Yes, I caved in.

I bought my ticket for NCT’s online concert Beyond LIVE – NCT : RESONANCE ‘Global Wave’. This is NCT’s first concert with all 22 members (sadly Taeyong, my bias, was injured and couldn’t perform). As a fan of all the NCT units this online concert and their Resonance comeback were a dream come true for me.

The online concert started at 3PM (KST) which is 1AM my time. Yes, another sleepless night for me – but when it’s Kpop it’s worth it. A few minutes prior to the show the stage screens were filled with NCTzen and we could hear them too!

Their online concert began with none other than their song “Boss”. Jaehyun was the first member we saw. Because Taeyong couldn’t perform, the members had to adjust the line distribution and the choreography. One of the newest members Sungchan performed Taeyong’s rap in “Boss”. He delivered those iconic lines flawlessly. Keep in mind this is Sungchan’s first concert.

Also seeing WinWin with the “Boss” team – Jaehyun, Lucas, Mark, Doyoung, Jungwoo (and Sungchan) again was awesome.

When the song ended they played the audio of a crowd cheering and I believe they also allowed the audio of the live audience too. I loved hearing the reaction of the fans.

Next song was one of the newer songs, “90’s Love”. YangYang, Haechan, Ten, and Jeno joined WinWin, Sungchan, and Mark to perform. Ten came onto the stage looking like a superstar. He had sunglasses and a v-neck. Every time Ten is on stage he owns it. Overall this was a fun performance. Ten and Haechan’s high notes were powerful.

Next up is “Work It”. Ten was joined by Jungwoo, Jaemin, Johnny, Hendery, Jisung, and superstar number two Yuta. Yes, Yuta came on stage with some shades and a leather jacket. Sadly Jisung was sitting throughout the concert, I believe he also had an injury. I have to applaud NCT for adjusting their choreographies at short notice. From what I saw all the members were on point and never missed a beat.

Now the members came together to welcome the online audience.

They could see all the NCTzen on the large screens. WinWin shared a message in Chinese, Jeno in Spanish, Yuta in Japanese, and the other members continued greetings in various languages. NCT is definitely a group that brings people from around the world together and I love it.

Johnny said he could see the fans (the select live audience shown on the screens) in their homes and told them to scream so loud that the people in the next room could hear. 

Jeno reaffirmed that Taeyong wasn’t there and Jungwoo proceeded to say Taeyong will get better with the love and support from NCTzen.

At this point all the NCT units have held their own online concert – WayV, NCT127, and NCT Dream. However this was Shotaro and (like I mentioned) Sungchan’s first online concert since they officially debuted with the group this year.

After the members shared a few words Kun came on stage. As WayV’s leader they announced the next song would be from WayV but it would be a premiere performance. Ten gave a brief dance spoiler. Then they announced the song they would perform – the highly anticipated, “Nectar”.

The stage setup for “Nectar” was really cool. The whole area transformed into a giant chess game. The performance in itself was, of course, sexy. The choreography was smooth and I loved the salsa movements incorporated in the chorus. Kun and Xiaojun’s high notes were flawless and strong. This performance of “Nectar” lived up to its high expectation.

Next up is NCT Dream’s “Ridin’”, aka one of my favorite songs of the year. The stage transformed into an outdoor city at night, mimicking the concept from their music video. The guys were incredible and this choreography is also one of my favorites.

“Baby Don’t Stop” came right after. This is Ten and Taeyong’s duet. However because Taeyong wasn’t there they played their music video on the screens. I thought it was clever that Ten performed his part live with two dancers and when it was Taeyong’s part we would see the music video clip. The whole performance felt smooth. I was amazed how good it was, considering it was only Ten performing live. But Ten was able to carry the performance with so much ease. It was great.

Afterwards they played the first VCR of the night. It was a mashup of clips of music videos from the units.

When the VCR ended we see Taeil, Johnny, Yuta, Ten, Lucas, Renjun, Haechan, and Jisung in the metal square structure and they performed “Faded In My Last Song”. I was happy to hear Johnny’s vocals – nice and clear along with Yuta. I’ll probably mention this throughout this post – Taeil and Haechan’s high notes are incredible. There was a screen over the metal structure projecting words and a white grand piano in the center cube, while the members took up one cube for themselves. It was a great setup and the song was beautiful. I love seeing members from different units perform together.

I squealed when “The 7th Sense” started. This is another song I was happy to see performed in 2020. I can imagine it’s been a while since Ten, Mark, Doyoung, and Jaehyun performed it, but they did great. Shotaro performed Taeyong’s part. I never realized how deep Taeyong’s voice is in the original “The 7th Sense” and I was impressed Shotaro nailed it! I won’t lie, I definitely miss seeing Taeyong but I’m glad all the members pulled together to deliver a fantastic performance.

“Make A Wish (Birthday Song)” came next and Jeno performed Taeyong’s lines in the beginning and Jaemin later on. I admit – Jeno became one of my bias wreckers after this online concert.

