NCT 127 closed out the North American leg of their fourth world tour, NCT 127 4TH TOUR ‘NEO CITY – THE MOMENTUM’ at the iconic Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA, on Wednesday, March 12. The tour’s title symbolizes the energy and driving force behind NCT 127’s continuous growth and their ambition to reach even larger stages. Over the past almost nine years, NCT 127 have solidified themselves as a record-breaking and chart-topping group with over eight million albums sold and three No. 1 singles.
NCT 127 debuted in July 2016 as the first fixed sub-unit of NCT, SM Entertainment’s experimental boy group, consisting of 25 members across six different sub-units. The popular sub-unit group currently has six active members: Johnny, Yuta, Doyoung, Jungwoo, Mark, and Haechan. Members Taeyong and Jaehyun are on hiatus, completing their mandatory South Korean military service. After NCT 127’s last tour in January 2023, American NCTzens, the official fanclub name, have waited patiently for their solo tour return to the States.
Throughout the night, VCRs featured the members giving hints to the upcoming stages through action and drama movie-like sequences. The first VCR showed the boys as infiltrating agents, gassing and shooting their opponents to access a secure vault before removing their gas masks to reveal their faces. The stage then lit up to reveal the members on a raised platform in futuristic military outfits for the opening song “Gas.” After the explosive dance break of “Gas” paired with stage fireworks, the energy continued with “Faster” and “Bring the Noize.” The boys slowly made their way down the extended stage runway throughout “Bring the Noize” and hyped up fans as they approached closer. The entire arena was abuzz with excitement for the next stage, the catchy “2 Baddies,” complete with Doyoung’s impressive live high notes.
NCT 127’s VCR spy mission continued as they evaded laser traps, seamlessly transitioning into their return to the stage for “Skyscraper” and “Chain.” After six explosive stages, the members lined up to formally greet NCTzens. Johnny jokingly exclaimed that it had been a long time since they came to L.A., before playfully correcting himself: “But actually not that long cause we came here for [2024 KCON LA].” All the members agreed that since Los Angeles was the last stop, the goal was to make the most of the night together. Johnny added that, “whichever city we go to, we want to make it into the best karaoke stadium,” and invited all NCTzens to sing and dance along. NCTzens gladly accepted the challenge and successfully kept the energy up the entire night, fueling the boys throughout the two-and-a-half-hour show.
Playful stage elements and interactive moments enhanced fans’ concert experience, starting with mannequins dressed in various snazzy jackets for “Designer.” Throughout the song, the boys fitted themselves in jackets and ventured to all parts of the stage in their new outfits to interact with fans. In “Orange Seoul,” each member magically shot confetti strings out of their palms into the audience for the last chorus. “TOUCH” rounded out this more bright, light-hearted set of stages as the whole arena sang along to the chorus as gold confetti showered the audience at the climax of the song.
Mark’s voice narrated the next VCR, describing how the group initially celebrated completing the mission — only to realize it wasn’t quite over just yet. Each member then grew increasingly frustrated until they started ripping down evidence pinned up on the walls and breaking several items in the room (to which fans excitedly fawned over the boys’ acting skills). Mark then declared, “Even now, we got no clue,” hinting at the next song, which prompted the group’s return to the stage for “No Clue.” Their silhouettes appeared against an LED screen that created the illusion of countless members stacked in a grid. Sporting now regal, sparkly jackets, the boys looked expensive and bougie as they confidently performed “Pricey” and “Regular (English Version).” Once NCTzens realized what the next stage was, the roars were deafening—the beginning signature flute instrumental of “Sticker” was barely audible over all the screams. Noticing that everyone was passionately singing along to “roll up to the party,” in “Sticker,” the group encouraged the crowd to sing it again acapella, letting their voices rumble through the arena. After removing their jackets and teasing how sexy each member’s next stages were, they performed “Whiplash” with a special dance break that quickly transitioned into “Lemonade” with a surprise big screen appearance of Jaehyun’s handsome face as he sang his beginning killing part.
