Exclusive: NCT 127 Continues Upwards Climb As They Explosively Take Over Olympic Stadium With "Neo City: The Link"

Oct 24, 2022

NCT 127 successfully wrapped up their “Neo City: The Link” Seoul concerts!

From October 22 to 23, NCT 127 held their concert at the Seoul Olympic Stadium for the first time. Last December, NCT 127 opened their “Neo City: The Link” tour with a three-night concert in Seoul, becoming the first artist to hold an offline concert at the Gocheok Sky Dome since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to their dome tour, the group recently performed two special U.S. shows in Los Angeles and Newark.

At the press conference ahead of their Sunday concert, the second day, the members talked about their resolve as a group going forward as well as their excitement to have fun with NCTzen (NCT’s official fan club). Taeyong spoke, “Our team really waited for this stage, and although today is the last concert, I hope fans don’t feel saddened. Our tour will continue, and if fans from other regions wait for us, we will run over in a heartbeat.”

Here’s what the members had to say:

Q: How do you feel about cheers being allowed at concerts again?

Yuta: “I wanted to hear the voices of NCTzen a little bit more. Since today is the last concert, we will [perform] without regrets, so I hope that fans will let us hear their voices.”

Q: How does it feel to achieve a new personal best for first-week sales with “2 Baddies,” and what records do you want to set in the future?

Johnny: “I personally hope we become a team that continues to go up, and I hope we can develop further. My goal is to achieve No. 1, so we’re a team that always tries to work hard. Our fans are great at cheering us on, so we always work on making albums with a grateful mindset.”

Taeyong: “I think we can be explained as a team that walks slowly, and although we walk slowly, we walk without regret. We work hard so that when we look back, we have no regrets. We are a very affectionate team, so we respect one another, and that’s the reason why we could continue to climb upwards. I wonder if that’s why fans also continue to support us, and our team will continue to walk slowly with our method and pace.”

Q: What kind of performances did you want to show at this concert?

Doyoung: “Since the concert is at the iconic Olympic Stadium, we wondered a lot about what kind of performances to show, and we had the thought that we wanted to show a lot of unit performances. Most importantly, since it’s our first concert in three years and nine months in which cheers were allowed, we added a lot of opportunity for that.”

Q: For Mark and Haechan, was it physically difficult to perform a second time at the Seoul Olympic Concert?

Mark: “Since it’s the first time we are performing at the stadium with this [“Neo City: The Link”] concert, I think my mind completely separated the two concerts. We were able to wrap up well with the members. I think it’s a grateful occurrence. Physically… How was it, Haechan?”

Haechan: “Rather than us being tired, our passion is greater, so it’s okay. We work hard every performance, and it’s no different just because it’s the second time for us performing at the stadium. It’s our first concert here as NCT 127, so I’m nervous and excited, and I think this is a great opportunity to show a new side of myself.”

Q: Is there a place you want to perform at in the future after having had concerts at such large venues?

Taeyong: “There are so many. We’re [currently] promoting in Korea, Japan, and the United States, and while promoting in the United States, we discussed wanting to perform at an even bigger venue than an arena. A joy for us would be to perform at an even larger concert with NCTzen.”

Q: Is there pressure in performing at the stadium, and what’s your next goal?

Yuta: “I’m not sure what the other members thought, but I only felt burden. Since it’s such a big venue in Korea, I wondered how many of these opportunities would be available in the future, so I’m still a bit nervous. I’m still wondering right now if fans will have an enjoyable time, but I think we should enjoy the moment right now.”

Taeyong: “Going forward, I think it’ll be really meaningful since we started with a small venue, and there were a lot of events until we were able to come to this stage. I would never think this is the end, but we want to continue on and have an enjoyable time with fans. If we can perform at larger venues, we will, and if we can continue to meet fans at venues of this size, we will be very happy and grateful.”

Q: Was it physically taxing to prepare for the concert, and were there any fun moments while preparing for the concert?

Doyoung: “While we felt the burden of preparing in a short period of time, we were able to do it thanks to the staff who supported us by our sides. They worked tirelessly without sleep, and I think we also put in that much effort.”

Haechan: “After the tour in the United States, we were practicing while jet lagged, and we got sleepy at around 4-5 p.m. There’s choreography we do with desks, and we fell asleep when we got the chance. We had fun even though it was difficult.”

At the concert, NCT 127 kicked off the concert with a bang as they performed “Kick It” with blasts going off to match their explosive energy. Taeil confidently said, “We’ll make you think that it was a good decision to become a NCTzen.” The group went on to perform their hit title tracks including “LIMITLESS,” “Favorite (Vampire),” “Sticker,” “Superhuman,” “Cherry Bomb,” and their latest title track “2 Baddies.”

As the concert began, Taeyong shared, “It has been over three and a half years since we could hear your screams, so I realize once again how precious your cheers are. It feels so welcoming, and I’m grateful to see you guys in the open once again.” Jaehyun hilariously joked, “What is yesterday? I only live for today.”

What made the concert even more special was that the members performed new stages for the first time. Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Jungwoo showcased a sexy performance of “Can We Go Back,” causing Mark to remark, “I monitored DoJaeJung’s performance, and you guys went down to the floor…You guys went down slowly.” When NCTzen asked for the trio to showcase the move again, Doyoung replied, “It’s sexier when we don’t show you guys.”

Taeil and Haechan also captivated with their vocals through “Love Sign + N.Y.C.T.” The crowd yelled as Mark charismatically took the stage with “Vibration,” followed by Taeyong for “Moonlight,” and their joint performance of “LIT,” which was released for Mnet’s “Street Man Fighter.” Johnny and Yuta joined them afterwards, and the four slayed their “Hello” stage.

In addition to Jungwoo’s “Lipstick,” Jaehyun performed “Lost,” Doyoung sang “The Reason Why It’s Favorite,” and Yuta performed “Butterfly” for the first time at the concert.