"We don't wanna go home," said Aqua co-vocalist René Dif in front of a swarm of fans at The Wiltern in Los Angeles last Wednesday. For the Danish-Norwegian Europop band, their first U.S. tour in over 25 years came at the right time with BarbieMania at an all time high thanks to the highly successful Barbie live-action film along with Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice's "Barbie World" dominating the charts. This was Aqua's second time in Los Angeles this year following a sold-out show at The Belasco over the summer. 2,000 people came out in attendance to give Aqua another sold-out performance in the city.

Aqua kicked off their 90-minute set with Aquarius opening track "Cartoon Heroes," which featured a monstrous intro courtesy of their live band as René, co-vocalist Lene Nystrøm, and keyboardist Søren Rasted took to the stage. As the band performed, the song's accompanying music video was displayed on the big screen behind them. With a price tag of $3.5 million, the "Cartoon Heroes" music video is one of the most expensive music videos ever made. Aqua would leap into their 2008 comeback single "Back To The 80s," which finds them reminiscing about a decade that delivered Miami Vice, Commodore 64, and Cherry Coke.

As the opening track to Aqua's 1997 debut album Aquarium, "Happy Boys & Girls" is the perfect example of Aqua's colorful brand of Europop. Watching the crowd joyously sing "Be happy," René stated, "We're gonna start a new religion in the United States called the Aqua religion all about being happy."

While Aqua's set was filled with bouncy dance tunes, they slowed things down with "Turn Back Time," which was featured in the soundtrack for the film Sliding Doors. Originally not set to appear on Aquarium, the song's soft nature enhanced by Lene's divine vocals makes it a standout track in the group's discography. During the song's bridge, the band threw a curveball with René jumping on stage to deliver some vicious raps over a hard rock breakdown.

By the time "My Oh My" hit, Aqua spent all of their time on stage. As the song progressed, however, René and Lene jumped into the crowd to sing along with some lucky fans in the front. During the bridge, René jokingly teased "Barbie Girl" by singing "Come on, Barbie, let's go party." While the holiday season was in full swing, it didn't stop Aqua from performing Aquarius deep cut "Halloween." The Europop song, which wasn't performed at their Belasco show, was transformed into a hard rock tune with the backing band channeling their inner Van Halen.

When the opening synths to "Barbie Girl" hit, the sold-out crowd were sent back to their childhood. Several people came to The Wiltern dressed as either Barbie or Ken just for this energetic moment. Midway through the song, the band stopped playing to let the packed crowd sing along to the iconic chorus before they transitioned into Tiësto's recent remix of the hit.

Aqua kept things going with Aquarium cuts "Lollipop (Candyman)" and "Doctor Jones" before exiting the stage. As expected, the bevy of Aqua fans didn't want the night to end. For the encore, the band ended their final stop of their U.S. tour with "Roses Are Red," which was their first single released under the name Aqua. Following 90 minutes of sugar-coated pop tunes, the sweaty crowd left satisfied after witnessing one of the '90s most jubilant acts to come from overseas.

Aqua setlist

Cartoon Heroes

Back to the 80's

Calling You

Playmate to Jesus

Around the World

Happy Boys & Girls

Good Morning Sunshine

Turn Back Time

Dirty Little Pop Song / My Mamma Said

My Oh My

We Belong to the Sea

Didn't I

Bumble Bees

Halloween

Barbie Girl

Lollipop (Candyman)

Doctor Jones

Encore:

Roses Are Red