The stage transformed and matched the setting of their music video. The lyrics popped up 3D on screen and I thought that was a neat effect. The guys kept the energy and they did great. “Make A Wish (Birthday Song)” is one of my favs and watching this performance was fun.

After their performance Jaehyun, Doyoung, Jaemin, Shotaro, Jeno, Lucas, and Xiaojun took some time to talk to the audience – reading comments from the chat. I loved hearing NCTzen responses.

Chenle came on stage and gave a spoiler for the next performance. The spoilers had to do with falling asleep. But Doyoung said for everyone to sleep after the live show. Shotaro, Chenle, and Jaehyun left to prepare for the next stage. The remaining members continued talking and Lucas shared a TMI. He went to a convince store and was dancing in one aisle. Then he bumped into Xiaojun who was also dancing in the aisle next to him and they had no idea they were doing the same thing.

The next performance took place in a new setup. It looked like the inside of a home. Jungwoo, Jaehyun, Hendery, Shotaro, Sungchan, Mark, and Chenle held their own camera (selfie style). They performed “All About You”. When the screen would show an individual member it was edited to look like a FaceTime call. It was so sweet, it definitely felt like the members were singing to you. Also hearing Mark, Shotaro, and Sungchan’s vocals was great. It’s awesome even the rappers in NCT are incredible vocalists too. NCT is truly an all-around talented group.

When the song ended Jaehyun left the group and walked through a door. The screen darkened and he reappeared in a different stage and joined Taeil, Doyoung, and Kun to perform “Without You”. Yes, their vocals were exquisite and steady. This song is so nostalgic. I couldn’t help but think about NCT Life and how much this group has accomplished and grown is incredible.

They played another VCR with a mashup of music video clips from the units.

Then began the next performance, “My Everything”. This became one of my favorite performances of the night. Xiaojun, Renjun, and Taeil blessed us with their vocals. The high notes were smooth, the harmonization was flawless. Listening to just their vocals accompanied with the piano was so simple yet beautiful and peaceful. It sounded like an OST and I wanted to slow dance to this song.

When they finished performing Taeil, Renjun and Xiaojun spoke for a bit. Taeil said they were the choir of angels we were waiting for. Gosh, he’s so sweet. Renjun admitted he was nervous at first. Xiaojun said he always wanted to perform with them and mentioned his dad is a fan of Taeil. After their brief conversation they introduced the next song, and the last premiere performance of the night and it was the song “Light Bulb”.

Something that I really enjoy about the song “Light Bulb” is the transitions between vocals and rap. YangYang, Doyoung, Sungchan, and Kun did a great job in this song. YangYang performed Taeyong’s lines. Again, NCT is filled with multitalented guys who can rap and sing.

Afterwards they played the third VCR. It showed clips from their music videos but more of their journey – clips from “Without You”, “From Home”, etc.

If there’s a performance that really showed NCT’s impeccable vocals it’s in their performance of “From Home” rearranged version. Taeil, Kun, Doyoung, Yuta, Haechan, Renjun, and Chenle – this is a powerful lineup. This song is sung in four languages and every member’s vocals were strong, steady, and smooth.

I don’t know how long they practiced but the time and effort these guys put into their craft definitely shows. If anyone doubts NCT’s vocal abilities, just show them their performance of “From Home”.

They played the fourth VCR and it showed powerful performance clips from their music videos. So I knew that was an indication that the following performances would be their energetic songs.

And yes I was right.

NCT Dream performed their awesome songs “Go” and “Déjà Vu”. Yes, Mark was with them! It was great seeing the dream team together again, even though Jisung had to sit through it. But their performance was still top notch.

The next song is probably one of the cutest songs from NCT127 and it is “Touch”. This song brought me memories from their live concert back in 2019. Of course I was singing and dancing along to this song. Although I loved this performance, I wish WinWin could’ve performed it too. When I think of the song “Touch” I think about two things – the live concert and WinWin. But it was great seeing Johnny, Taeil, Haechan, Mark, Yuta, Jaehyun, Jungwoo, and Doyoung perform this classic song.

After a cute performance from NCT127 we move on to a sexy performance from WayV. The next song was “Bad Alive” (English version). Seeing the contrast between “Touch” and “Bad Alive” I can’t help but think of WinWin’s duality. When he used to perform “Touch” he was so sweet and cute – but in “Bad Alive” he transformed into this cool sexy performer. But let’s be honest all members of WayV – YangYang, Xiaojun, Ten, Kun, Hendery, WinWin, and Lucas can all be both cute and sexy. Give them any concept and they can pull it off.

The high energy performances didn’t stop. NCT127 came back on stage and performed “Kick It”. Jaehyun did Taeyong’s verse along with the other members too – again they did a great job. Jaehyun also did the dance break along with Yuta. It was such a great performance – I love this song and choreography. Of course, like I mentioned so many times, I missed Taeyong but the guys were still great with all the adjustments.

