From the live premiere of new single "Punch" to heartwarming quotes from the members, here are the show's standouts.
Instead of bedroom live streams, some of the biggest K-pop acts are putting on full-blown concerts for fans at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following shows from SuperM, WayV and NCT Dream in previous weeks, NCT 127 was the latest group to put on an online concert as part of the Beyond LIVE concert streaming service.
On May 16, just days before the release of their upcoming Neo Zone: The Final Round repackaged album (due on May 19), NCT 127 put on a show for thousands around the world to premiere some new music and perform fan-favorite singles and B-sides.
The remarkably high production value of the show, as well as the multi-angle live stream, created a different kind of live performance that allowed the group’s showmanship to shine through and let fans feel connected to the band even if it may be a while before they can see them in person again.
From initial impressive technology feats to the surprise conclusion, here are the best moments from NCT 127’s Beyond the Origin online concert.
1. The 3D-ragon: From opening number “Cherry Bomb,” the audience quickly got clued in that augmented-reality technology and 3-D graphics would be a major component of the show. Song lyrics — both in Korean and English — danced around NCT 127 as they performed, but the standout tech moment had to be during latest single “Kick It,” which brought out a humongous, virtual dragon flying around the screen.
2. A special performance of “Boom”: Not only did NCT 127 deliver the first-ever performance of their B-side cut “Boom” (a fan favorite from the Billboard 200 top 5 album Neo Zone), but included a special treat by wearing the varsity jackets originally seen in the mini music video that teased the song in February.
3. The multilingual intro: With fans tuned in from all around the world, the guys did their best to share their message in as many languages as possible. While the band performed hits in Korean, Japanese and English, the group’s initial greetings to the audience came in a remarkable seven different languages: Doyoung greeting viewers in Chinese, Johnny in Spanish, Taeil in Thai, Haechan in Indonesian, Yuta in Japanese, Mark and Jaehyun in English, plus Taeyong and Jungwoo in Korean.
4. “Make Your Day” in multi-camera: When vocalists Taeil, Doyoung, Jaehyun, Jungwoo and Haechan gave the world premiere of NCT 127’s new song “Make Your Day” — which will be included on Neo Zone: The Final Round — viewers were treated to a multi-camera stream that included a simultaneous view of the full stage as well as individual cameras on each member. It made the ballad’s mix of light harmonies and layered-vocal finale all the more chill-inducing.
5. DJ Johnny and the dance battle: In another special section, Johnny introduced his “DJ Johnny” persona to the audience to play a slew of remixes to the group’s latest single “Kick It” for a dance battle between Taeyong, Yuta and Mark. Johnny showed off his live mixing while each of the dancers got to show off their fancy freestyle footwork.
6. Doyoung kicking off the compliment battle: During the live Q&A section with fans, one of the NCTzens asked the guys to share nice words about the member to his right. While Doyoung, the first member to speak, could have taken the request in a much lighter or curt manner, the singer shared some truly heartfelt words.
“Jungwoo joined NCT 127 a little late, so I know he had a hard time at first,” Doyoung said of his bandmate who joined more than two years after the group’s debut. “Thank you for sharing your feelings with me. I know you had memorize choreography all of a sudden, but you worked really hard.”
The sweet words created a chain of compliments between the members that ranged from heartfelt (Yuta told Taeyong “you’re my best friend” more than once) to adorably hilarious (“You’re like an AA battery,” Haechan said to Johnny, before thanking him for “always taking care of us.”)
7. A punchy premiere: NCT 127 upped the hype for their new single “Punch” tenfold when they premiered the new song in full for the first time live on Beyond the Origin. They treated fans to the anthemic, confident track, its accompanying choreography and their redcoat-inspired fashion that were teased earlier in the day with social-media photos.
8. The legendary guest: The guys also had a very special fan join the virtual Q&A session as well, and it was none other than U-Know of TVXQ, a label mate of NCT 127’s also under SM Entertainment, and who has been an active K-pop star for more than 15 years. In an endearing senior-to-junior exchange, U-Know complimented the group’s performance of “Punch,” saying, “I thought it showed your individual charms.” U-Know also asked the NCT boys for some pointers, as TVXQ will be holding their own Beyond LIVE concert on May 24.
9. Taking “Highway to Heaven” to the “101”: Another stunning visual feat of the concert came in the surrounding LED screens that could create entire worlds for a performance. The night’s best screen tech had to be for “Highway to Heaven,” where lyrics such as “We’ll take the highway to heaven/ On the 101, let’s see just where it goes” came to life: NCT 127 danced above a projection of an actual highway surrounded by shots of a West Coast desert. Viewers seeing the overhead and side-screen angles helped make the show feel beyond live.
10. The virtual encore: After the concert technically finished, viewers who stayed around a little bit longer were treated to additional time with the boys in the form of a virtual encore. The live stream lit back up and NCT 127 returned to the stage to talk to fans a bit more for some reflections about the show and comforting words. “I’m so glad to be able to do this with you guys to be able to have another alternative to connect,” Mark shared. “I’m glad we ended it safely … we just want to remind you] that we have to take care of ourselves. I can’t wait to see you in person.”
NCT 127’s Beyond the Origin concert setlist:
“Cherry Bomb”
“Chain”
“Regular” (English version)
“Boom”
“Make Your Day”
“White Night”
“Kick It” (DJ Johnny remix)
“Love Me Now” (DJ Johnny remix)
“Superhuman”
“Wake Up”
“Baby Don’t Like It”
“Punch”
“Touch”
“Highway to Heaven” (English version)
“Kick It”
