As heavy mist engulfed the stage in a sea of blue, the first chords were strung and a ray of light hit the stage. Immediately following, the sound of drums hit the air and the rest of the guitars slowly folded in. We could already feel that this was going to be a great night of live music. N.Flying, though far from rookie status, have never played their own show stateside. On an epic Friday the 13, they had finally arrived for the start of the U.S. leg of their Do What You Want To Do Tour at Terminal 5 in New York. For all N.Fia (their fandom) in the house who had been waiting for this for almost a decade since their original debut, it was a magical night. Not only did we all lose our voices screaming, we bore witness to a band who can not only play amazing music, but whose vocal, rap, and performance skills left us all longing for a night that would never end.

The intro fed into the beginning of their first song, “Chance,” created for the Lord of Heroes OST. With Seunghyub and Hun on guitars, Dongsung on bass, Jaehyun on drums, and Hweseung’s vocals, the show had barely started and we were all singing along with the music. As Hweseung’s voice filled the air in this anthem-y track, it was clear this wasn’t going to be your standard pop concert. Moving right along to the next song, Seunghyub’s rap for “Bitter Sweet” jumped out at us. Arms were already pumping, highlighted by the white light from the lightsticks and the rhythm of Jaehyun’s drums. Heads were banging. This was rock, and we were ready for it. For the last song of the opening set, the band continued with this heart-pumping pace with “Monster.” Seunghyub’s lyrical rap, offset by his and Hweseung’s vocals, pushed the energy in the room. The party was in play, and everyone felt privileged to be there.

Seunghyub yelled, “New York, make some noise!” which fed another burst of cheers. Individual introductions followed with Hun and Jaehyun’s “Hello,” Hweseung’s, “Happy New Year,” and Dongsung’s, “Hello, I’m really glad to see you guys.” Seunghyub, the leader, took control, exclaiming, “It’s nice to see you. It’s our first time in N.Y. It’s our first U.S. tour, but the reason we're here is to meet you all. We hope to perform live here more often. You won’t regret coming here tonight. Since it’s our first time meeting, I wanted to share this song with you first. Should we start? Let’s go!”

With that, “HOW R U TODAY” began. Already Seunghyub was the master of the room, getting everyone to wave their hands in unison and sing along to the chorus. The popular song’s catchy melody had every N.Fia singing along. The clarity of both lead vocals made this song a treat to hear. Hweseung’s upper range on the chorus melded with Seunghyub's lower tones perfectly. Keeping up the pop pace was “Sunset.” Seunghyub and Hwesung’s energy was out of control, running left and right trying to engage the crowd. In the middle of the song, they had Hun and Dongsung, who were still playing, come toward the center, bouncing left and right with them. There was no break with “Oh really” next. Asking for the same level of energy that they were giving, each, “Oh really,” in the chorus was echoed back to them. It was then time for the guys to share their excitement with the show so far.

Hweseung: New York, too amazing! Woah. I think in 2023, New York is the best so far? 

Seunghyub: You (to the crowd) have to play harder tonight then. How do you feel (to Hun)?

Hun: Actually, you guys are awesome. We prepared really hard for this stage and really waited for this time for you guys, but it feels like you guys are the present. Thank you.

Dropping the temp for N.Flying’s more emotional repertoire, as per Seunghyub, “I Like You” began. Sweet pop with rock tones had hearts pumping, but as for slowing down, it didn’t seem like we were ready for that yet. Seunghyub ended the playful and fun song with a perfectly impressive mic flip. “Autumn Dream” followed in the same vein. More K-Pop than rock, here again the dynamic between the two singers made the song come alive. Hweseung’s moment to show off his vocal chops with a crazy high note at the end topped it off. With a proven six octave range, this was no issue for him. “Fate” was the last song in this group. It might have been the most mellow of the night so far, but even during the rock ballad, Seunghyub kept pushing for audience engagement, and we were not shy to give in.