The mood shifted swiftly as a heavy rainstorm took over the LED screens, and NCT 127 reemerged with sleek, long black coats for the emotional, suave “Raindrop.” The crowd gasped as the lights blacked out, thunder roared through the arena, and the boys reappeared with umbrellas to conclude the theatrical stage. The next few stages focused on their live vocals with the moving “Can’t Help Myself,” followed by the dreamy “Gold Dust,” and delicate “No Longer.” Vocalists Doyoung, Jungwoo, Haechan, and Yuta showed off their vocal ranges, while Johnny and Mark showed their versatility in singing instead of their usual rapping.
The next VCR signaled a return to the intense, electric performances that define NCT 127. Right on cue, the group returned in punk streetwear — painted, studded leather jackets adding to their rebellious image — for the epic anthem “Far.” Yuta and Doyoung hoisted giant flags with the NCT 127 logo and lyrics from their latest title track, “Walk.” Doyoung’s rock ’n’ roll high notes reverberated throughout the arena, delivering an explosive finale to “Far.” Immediately, the group demonstrated exactly why they are known as concert legends with their back-to-back extremely energetic stages of “Kick It” and “Fact Check.” They captivated the audience with powerful dance and vocals, leaving everyone so stunned that it took a moment to realize the show had ended.
As the crowd eagerly awaited the encore, the large screen showcased fan-made signs in the audience. It seemed almost every other NCTzen on the floor and first tier seats brought their own handmade sign. Highlights included cutouts of members Taeyong and Jaehyun, who are serving in the army, and various American flags featuring the members in sexy poses (and Mark on a Canadian flag).
A VCR of “Intro: Wall to Wall” started playing and featured both Taeyong and Jaehyun at the beginning of the song before the rest of the members returned on stage to finish out the song with their raw, live vocals. Now donning white T-shirts and jeans bedazzled with “NCT 127,” they performed their latest No. I single, “Walk,” busting out bandanas during the last dance break and showing off the back of their shirts that displayed the lyrics “get out of my way / get off my lane.”
Sadly, it was time for the show to end, and despite the crowd’s cheers for more stages, Mark considerately declined, citing that the fans “gotta go to work tomorrow.” Another prerecorded Jaehyun appeared on screen to kick off the sweet, sentimental song “Meaning of Love.” As a special treat for the fans, they performed “Dreams Come True” while launching colorful plastic balls, each containing a special gift inside, into the audience with all their might and love.
The members then said their final ments: Johnny shared his wish that when NCTzens find happiness, they find and look for their group. Mark hoped that they would have at least two shows in L.A. next time. Haechan sweetly asked everyone to look forward to upcoming Mark’s solo album. Yuta called NCTzens cute and thanked L.A. with his signature screamo voice, while Jungwoo promised to work harder and asked fans to wait for them to return. Lastly, Doyoung shared that this tour wasn’t like work to him but rather a journey. He reminded NCTzens to drink water, sleep well, and take care of themselves. Demonstrating his unwavering support for his members, Doyoung yelled out two key dates: March 19 for Mark’s pre-release song with Haechan and April 7 for Mark’s full-length solo album. For the final encore song “Promise You,” the members roamed the stage freely, and Haechan cutely enlisted the security to help him get as many fans’ phones as possible to take videos and selfies on them (which made him late to the final curtain call bow with his members).
After a lingering goodbye and several promises to meet again, NCT 127 officially closed out the last North American show of their fourth world tour. The members brought incredible energy to the spacious Crypto.com Arena, ensuring no void was felt despite the absence of two members. NCT 127 consistently delivers electrifying performances that get everyone—new, old, and casual fans—out of their seats to dance and sing along. The next time NCT 127 returns to Los Angeles, NCTzens can expect another unforgettable experience.