and Seungmo.

Being an avid mall walker during the winter months in Minnesota, I knew where the Huntington Bank Rotunda was located at the Mall of America. But even if it was my first time there, I could have just followed the screams that greeted me when I entered the southeastern concourse.

It was my first time seeing a K-Pop band, a check off my music bucket list. I knew that their demographic would be young and mostly female. But what I didn’t expect was the sheer amount of positive energy that was expended by these young men and what was given in return was a continuous roar from the crowd.

Ampers&One was formed recently in 2023. Their name means individuals coming together to fulfill a collective dream. The individuals of this well-honed musical unit are:

Kamden from Seattle
Brian from Canada
Jiho from South Korea
Siyun from South Korea
Kyrell from Seattle
Mackiah from Australia
Seungmo from South Korea

Kamden is the designated lead singer and spent most of the show chatting with the audience while he and the rest of the group tried to catch their breath between songs, he talked about their favorite place at the MOA (Shake Shack) and being a little afraid to ride the Sponge Bob Square Pants roller coaster at Nickelodeon Universe. Basically the concert was half singing and dancing and half afternoon date with a thousand-plus fans.

I’m not sure if the Huntington Bank Rotunda is the best place to see a concert. It does have a positive aspect with its multi-levels ringing the stage like an Americanized La Scala, a venue with a Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks within feet of the stage.

Actually, the setup works perfectly with a K-Pop group that is mostly dancing and catching their breaths between songs. It provided four levels for fans to watch the entertainment if they arrived early enough. For others, there was more searching.

As I circled all four levels to find a place to take a photo, I saw the dads mostly hanging along the back walls glued to their phones. At least one mom helped with the search, showing that if her daughter just hunched down and craned her neck, she could (possibly) get a glimpse of the band between the criss-crossing escalators.

And as I circled and searched, I started to notice something that you don’t see at most shows. Even though the audience was mostly young and female, the demographics after that were as diverse as I have ever seen at a show. And that is pretty cool. That there is a musical group out there that can attract fans from any socio or cultural demographic who will spend two hours on Saturday afternoon screaming at the top of their lungs.