[SINGAPORE] NCT DREAM BRING THE FANTASY TO FANS FOR SOLD OUT CONCERT

It was a special Labour Day in Singapore for NCTzens as NCT DREAM brought their tour THE DREAM SHOW2: In A DREAM to the Singapore Indoor Stadium for the boy group’s first-ever performance in the country. 

The septet, a part of SM Entertainment’s NCT franchise, had plans to hold their first solo concert here in 2020, but the show had to be called off upon the outbreak of COVID-19.

The coordinated hints of lime in fans’ outfits for the day spoke volumes about their pent-up excitement for this long overdue show, which sold out more than 8,000 seats.

Mark, Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, and Jisung had to perform sans Chenle this time due to the main vocalist’s health issues, but it was an action-packed evening nonetheless.

A visual spectacle

As one can expect from SM Entertainment fare, the production quality is out-of-the-box, and quite literally so — Jisung, Jaemin, and Mark make their first entrance in see-through boxes that rose from beneath the extended stage, delighting fans from the get go. Stage extensions allowed the seated audience on the second floor an eyeshot of the members performing Dreaming, Puzzle Piece, Chewing Gum, ANL, Dive Into You, and Irreplaceable, and the boys made sure not to spare a single corner of the extension. 

The see-through boxes made a reappearance for Quiet Down, this time with Haechan and Renjun performing seductive choreography while lying down in their boxes. It was certainly a sight to behold when Jeno and Mark approached the trapped members mid-song and danced atop their boxes. The members, all in their early 20s, also displayed their playful charm through a funky performance of Better Than Gold which featured standing mic props, sunglasses, and matching sparkly black jackets. 

Into the world of NCT

In the face of such a cohesive fandom, I had never felt more out of place. Besides the unspoken dress code of green, almost every last fan was armed with a Neobong (NCT’s official lightstick), which actually proved instrumental to the show. As with all other SM artists’ lightsticks, each lightstick automatically syncs up upon entering the concert so that they can be controlled by the production team. Fans performed their own light show with their Neobongs which pulsated in unison to upbeat dance tracks like Glitch Mode, Déjà Vu, Trigger the Fever, and Boom. The lights blink along to the beat and even alternate between green, orange, red, and yellow to fit the mood of the stage.

It seems that one encore is not enough in K-pop concerts these days. As the boys performed Beatbox, My Youth, and Walk you home for their first encore segment, to my surprise, fans started throwing an avalanche of plushies, headbands, and other accessories onto the stage for the boys to pick up. This scene is common at fan signing events with small groups of fans, but it was my first time witnessing this at such a large scale. Renjun picked up a bright orange cape, Jisung slung a yellow star-shaped bag across him, and the rest of the members ended up with armfuls of goodies. It turned out that the props they had picked up would be used for the second encore segment, where the boys performed Candy.

Big promises for the future

The concert was run in a no-nonsense manner with minimal chat time, but the boys promised to return again, perhaps at a bigger venue, with possibly a new album in tow, and definitely with Chenle. Haechan expressed that it was a shame that they had only one night in Singapore, and mischievously proposed they do four shows — no, a year’s worth of shows here the next time. 

There was an added touch of familiarity when Mark and Renjun addressed fans in fluent English and Mandarin respectively. Jaemin also nagged at fans in English, reminding them to stay healthy and not to skip their meals. “Most of the time, our fans tell us that we did a good job after a concert, but I don’t think we’ve ever said that to you guys,” Mark said. “Singapore, good job!”

We would like to thank CK Star Entertainment for the media invite! 🙂

Written by: Gloria
Photos by: CK Star Entertainment

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