The lights dim, and cheers fill the arena as fans start to stand up. This past week I attended NCT Dream’s third world tour, ‘The DreamShow: 3’ at the United Center in Chicago. An arena most iconically known for being where the basketball team the Bulls play was now filled with a hue of green, as that’s NCT’s signature color. The K-pop boy group comprises seven members and is a sub-unit of NCT. Unfortunately, due to health reasons, a member, Renjun, couldn’t participate in this tour. The tour itself spans concerts in over 17 countries and consists of 7 U.S. cities.
‘BOX’ is the opening song on the setlist and is off of their latest album, ‘Dream()Scape.’ This was one of the best entrances I’ve seen for a concert before due to all the special effects that they added. They went on to perform a few more title tracks off of their most popular albums. But shockingly, their setlist was pretty much filled with b-sides only dedicated fans would know. For example, ‘Never goodbye’ off of their 5th mini album ‘Candy’ is a slow, sad song about how even if we aren’t always able to stay together, we won’t ever have to say goodbye. This song was the perfect pick for concerts, as the message is fitting, but as much as I enjoyed what they played, I would rather have heard the more popular songs.
One of the most interesting and unique parts of a K-pop concert is what’s called a lightstick. Each group is given a specially designed light stick so that at a concert it’s able to sync with the music, creating a cool effect in the crowd. NCT was just given a new lightstick when I went to the concert that was designed just for NCT Dream. While it’s not required to have one to attend the concert, most fans choose to purchase it as it’s a fun keepsake.
The most exciting part of the concert was how dedicated the members were to putting on a good show for all of the fans. One aspect of that is how in sync they were dancing. I mean, watching videos of them dancing is one thing, but seeing it in real life is really life-changing. Another thing is their incredible vocals; hearing the different riffs and ad-libs that they add on during concerts is so impressive and truly changes the song. Overall, this concert impressed me with NCT Dreams stage presence! If you ever get to see them in concert, I would definitely recommend buying the ticket!
