MAMAMOO Kicks Off U.S. Leg of Their First World Tour in New York

All photos by Dennis DaSilva \ UBS Arena

On a gorgeous evening at the UBS Arena in New York, crowds began filling seats with much anticipation. MAMAMOO, the quartet made up of Hwasa, Moonbyul, Solar, and Wheein, are arguably one of the strongest vocal female groups active in K-Pop today. Kicking off the U.S. leg of their tour, MAMAMOO WORLD TOUR [My Con], New York showed them the love they needed to start the tour with a bang.

As the lights dimmed, a short VCR slowly rolled out their names in anticipation. Sauntering onto the stage in black and gold bolero pants and white shirts, MAMAMOO was ready to strut their stuff. Opening with a favorite, “1,2,3 Eoi!” hit the right point for a first impression. Their voices soared through the arena and the words, "I say MAMA-MAMAMOO (oneul bam yeogi buteo)," brought everyone together from the onset. Supported by backup dancers, they were not there just to sing, they were there to put on their best show ever.

“Mr. Ambiguous” continued to feed the high energy. A song with funk and great energy was highlighted by their soulful voices. Listening to them live was a gift. The song was a fan fave, as you could hear voices singing along waving Moobongs (MAMAMOO lightsticks aptly named as they’re shaped like a daikon radish called ‘moo’ in Korean).

Taking a breather for introductions, the ladies were ready to address the room stating their excitement to see their New York MooMoos, their fandom. Wheein went further to explain the tour title: “Most importantly our world tour this year is called My Con. Yes, the meaning of this tour is that all the MooMoos all over the world are coming together to make this concert happen.” Asking the room, “You are already starting out hot, can you keep it up?” was answered with deafening cheers. This crowd was far from letting down their energy yet. Asking everyone to hold up their Moobongs, the room lit up with them.

Breaking into a dance inspired by a bit of flamenco and a touch of Bollywood, they each took a moment to shine, supported by their dancers. This fed perfectly into “AYA.” With its desi-influenced sound, the song showed off their sensuality and confidence. Further feeding into the sexy vibe was “ILLELLA.” With Hwasa and Wheein’s husky undertones, the pulsing rhythm of the repeating “1, 2, 3” tugged my ears hours after the show.

As soon as the song ended, the ladies were back to chat. It was clear that they’ve been wanting to perform at a large venue stateside not just to showcase in front of as many fans as possible, but to do a proper wave around the room. Moonbyul stated that they’ll be doing this at every stop, and New York can’t be an exception. Their excitement was palpable, showing how fun they wanted this show to be.

With the dancers in full force opening this segment, “Decalcomanie” was next on the roster. A song that is almost an anthem for MAMAMOO had the ladies belting in full force, “I feel good,” with the rest of the venue. As confetti shot into the air, the party spirit was high as we were all dancing and singing along with them. There was no sitting down yet, as next was “HIP.” One of my faves, and from the cheers a favorite of many, we were all still up and dancing as Hwasa started the song as nobody else can do. A remixed version with many dance moments within the song, everyone was touching head, shoulders, knees, hips. Moonbyul’s rapping was especially on point, and the huskiness in her voice provided a great contrast to Solar’s vocals.

A cute animated VCR came on next which told a story that became a hilarious real life skit with the ladies in white jumpsuits with little girl masks on sticks to share the story with the crowd. The skit had the ‘girls’ arguing who was taller, which segued into the line from the song “Taller than you.” With Hwasa trying to teach a line from the song in Korean, everyone jumped in and quickly adapted to the rhythm of the phrase to sing along.

Asking, “Moomoo, are you having fun?” was answered by barks that confused MAMAMOO at first. Lately, many fans at concerts have begun to bark in support of the artist in lieu of cheers. Though first perturbed by this phenomenon, clearly they hadn’t been barked at at previous international stops, the barking was soon embraced by all, but none more than Moonbyul who loved it. Explaining that the third story of the little fairy in the VCR was written by Solar, they began to hint at what was to come next. Hwasa stated, "Something you can only see at our concert,” and she was right.

As a mix of broken radio songs filled the darkness, the special solo segment began with each member singing a segment of the other member’s solo tracks. Solar in turquoise started with Wheein’s “water color,” Hwasa sang Moonbyul‘s “Eclipse,” Wheein sang Solar’s “HONEY,” and finally Moonbyul sang Hwasa‘s “TWIT.” After the solo stages, they performed a medley of each other’s solo tracks together, which were “Spit It Out” by Solar, “Make Me Happy” by Wheein, “LUNATIC” by Moonbyul, ending with “Maria” by Hwasa. This special set showed their versatility and that they can each really sing and perform anything.

The next set had the ladies in turquoise velvet and singing an orchestral version of “Paint Me.” Without complicating the song with dance moves, they let their powerful vocals take over. Solar’s beginning captivated the room with her voice as one by one each of them guided the music for once, rather than the music guiding them. Followed by “Star Wind Flower Sun,” the songs demonstrated that they truly are vocal queens.

Finishing off the night along with more barking (Moonbyul might be barking across the U.S. at this rate) were ”Egotistic” and “gogobebe.” “Starry Night” and “Wind flower” would be the last two official songs, but before they began, they also had these words to say.

Hwasa: Even if the language is different, I am happy we are able to stay connected like this.

Wheein: It’s not an exaggeration to say our MooMoos made the stage with us tonight.

Solar: The start is amazing. We promise we’ll be back so promise to please wait until then.

Moonbyul: Thank you for welcoming us so well, and I feel like this start will last in my memories forever…woof, woof, woof.

The final VCR had them playing games akin to variety show games. The prize ended up a gift more for the viewer than them, as it was the encore. Coming back out in casual concert gear they sang “Travel” and “Yes I am.” Before the actual final last songs of the night was a touching fan video. MooMoos who had been touched by them and who were so excited to finally see them on tour compiled their words to warm the hearts of MAMAMOO, and frankly every fan in the room. Group photos, a banner project, and with promises to return, it was finally time for the true last songs of the night. With “L.I.E.C” and “Um Oh Ah Yeh 2021,” the night was over. But this is only the start of the domestic tour. With other stops across the U.S., there’s still plenty of chances to catch them live.