NCT 127 NEO CITY THE LINK: Atlanta

[kpopwinemom]

Ace and I kicked 2023 off by once more driving to Atlanta to see NCT. Unlike previous visits, we got a hotel walking distance from the arena, which honestly made a world of difference. We were able to walk over early, grab the merch we wanted (I really wanted the grey and lime hoodie, especially because I forgot my coat at home and it was in the 30s!) and then hang out and eat dinner and chat with other attendees before actually entering the venue.

I like to talk about the whole experience of the concert, because it very much impacts the overall experience for me, and this time it felt like we got all of our bad luck out of the way very early in the day! I made a few bad turns during the drive, which added some time, and then we had to stop because my car started throwing up frightening (and thankfully false!) alerts. And of course...my coat did not make it into the car.

Alas, in the long run, these issues were really minor, and we got to the State Farm Arena with plenty of time to get merch, have dinner, and make friends - one of my favorite aspects of k-pop concerts! I missed this last time I went to the arena, but there is an attached food court, so we ended up not having to wait outside in the cold at all! Truly excellent.

When I was last at State Farm Arena, in November, we had last minute nosebleed seats that were so steep I panicked, and had to be moved. This time, we had really really good seats! Ace hadn't been able to snag tix when they had originally gone on sale, but we both kept an eye out, and they were able to grab us really, really excellent resale tickets on Twitter! (When Twitter dies, where will we resell tickets?????) We were pretty close to the stage. Unfortunately, the angle we were at meant our vision was partially obscured by the two video panels they moved back and forth across the stage - we didn't see ANY of Johnny's sexy little dance at all, and we were also blocked from seeing the slide for Love On The Floor. But honestly, from the way the stage was set up, I don't know that there were necessarily better seats available? The best view would have been lower level back center - I think that is the only place you would have been able to have a fully unobscured view for this stage setup, but it's pretty far from the main stage!

I will admit that while there are individual members of 127 I really like (Taeyong, and Yuta) they aren't one of my favorite groups. But Ace loves them, and I like them enough to be willing to go and be sold on them. They were really, really good! They opened with Kick It, which I generally do not love - the opening is so good, but the rest of the song doesn't hook me. But live it was actually really awesome, and that turned out to be the case for a lot of their songs - I didn't love the studio version, but they worked really well in concert. I told a girl jokingly that I was planning to leave for the toilets during Sticker, and she cajoled me into staying, saying that it was likely to be better live - and she was absolutely right. The crowd drowned out the whining pipes, and for the first time ever, I made it through Sticker and enjoyed it. Other songs that were good live that I hadn't previously loved: Cherry Bomb, Touch, Love Me Now.

If you're someone who loves ballads, there was a lot for you here! Taeil and Doyoung had gorgeous solos, and The Rainy Night, White Night and Back 2 U were beautifully sung. Unfortunately, I hate ballads, so this was my toilet break. I think they are boring. Sorry to the ballads, they have done nothing wrong, I just do not prefer them.

I love dancy, upbeat tracks, and there were also a lot of those, thankfully! I entered the concert really looking forward to Breakfast (HORNY!) Lemonade, Love on the Floor and Regular (specifically the English version...looking casket fresh? I love it.) and those were all super good, along with some other songs I wasn't as familiar with. I will note NO ONE around us was dancing, which was so strange to me! I danced the whole way through the show, and had a fabulous time.

A few other songs I was particularly looking forward to were Favorite, which is not only my favorite 127 song, but possibly one of my favorite k-pop songs of all time; Highway to Heaven (also horny, and set right before Breakfast in a combo that was truly perfect) and of course 2 Baddies. All of those were so much fun. The audience was super into the two English songs! While crowds still sing along to Korean songs, everyone was really shouting out the lyrics to the two English ones! I don't think there was a single person in the crowd who didn't know Highway to Heaven and Regular.

The solo stages were also a lot of fun. I particularly loved Taeyong's, which I do not have a single intelligent thing to say about it except OH MY GOD, ARMS! and Yuta's, which was objectively the best. His voice is so captivating! He sang a bit, and then did a VERY sexy floor dance, and it was all just perfect, and very sexy. Yuta had by and far the best on stage charisma, he was really fun to watch! I will say we probably would have loved Johnny's stage...if we didn't have to watch it in completion on the screen. I'll watch the fancams of that later and get the same experience, sadly.

Haechan was absent from the concert (I hope he feels better soon and I am SO glad he is getting a break. He and Mark have been running nonstop for a while now!) but he was still included in the concert, which I thought was sweet. They left his voice in for some of his more iconic lines, and he was in all the video materials. Ace said he was spliced in during the ballads, too, but I did not notice because as I mentioned previously, I hate ballads. Fans also brought sunflowers to show they were thinking of him! Very cute.

