It was a dream come true for all the Malaysian NCTzens who have waited years for K-pop sensation NCT Dream to perform a solo Malaysian concert. Held at Axiata Arena last night (Saturday, 20th May), the concert was brought to you by organizer Star Planet and presented by Yes 5G.
While NCT Dream had performed in Malaysia previously (most recently at the SEEN Festival concert in January), this concert marks the group’s first solo concert here. Right from the beginning, the concert was met with tons of excitement, with tickets sold out just hours after sales opened. Here’s what went down:
As soon as the lights went out, the boys got the crowd hyped with a VCR and an explosive entrance before kicking off the show with the addictive “Glitch Mode”, where the seven members showed their immaculate dance moves. The group, decked in futuristic grey outfits, then continued with powerful performances of “Countdown (3,2,1)” and “Stronger”.
The Dream members then took a short break from performing to greet the crowd, where each one of them showed off a little bit of their Malay language skills. As some of the members had previously performed here, they made it very clear that they missed the Malaysian fans and their energy. After they made sure everyone was safe and comfortable, the group began performing the bubbly “Dreaming” and hip-hop-laced “Deja Vu”, as they walked around the stage and treated the NCTzens to plenty of fan service.
The second VCR led to the next track, the boys’ ever-popular “My First And Last”. Dressed in their preppy outfits, the boys showed off their amazing dance skills and of course, their adorable charms. They continued the love song performances with the melancholic “Bye My First”, the R&B track “To My First” and the 90s hip-hop-inspired “Love Again”. A short VCR introduced the next track, “Sorry, Heart”, a heartbreaking ballad sung by Haechan (해찬), Renjun (런쥔) and Chenle (천러).
Can you hear my melting heart with this serenade?
《 #NCTDREAM #NCTDREAMBalikKampung #NCTDREAMinKL #TDS2inKL #NCTDREAMbalikberayadiKL #520withDREAM》 pic.twitter.com/Bx53yeWYqX
— MyKpopHuntress (@MyKpopHuntress) May 20, 2023
The trio was rejoined by the rest of the group and then switched the mood with a medley of “Puzzle Piece”, “Chewing Gum”, and ‘ANL”, treating fans to even more cute antics and adorable fan service. As if that wasn’t enough, they continued to charm the NCTzens with their next performances of “Dive Into You” and “Irreplaceable”, where they moved around to every inch of the stage so that fans from different zones could get a closer look at them.
As the boys went backstage to prepare for the next performance, an exclusive music video for “Drive” was shown on the screen. The video then transitioned to an intro for “Saturday Drip”, a 90s-inspired hip-hop track performed by Mark (마크), Jeno (제노), Jaemin (재민) and Jisung (지성). The next performance is one the fans have been anticipating, the powerful “Quiet Down”. Known for its sultry choreography, this performance definitely contrasts the member’s adorable charms.
All seven members then stepped back to the main stage, where microphone stands awaited them, to perform the funky “Better Than Gold”. After showing off their groovy dance moves, the group continued with a medley of “Diggity”, “Ridin” and “BOOM”. Since all three tracks were known for their powerful performances, it was no wonder that the medley ended with stage pyrotechnics.
The concert continued with a dreamy VCR that led to a laser projection of the words: “NCT Dream” and “7 Dream” onto the stadium walls, right over the crowd. The group came back on stage to perform the hopeful “Hello Future” and their hit song “We Go Up”, during which the fans showed their energy through loud fan chants and cheers. The boys then performed the songs “Trigger the Fever” and “Hot Sauce”, before they returned backstage to prepare for the encore.
After returning for the encore with “Beatbox”, the boys gave their ending comments where all 7 members promised to return as soon as possible. Chenle and Haechan commented that they might have new albums by the next concert, so they’ll be back with better music and performances. Jaemin shared his wish to perform in a bigger stadium the next time before he proclaimed, in Malay, “Malaysia Czennie (NCTzen’s nickname) terbaik di dunia! Saya cinta kamu!”. Jeno, Renjun and Mark also expressed their wish to return and Mark even promised to have a two-day concert for their next tour. He then finished his speech in Malay, saying “Terima kasih untuk hari ini! Jumpa lagi!”.
The encore then continued with the heartfelt “My Youth” and the sincere “Walk You Home” and even though the last track was fitting to end the concert, it definitely wasn’t enough to satisfy the NCTzens. So of course, the boys had to come back on stage where they performed their final track, ‘Candy”, a remake of the hit song from first-generation K-pop group, H.O.T. After that, one by one, the boys did another ending speech before heading back, marking the end of the concert.
시즈니이이이
쿠알라룸푸르 에서 좋은 추억 만들어 줘서 너무 고마워여!!!
우리 말레이시아 시즈니들 오늘 공연 아주 재밌게 놀고, 즐겨줘서 힘들어도 공연 하면서 에너지 충전됬어여!!! 또 말레이시아 시즈니들 보러 올께여!!!! 💚💚💚
Fullsun#NCTDREAM #HAECHAN #THEDREAMSHOW2 #KUALALUMPUR… pic.twitter.com/GrIqyqJ23V— NCT DREAM (@NCTsmtown_DREAM) May 20, 2023
We couldn’t help but be charmed by the seven Dream boys and honestly, we would do anything to “Rewind” the night. But since the boys were very adamant about returning to Malaysia as soon as possible, maybe that hints at good news in the near future.