Seunghyub: How was it? Did you guys like it? The song “I like you” is from our latest album.

Hweseung*: And although a lot of our songs contain it, the lyrics are particularly good in the songs Seunghyub has written.

Seunghyub*: It would be great if all of you understood all the lyrics. Next time I want to translate the songs and perform them in New York again.

Hweseung*: So, we’ve come to New York for the first time. In fact, it’s the first time we’ve come to the U.S. like this for such a long stretch. And the thing that was so difficult, is I can’t decide what to eat. What should I eat? Pizza? Bibimbap? After the show today, if you could tag us on social media and suggest what to eat, we’ll look and decide what to eat from you. Looks like we’ve figured out a dinner plan.

Seunghyub let us know it was time for the next song. In his opinion, these were songs that New York would really enjoy and he mentioned that he’d need help from us on it. Curious and excited, we were ready to get lost in the music again. “Pardon?” had the crew, sans Jaehyun on drums, coming  side by side, first to the right then left with Hun and Dongsung playing and bouncing at the same time. Engaging with everyone in the crowd, singing and egging each other on, the energy was infectious. With “4242,” they pulled us in singing the chorus along with them. “Not good lover / You're not good lover,” echoed everywhere. Dongsung’s solo in the song impressed us, but these were just the appetizers. The main course was “Hot Potato.” The room went crazy, and you could see the occasional potato on a stick in the crowd (the precursors to their actual lightsticks). The set was insane, but when Seunghyub mentioned he needed our help, I don’t think anyone realized what he was asking for. Trying to get New York to do the Mannequin Challenge was another thing altogether. Since we failed at the start, he tried again. Asking us to promise to freeze, he tried again. Then again. “New York Fail!” was declared Seunghyub. Hweseung commented that if we were in Squid Games, about 20 of us would have died to a round of laughter. Chatting with us, as we bonded through failure, Hweseung started the next ment with a story. 

Hweseung*: So, this morning at the hotel, because of jetlag, I woke up really early. I went down to get some breakfast, but it looks like everyone just got to work there. So, you know, I can’t speak English very well, so when the hotel staff said, “Good Morning,” I was so taken aback, I just said, “Hai,” in Japanese.

Told with laughter, Seunghyub helped out and qualified that it was because they were so often in Japan performing. Hweseung’s adage, “This too is a memory,” popped up again as it did when he spoke about losing at rock, paper, scissors and buying ice cream for $50 for the band at Chelsea Market the day prior. Moving the show forward, Seunghyub jumped back into English pronouncing, “Let me show you how lit we are.” And they were. With “One and Only,” their hip-hop sides came out amid the rhythm of the guitars and drums and gave a platform for Dongsung, Hun, and Jaehyun to shine. Each had solos where their crazy mad riffs and beats had all eyes on them. “Awesome” was next, and hearing some early N.Flying was a definite treat. I just wished there was an actual keyboard for Seunghyub instead of his air playing. With “Video Therapy,” heads were banging again as the guitars dominated the song while “Say Goodbye” started with an incredible drum solo by Jaehyun. Seunghyub’s flow throughout these songs was so smooth, it belied the fact that he is primarily a rocker. As the song neared completion, Jaehyun was back pumping the drums which was only a precursor to Hun’s dramatic solo.

Seunghyub*: It’s crazy (referring to the solos). Are guys having fun? Is it honestly fun? I can see all of you. It’s all too much fun, isn’t it? For real.

Hweseung*: Just then, seriously, how do I phrase this, it was like a running moment. It was what we prepared, but maybe we should have done even more. New York isn’t easy. Wow. Did you guys see their solos? Although I'm over here, whenever they do a solo, I hear the beat of my heart.

Hweseung*: It feels like moments are when you think the world is so amazing. Maybe we should do some solos too.

