KCON NY is back for another year of culture and fun with their two-day concert taking the spotlight. This year, the concerts were spiced up a bit with new ways to engage fans and give them the time of their lives. With established artists coming in and giving their all, KCON NY is a show you don’t want to miss.
You can also click HERE to check out WTK’s exclusive photos of the stars rocking the red carpet at the pre-carpet event.
[KNK- Photo Courtesy of KCON USA]
The first day of the concert kicked off with KNK‘s “Sun.Moon.Star,” which fed the audience’s fiery excitement as the group dressed up in stylish black-and-white attire. What stole the spotlight was when member Youjin busted out impressive ad-libs, charming ears left to right. After their well-admired choreography and vocals in “Knock,” released back in 2016, their last song “Day N Night” gave fans a performance to remember as the switch gave them a chance interact with fans with photos together and a fun and upbeat song accompanying the members.
“Beauty and the Beast” thrilled fans next after an introduction by GFriend’s SinB and SF9‘s Chani. As a performance by HIGHLIGHT‘s Dongwoon and GFriend’s Yuju, fans were captured in a trance given the unfamiliar, but beautiful blend of Dongwoon’s deep voice and Yuju’s bright sound together during the execution.
[SF9- Photo Courtesy of KCON USA]
“Easy Love” took over the speakers, revealing SF9 as the next performers, inciting screams from all over the venue. What came up new for fans this year was the addition of the Fortune Wheel that appeared on the screen as a way to incorporate more fan engagements during the concert. “Propose” was chosen along with a random audience member who got the chance to have all the members give her a night to remember.
SF9 then performed “Fanfare” with their oh-so-smooth, sharp moves, revealing their strengths once again in stage presence and performance. The members moved from the main stage to the extended stage as a way to get closer to fans, something very much appreciated by P1 and P2 attendees.
[GFriend- Photo Courtesy of KCON USA]
GFriend induced screams and shouts as they appeared on stage with a small dance segment to pump up the crowd. Unfortunately, Yerin could not join, but that didn’t stop fans from loving the girls! The group performed some of their hit tracks like “Fingertip” and “Navillera,” further swarming fans towards the stage in the pit sections to get a better view of the performances.
The 2015 girl group showed not only their vocal abilities and charming choreography, but also their capability to capture those not as familiar with them. Their cute white outfits were also a focal point as they made fans swoon with their adorableness throughout their performance. SF9’s Inseong and Rowoon then riled up some fans as they stood in the audience to introduce another MC segment of the concert.
[Zion.T- Photo Courtesy of KCON USA]
In some change in music style, a grand piano was played next by Zion.T who rendered fans’ happiness to their limit as he performed beautifully with style and maturity. Being the only solo artist of the night, as well as the only YG artist among the record-breaking group attendees at KCON NY this year, he knew he had to take the chance to capture the audience— something he definitely did!
The well-known YG label artist performed “Eat” and “Yanghwa BRDG,” which were very much loved and had the audience singing along with him. Fans knowing the lyrics to the songs was heart-warming to see, as well as to hear as it echoed in the venue, a memorable event during the concert.
[HIGHLIGHT- Photo Courtesy of KCON USA]
After a special and powerful dance performance by SF9 with EXO‘s “Call Me Baby” and BTS‘s “Boy In Luv,” HIGHLIGHT took the stage as the last artists of the night. Formerly known as B2ST, the group started out with their new single “Plz Don’t Be Sad,” igniting the audience’s energy to dance once again. “It’s Still Beautiful” took breaths away with its emotional and unforgettable alluring melody.
Known for their stable singing and dancing, HIGHLIGHT amplified the crowd’s excitement with “Good Luck” and “Beautiful Night.” Despite being old songs from their B2ST era, the tracks were fresh in the minds of fans and with HIGHLIGHT’s ability to breeze through the songs, no one could hold in their smiles for the group’s return to the Kpop scene.
All in all, KCON gave fans a night of thrill and contentment from the new line-up and setlist. The happy experiences from the convention with booths, special artist appearances, and fan engagement events carried on to the concert and showed fans once again the chance they had that night to see all the artists was rare in one day and worth the watch.
Look out for our review on the second concert night, which was even more exciting than the first!
Sarah (sapphir3bluu) is a writer for WTK from Las Vegas and fond of cats, k-pop, and singing. She enjoys learning new languages and is manager of Super Junior fanbase, WorldwideELFs, but has also done subbing work for EXO. If you don’t find her being slowly consumed by BTS, GOT7, NCT, and ASTRO, she is aspiring to go to graduate school and work in the healthcare field.