The concert was very, very good, and all the boys were great - the songs sounded amazing, the dancing was amazing. But I want to note this was the most choreographed concert I have ever seen, and honestly in my mind, to it's detriment. There just weren't a lot of organic "moments" among the members, not a lot of playfulness, teasing, or fanservice because most of the time was spent dancing. And personally, I find I like the organic moments? Since I saw Ateez so recently and at the same venue I found myself comparing them to Ateez a lot - and Ateez comes out on top. They are just so solidly a performance group, and their chemistry and charisma and love for performance really comes across. Even when they are choreographed, they are playing with and teasing each other, and because of it no two shows feel the same. Nct didn't have much playfulness, and I found myself missing that! I love the little small moments - I feel like those are the most fun! Like the ON STAGE SHOWER at TBZ (truly WTF was that, I was feral) or San getting mad at members for cutting him out of the choreo. NCT was dancing if they were dancing, and singing if they were singing, with the notable exception of Yuta, who truly just lights up on stage.

All in all, they were very good, and I am glad we went! But also, if they toured nearby again, I wouldn't be pressed to get tickets again.

Comments

[tullycat]

I was wondering if I'd like sticker more live and it sounds like I would! Interesting that they didn't have many non-choreographed moments; I feel like groups of their level don't lean on the choreo as much. (And yes that tbz show was so fun/wild!)

[kpopwinemom]

If the pipe is your problem you probably would! I hate that song - I love noise, but that song operates at a frequency that just irritates me. It's the only song I literally cannot play through. But I LOVE the rest of the album.

Yeah, I agree with you on choreo! I feel like when groups get very large, they tend to relax the choreo and have more fun with it, and I didn't see that come across here! There were a few moments that were fun/silly, but def not to the extent I saw with BTS in 2018, or Ateez at the same arena in Nov. I wonder if it is because they are an SM group, and SM provides professional singers? Or if it's just the personalities of the members.

TBZ in ATL was so insane. I truly felt unhinged after I saw them. I liked them so much I made sure that we saw them again at KCon.

[sauronnaise]

we didn't see ANY of Johnny's sexy little dance
Sincere condolences.

There just weren't a lot of organic "moments" among the members, not a lot of playfulness, teasing, or fanservice because most of the time was spent dancing.
I sometimes watch concerts on youtube (because I'm poor and KPop bands never come to my city anyways. And no way I'll be on a train for 8+h to go to Toronto and Hamilton for a concert. That train ride will ruin me too) and it was the impression I got as well. There isn't the spontaneous aspect of liveshows there used to be for 2nd gen groups--specifically SM groups. That's a shame because I know the 127 gang would love to go monke and have fun with the crowd.

with the notable exception of Yuta, who truly just lights up on stage.
I have a soft spot for Yuta and Winwin on stage. They both have an enigmatic aura. Yuta has something more controlled and subdued while as Winwin has grace. Both are enigmatic.

[kpopwinemom]

We were SO SAD to have the view blocked. I had been to this venue previously and had thought we had good seats, but the way they set up the stage blocked our line of vision COMPLETELY.

It really depends on the group for natural moments and stage presence. I have noticed NCT is just not great at this. Ateez is phenomenal, and so are The Boyz, both of whom were very fun, cheerful, and engaging. TBZ has a few natural English speakers, which is likely to their advantage, but also...I think they were just thrilled to be there. They had just blown up, they were on a major global tour, and it was their first post pandemic. Same with Ateez...I saw them on their first tour post pandemic and they were so excited!

Yuta has a LOT of presence and charisma in person. He was FERAL. It was DELICIOUS. I haven't seen Winwin in person, so I can't compare! I find that that videos simply don't convey the same energy, and often when I see something in person it is completely different. That being said, I totally get not being able to go frequently! (Or at all!) Concerts are difficult for me, too, groups and artists tend to go to ATL or Orlando, neither of which are cities where I live. Thankfully, we have been able to stay with my family! But I had to pass on Eric Nam and Dreamcatcher recently because I was just too burned out to travel, and my budget is much tigher!

[sauronnaise]

Only in interviews, Ateez look like they're having fun blabbering about whatever. Hongjoong has a good English.

Winwin is an interesting case because he's a trained dancer--he graduated from Beijing Dance Academy. I wish we had more of classic Chinese dance. Though Winwin doesn't seem crazy about being an idol. My guy has a foot in the C-drama industry, which is a smart thing to do. I would if I were a Beijing Dance Academy graduate and somewhat thrown in the SM dungeon. He was scouted in a dance competition. I bet SM scouted him because he's beautiful (and his dance skills naturally but it sometimes puts him at disadvantage because modern KPop dance and classic Chinese dances are quite different).