Seunghyub*: Ah, so good everyone. For real, New York. I don’t think I’ll be able to forget the sound of your voices. Thanks. Earlier we were doing a fan sign and taking photos and many were saying, “Thank you for coming.” Those were the words we wanted to say to you. Thank you so much for welcoming us here, and I really hope that we can see each other for a long time. Now we’re coming to an end. To spend the start of 2023, with you all of you, means clearly that I can do anything. I hope that everything you want to do ends well, like today’s energy. Then let’s go crazy like today is the last day. Next song, “Just one day.” Let’s go.

With that they were one step closer to finishing the night. Hweseung peeling off his jacket showing his N.Flying concert shirt then set the mood as “Just one day” started. Moving from there, “Fall With You” would end the show. During that song, we were a loud unified mess singing our hearts out and not willing to let go, at least not until after encores.

With the guy’s casual return, it was time to bring out the heavy guns for the encore. First up was “Rooftop.” The sleeper hit that went viral several years ago is still a favorite as clearly heard in the venue. Arms pumping, whatever voice left sang along. It was one of the many moments you felt united that night. Seunghyub and Hweseung kept to the front, interacting with everyone in the crowd and having us sing along to the chorus. Seunghyub even popped down to sing with the fortunate who were at the front of the floor. Before you knew it, the song was over and it was time for final words. Seunghyub started by giving the mic to Jaehyun.

Jaehyun*: I was thinking if I should say something. So, behind my head, I stuck an earpiece to my head using glue so it wouldn't fall off. But because of your passion and energy, it (the glue) actually melted and fell off during the performance. It’s not your fault. I think it’s the first time it’s happened since debut. I think New York is one of the best. New York, you’re so hot! Thank you!

Hweseung*: Do you see this on my back (the text on the concert shirt)? We arrived at the first city of our first U.S. tour, and I’m genuinely shocked, wondering why we came now. It was such a fun time, and I wish I studied English more. But I'm thankful that through music, we can communicate and have so much fun together. With New York, I think this tour is off to a great start.

Dongsung*: I want to tell you how I love you guys and next time, I’ll study more English and I really want to be able to represent myself more. Thank you so much. I love you.

Hun*: I really want to be sincere in what I say. This is a country and city that I really wanted to visit. You all, who are always so welcoming from wherever you are and always so supportive of us, meeting you here makes me so happy. And for those who came here to cheer and support us and the passion for us, I really appreciate it and every voice and face I’ll remember. One thing I'm sure you’ve done, you have made our first stop of our U.S. tour so successfully, that for the rest of the cities, we are so confident that we’ll be able to succeed even more. I give my deepest thanks and love to everyone.

Seunghyub: There were some words I wanted to say, so I wrote them down. So, if you don’t understand, let me know. It’s our first time in New York and we wondered how people know us and come out. It’s our first time meeting in person, but our dream is to travel the world as a live band until we are 80. So our goal during this U.S. tour is that we promise you all that we will meet again. Regardless of the tour’s result, we just want you all to have fun and become N.Fias. Spread the word for us so we can meet more often. Thank you for being a part of the stage today in New York, and we promise to finish strong.

And finish strong they did. “The Real” is another fave that we’ve been dying to hear live. With its fun and hyped sound, the song is pure fun. Seunghyub tried teaching everyone the chorus in Korean before the song started hoping that we’d just fill in the blanks later, but like with the Mannequin Challenge, the energy emanating from them and the music was just too hot to focus. With a smile, and one last high note from Hweseung, everyone crowded around Jaehyun as the last beats of the song were given. It was a wild ride. With barely a voice and breath, the show had just ended and yet the desire to experience it all again was overwhelming. Seunghyub’s promise that we wouldn’t regret coming here rang true. We just hope that they come back again soon so we can absorb that same energy again. Next time, maybe New York will learn to freeze. Or maybe not. But regardless, we can all guarantee that everyone will have a blast.

*Spoken Korean edited for flow.