After “Kick It”, Mark and Johnny walked over to the metal cube structure and joined the “Misfit” team – YangYang, Hendery, Sungchan, and Jeno.

Johnny and Sungchan did Taeyong’s verses. I should mention Taeyong’s lines are not easy – he has his unique style of rapping and singing and his lines are iconic. But every member that performed Taeyong’s lines throughout the online concert did a great job.

I love the interaction with this group and their charisma too! “Misfit” is such a fun song and I could see the members were enjoying the performance and I loved it. Even though it was 2:40AM, I was dancing to this song.

The members took this moment to gather and interact with the audience and read the live comments.

There was a comment asking them to sing “Last Christmas” – Renjun proceeded to sing it and the other members joined him. That was so sweet.

Each member shared a message to NCTzen. The captions during this part of the online concert went by fast and I missed some of the things the members said. But I think I got the main point. Yuta said he had so much fun, he also shared a message in Japanese. YangYang shared a message in Chinese. Hendery thanked everyone for the support he also shared a message in Chinese.

Sungchan was happy to finish the online concert smoothly and he hopes to have an in-person concert soon. WinWin shared a message in Chinese and the members went crazy. NCT has such chaotic energy, especially when WinWin does anything – I love it.

Taeil shared that he was thrilled for all the members to be together and he hopes Covid will be over soon. Renjun said having a concert with 22 members felt great. He shared a message in Chinese and he wants everyone to take care.

Haechan said time flew by. They waited for this concert for a long time and he’s sad it was already ending but he had a great time. He thanked the staff for putting the show together. He also mentioned this online concert made him want to meet fans.

Kun said he really missed everyone but he had a wonderful time. He also can’t wait to meet NCTzen in person, then he shared a message in Chinese. Jeno said 2020 is almost over…sadly I missed most of what he said after that 🙁

Mark spoke in English and said he knows people are watching from different times and was thankful, he wishes the best for 2021 and look forward to more things from NCT.

Xiaojun shared a message in Chinese and in Korean. He said he missed their fans like crazy, they are his everything. He spoke in English and the members went crazy. I love them.

Throughout the night the members kept calling Jaemin – Sexy Jaemin. He said he was happy to do the concert, he wants everyone to take care, and he hopes to meet fans in person.

Jaehyun thanked the staff and hopes NCTzen end their year in a high note. Lucas thanked everyone for joining. He had a lot of fun and hopes to meet NCTzen in person, then he shared a message in Chinese. Chenle said this was their first time doing a concert as a whole group and they had an amazing time. Thanks to NCTzen he was happy to showcase some performances for the first time. Then he shared a message in Chinese.

Jungwoo said they had a meaningful time. They are waiting for the moment NCT and NCTzen can meet in person. He also mentioned he’s certain Taeyong was watching. Doyoung said it’s hard to go outside these days and they wanted to entertain and comfort the audience with this concert. He missed NCTzen but he said health comes first and he wants everyone to take care.

Shotaro said he was nervous for the first time but he had a great time with NCTzen. Then he shared a message in Japanese and told everyone to take care and thanked them. Ten said this year they had lots of legendary stages. They had fun practicing together. He hopes they can do this again. He told the audience to eat lots of tasty food. He then shared a message in Thai.

Johnny said they spent all the seasons with NCTzen and he can’t wait for the next season. He then shares a message in English. He said he could see lots of flags and thanks NCTzen. He tells them to be safe and healthy, he loves them.

Jisung expressed it was a shame that he had to be seated the whole night but he will get better and put on great performances next year. He also said we can look forward to NCT’s activities next year.

Taeil said he could see the signs NCTzens were holding and thanked them. Doyoung said something but I missed it.

Mark introduced the last performance of the night which was “Resonance”.

Jeno did Taeyong’s  part in the beginning (he did great). After Doyoung’s high note they had a dance break and I realized this was a remixed version of “Resonance”. It sounded awesome. The different units performing their part of the song and in the end they all came together – it was so epic.

Seriously, “Resonance” is one of the most epic songs from 2020. All 22 guys were fantastic and this was a perfect way to end their online concert.

After their epic performance of “Resonance” they played NCT mvs and a message came on screen saying there would be a surprise live and to leave questions for NCT.

The members were split into two groups. They read fan questions and answered them. It was a nice surprise and I really enjoyed the interaction between all the members. At this point of the online concert I didn’t write down their answers or the questions but I’m sure if you go on Twitter you’ll find them.

When the members finished the Q&A session they said their farewells and walked off stage.

Overall this was an incredible online performance. This was the first time NCT (as a whole) had a concert and there were so many premiere performances. Seeing the members live is always a treat. NCT is a strong team, the units are incredible and when all these guys perform it’s always powerful.

I look forward to watching more performances from NCT in the future as well as their music and future activities. I wish them the best and congratulations on an awesome online concert.

-EliMarie

By the way, I talk more about KPOP on my channel YouTube.com/elimariereacts

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