[SINGAPORE] NCT 127 Fill Big Shoes on Long-Awaited Comeback Tour

October 18, 2026, was a big day for NCTzens, for it marked NCT 127’s first time back in Singapore in four long years with an 8,000-strong crowd that turned up at the Singapore Indoor Stadium for the fourth stop of NCT 127’s comeback world tour, ‘NEO CITY – THE REDLINE’.

Local fans are certainly not taking their presence here for granted, the group having skipped Singapore for their last two world tours.

The lineup this time is almost half of what we’re used to seeing, several members having departed the group or enlisted in the military since their last visit to the city.

But Taeyong, Johnny, Yuta, Jaehyun, and Haechan lived up to the NCT flagship group’s reputation as K-pop heavyweights and proved that lean doesn’t mean weak.

OG experimentalists

From mechanical props to cinematic sets, we’ve seen a wide spectrum of entrance theatrics at K-pop concerts, but the last thing we expected was to see the members suspended limply in the air against gnarly neon green nets as they launched the first song, Legacy. This neatly fits into their The Matrix-esque sci-fi dystopia tour concept (though fans say they resembled labubu keyrings or mosquitos caught by an electric insect trap), and Legacy served as the perfect soundtrack to this opening sequence. 

They followed up with an arsenal of high-energy titles like Walk, Simon Says, Cherry Bomb, Punch, and 2 Baddies, the succession of which made me realise just how many rap-driven hooks they’ve contributed to K-pop in the last decade. We can certainly see how the SM group had a part in evolving the hip hop influence that is ever so ubiquitous in boy group music now.

It wasn’t after a whopping nine tracks and an outfit change that the men, now in their late twenties to early thirties, took a break and addressed the audience. “Singapore, you got me on my knees,” were Johnny’s first words before checking if everyone was doing well in the heat, because he was, naturally, exhausted from the intense set.

Trading their all-black ensembles for beige tones, they performed lighter tracks like Nonstop and IKR, the former of which leader Taeyong questionably called a ‘ballad’, but in the context of 127’s rambunctious discography, you could say it is one of their mellower tracks. 

Big shoes to fill

The quintet might be more subunit-sized within the NCT universe, but they nonetheless made old NCT 127 songs feel as alive as when they were ten.

One silver lining to the members’ absence was the chance for other members to step out of the shadows and surprise us with hidden talents. Jaws dropped when main vocalist Haechan took on former member Mark’s opening rap of Cherry Bomb, a rare sight of him stepping into the rapper’s role. He and Taeyong also took charge of a dance break that was formerly led by Mark.

Sub-vocalist Yuta also stepped up to cover several challenging lines, most notably for Doyoung’s explosive Punch bridge that he executed with much panache. Perhaps that was why he received one of the loudest receptions from the audience that night. 

Despite the five doing an excellent job of delivering the setlist, some lines just couldn’t be sung by anyone else but Doyoung and Jungwoo, the two members absent due to military service. The tour found a way to keep them part of the show — for Ay Yo and Promise You, rather than having the members covering their lines, the screens showed a visibly younger Doyoung and Jungwoo singing their own parts. I’m sure a few tears of longing were shed.

Sticking together

What is the titular ‘redline’ about, you may ask? Whirling a towel with wild verve, resident English speaker Johnny explains: “If you go over the redline, you overheat, and when you overheat, you break down.”

And break down did fans when the words “WE STILL TOGETHER” flashed at the end of Day After Day, a poignant declaration of the 127 bond that has endured the vicissitudes of the past few years. In keeping with that sentiment, the group made it a point to perform only NCT 127 songs instead of having the solo or unit stages that K-pop tour setlists usually feature.

Taeyong said that the 127 bond extends to fans: “We all have our own lives, but we always come back together.” Jaehyun also noted that this tour was extra special for everyone as it commemorated the group’s 10th anniversary.

NCT 127’s bond is as strong as their love for the chilli crab, which we know is Korean celebrities’ greatest weakness, but Taeyong might be the first one to worry for our supply chain. “I’ve always had this thought that if these big crabs are sold so often, when do the crabs get to grow again? Are there really that many crabs in Singapore?” He soon learns from fans that Singapore imports their crabs. “Very educational day today. We’re learning so much.” Johnny quips to peals of laughter.

After an encore comprising Paper Plane, TOUCH, and Promise You, the members said their goodbyes and seemingly ended the show. But just as the audience began making their way out, the lights dimmed once more, sending everyone scrambling back to their seats for a second run of Blingy, the eponymous title track of their latest album.

With its roguish rizz and lyricism that is unmistakably NCT 127, Blingy drove home the group’s consistency in putting out music that is unapologetically eccentric. And in true NCT fashion, the night ended in showers of lime green confetti, a fitting send-off for a decade of NCT 127.

Special thanks to UnUsUal Entertainment for the media invite!

Written by: Gloria
Photos by: SM Entertainment

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