by Siti Umaira
Image via Naver Vlive
Following stages from SuperM, WayV and NCT Dream in the previous weeks, NCT 127 was the latest group to put on an online concert as part of the Beyond LIVE concert streaming service and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
Keeping up with the band’s full name, Neo Culture Technology, they are the first group to introduce the “Multi-cam” feature from Beyond LIVE. Fans were able to enjoy close-up shots of each member rather than relying on the main camera. They can see their favourite member perform up close and it provides fan with much more energy as the concert progresses.
Kicking off with Cherry Bomb as an opening act, the group performed a total of 13 songs throughout the two-hour concert. Between the songs, each member shared their feelings about their first online concert and engaged with fans through the live chat feature available in Naver’s V Live. A surprise for fans, they also performed Boom for the first time, a side-track from their second full-length album.
Proving that they are multilingual group; they greeted fans all around the world with seven different languages. Doyoung started off with Mandarin, followed by Johnny in Spanish, Taeil in Thai, Haechan in Indonesian, Yuta in Japanese, Mark and Jaehyun in English, and Taeyong and Jungwoo in Korean.
The online concert seemed better than their live concerts as Beyond LIVE allowed them to receive instant feedback from NCTzens (an affectionate term for NCT fans). It is definitely different compared to performing in a live arena where you hear loud roars from fans. Instead, they were able to get authentic, detailed reactions of their fans bringing them even closer.
One special stage is not enough. While some members changed their outfit for the following stage, Johnny introduced his DJ skills to the audience. He played a remix of the group’s latest single Kick It accompanied by a dance battle between Taeyong, Yuta and Mark. The dancers provided an amazing performance of their freestyle footwork.
Continuing the hype, the group performed their new single Punch for the first time before the official music video releases. With powerful choreography and stunning red coats that were teased earlier in the day on social media, they successfully created a buzz. The stage also created an illusion of members dancing in an elevated boxing ring, making them look more charismatic than ever.
Beyond LIVE provided amazing AR visual effects for the boys’ stage. Ensuing Punch, during the Highway to Heaven performance, the wall displayed a continuous highway through a desert originally seen in their music video. A huge golden dragon swirled above the boys and shot up into the sky as they performed Kick It.
Before the concert ended, special fans were picked to have a virtual Q&A session with the members. A twist for the boys, one of the fans was none other than Yunho of TVXQ, a label mate and senior under the SM Entertainment group. In a delightful senior-to-junior exchange, the legendary senior complimented the band’s performance of Punch, saying “it really brought out your individual charms.”
A remarkable artist-fan moment took place when Taeyong noticed from the live comments that fans were having a hard time hearing the boys clearly at the beginning of the concert. Taking care of the matter as the leader, Taeyong politely asked the staff to adjust the volume of their mics. There was also a funny encounter between Mark and a special fan from the US when the former asked, “Are you in your kitchen right now?” and yes, indeed the fan enjoyed the whole concert in her kitchen.
Overall, the amazing production of the show created a different kind of online performance that allowed the group’s showmanship to shine through. The concert was an intimate experience for both the fans and the band to connect amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
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