I wish Yuta
- No more plastic surgery!! It's like they're actively sabotaging him. He didn't need any work. I saw online he and Taeyong were the most handsome irl
- A long lasting J-Rock career. He's already friends with Hyde and Jaejoong, I don't doubt we'll see him post IG stories with Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi soon enough

[kpopwinemom]

Ateez's English isn't terrible live! They do all their ments in English, they're just not natura/native speakers and they aren't going to pick up on the nuance/jokes that Eric or Kevin would.

Yeah, Winwin seems ready to move on. But like I said, I'm just much less familiar with him.

I would LOVE to see j-rock Yuta! He is SO good omg. I love his vocals. I am ready for his solo career arc, you know it must be coming. He is so popular in Japan, and now with 127 heading into their enlistment era, the weight is going to fall on foreign idols to keep them active.

[sauronnaise]

I'm sure that if they're serious with their studies (and have sufficient time to study, that's also something to keep in mind, these boys are busy, especially since Halazia I feel), I'm sure they'll be able to grasp said subtleties.

Here's some videos because Chinese dance is *chef kiss* and so is Winwin:
nct winwin's t7s dance solo; a compilation
WinWin (WayV) Korean + Chinese fan dance (Korean Foreigner Show) 07012020
Winwin traditional Chinese dance

There must be more on Douyin and Bilibili but I'm too lazy to Google translate and search for now. There's of course the dance with Ten that is such a beauty--Winwin does look aerial.

Shaky Raindrop on youtube made great analysis on Taeyong, Yuta and Winwin--she's a ballet dancer originally (I assume that when people say they're ballet dancers, they're trained professionally. She knows what she's talking about (I hope!)). I didn't watch her video on Haechan; I will do soon.

I wish a career in Japan for Yuta. The market is bigger there (after all, Japan's copyright laws make it the second biggest music industry in the world, and unlike the US, they aren't interested in exporting), although there's consequently more competition. I heard the Japanese public is loyal. Once you're set, you're good to go. Yuta auditioned to be a singer so I'm crossing fingers he'll not renew his contract with SM, will polish his singing skills, will ring Jaejoong, Hyde and Miyavi and make his grand debut.
(About that: AVEX WHY DID YOU YEET NAMIE AMURO'S SONGS FROM PLATFORMS?! LET HER RETIRE FROM THE INDUSTRY NO NEED TO RETIRE HER MUSIC TOO *aggravated noises*)

Enlistment era looool I wonder who'll do civil service. Probably Taeyong and Haechan, they're either ill or injured :< SM is overworking these guys... I don't want to know how much life they'll suck from Mark when TY enlists. Maybe SM will wake up and promote WayV more.

[kpopwinemom]

This isn't me dragging their language skills! I am fully impressed. But there is a connection that TBZ has by virtue of having 3 boys who grew up in the west (in LA, and in Canada) that you just don't get otherwise - the nuance of culture, of inside jokes and such. I think Ateez is great, but when you're looking for genuine connection, you need more similarities, if that makes sense? A more baseline understanding.

Winwin's dancing and lines are gorgeous. I don't know a lot about classical Chinese dancing, but he really is a beautiful dancer.

I wish Yuta the best of luck, he really has such a broad skillset. SM has had really good luck with TVXQ, I am willing to bet that they would give him a lot to stay on with them just because they know how popular he is in Japan, and they do like being in that market a lot.

[sauronnaise]

I didn't think you were dragging them down either, don't worry! But it's true that someone who's never lived in the English speaking parts of the US, Canada, Australia, Aotearoa/NZ (is there a Kiwi idol, if any?) and England will not entirely grasp the subtleties of Anglo-Saxon cultures. Though certainly there can be something built upon being one's foreign other, maybe. I watched Jaejoong's show with San, Yeosang and Wooyoung and ATEEZ is an all Korean member group. It surprised me! I'm used to foreign idols in groups. Btw, if you haven't watched this episode, do it. The boys are funny (good thing I was alone in my room 'cuz I was grinning alone like a moron). Jaejoong scolds them for forgetting to speak banmal. The poor guys are trying, but Jaejoong is to them a superstar from their childhood they looked up to.

I don't know much either. But I have eyes and I can appreciate his grace haha. + I still haven't resolved the 'why is Winwin in the train?' mystery of Without You MV..

For sure, Yuta is a good asset to have. Do you know when NCT 127's contract end? I just checked on Google and they debuted in 2016. Woah. Time flies.

[kpopwinemom]

I've seen clips!!!

IT WAS supposed to be up this year. But SM has done some weird stuff with the contracts so not all their time counts, so we're going to see contract renewals come up soon. Dream's too. Also, likely Ten, since he debuted and then undebuted.

[sauronnaise]

SM weasels its way around with clauses and contracts in Japan to make contracts be seven years on papers but 10 in practice. Argh!

You're right, Dream's been there for a long time (I checked on Google and they debuted in 2016. WHAT where has time gone?!)

Stray Kids' contract has time to end before it ends for NCT, thinking about it.