The Best Moments of the Three Nights of M!COUNTDOWN's KCON Concerts
After the last notes of “Fact Check” by NCT 127 faded away, the guys called to the rest of the night's performers who came out amidst crazy bouts of confetti. This concluded the final night of the three-day extravaganza of music which made up the KCON LA 2024 M!COUNTDOWN concert series sponsored by Samsung Galaxy at the Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena on July 26-28. The three-day KCON event was its most successful since its inception in 2012, with over 5.9 million fans from over 170 countries attending and tuning in. The evening concert portion was even livestreamed on the CW Network and the evening events gave fans a chance to support chart-topping favorite artists TAEMIN, NCT 127, ENHYPEN, ZEROBASEONE, P1Harmony, g.o.d, ZICO, NMIXX, Kep1er, STAYC, BIBI, Jeon Somi, Jo Yuri, and Hyolyn, as well as up and coming stars BOYNEXTDOOR, INI, TWS and ME:I. With such a range of performers and special stages, guest appearances of Rowoon, Park Minyoung, Kim Soohyun, and not to mention Awkwafina, here are some highlights of KCON LA 2024.
There's a reason why finales are finales, and NCT 127, who had last appeared at KCON in 2017, was a much needed special guest add-on to the lineup. The guys proved that night why they should be wearing the closing crown. As the sea of green Neobongs (their lightstick) filled the arena, it was clear that NCTzens had shown up. Opening night three, and the CW Live broadcast, with their popular hit “Kick it,” they brought the energy that got everyone inside the arena moving. With Johnny and Mark’s MC moments, NCT 127's presence was felt throughout the night. Even without their leader Taeyong and vocalist Taeil, the Neos killed the night with their new single “Walk,” followed by “Lemonade,” “2 Baddies,” and of course as mentioned, “Fact Check.”
Though they were here last year and their tour a recent memory, ENHYPEN still had much to give this KCON, especially with the performance of their latest earworm hit “XO (Only If You Say Yes)” on night two. With English speakers Jake and Jay taking moments to MC, the crowd was charmed with their energy. As the closers and Dream Stage hosts, they danced with their fans to “Sweet Venom.” The dream stage has become another KCON tradition and the dancers who had earned their spots to dance with their idols did an amazing job with the choreography. The septet finished night two with their popular “Bite Me” and closed night one with their catchy “Polaroid Love.” The feel-good song had everyone smiling and singing along hours later.
A group that was everywhere this KCON was ZEROBASEONE. It was no surprise that they shone throughout the evening concerts as well. Featured night one with “CRUSH” and “SWEAT,” ZEROBASEONE killed the performance with their sharp moves and steady vocals, proving that their return to KCON also signaled a shedding of their rookie shadow. Their signature ring lightstick that features a rose was adorned by many as they appeared all over the convention center through the three-day extravaganza. Starting on Sunday night with their fun “Feel the POP,” their vibrant youthful character shone through their smiles and the smiles of those who sang along. Giving even more to KCON, a spoiler of their new song “CINEMA PARADISE” was given which is expected to be released on August 27. Not forgetting their debut song, their charm was infectious as they performed “In Bloom.” Playing homage to Red Velvet, the septet brought out their darker side again for “Psycho” later in the show.
The legends that are g.o.d wear that title for a reason and they proved that on Saturday night. Scores of people who had never heard of them left still talking about their performance. One friend commented on how she was curious as to their Spotify search figures that night. Calling themselves “the older guys,” as they span decades above some peers, their pull on the crowd was almost like “Simon Says.” They asked everyone to stand, and they did. They asked everyone to turn on their camera lights, they did. They asked everyone to sing, they tried. Starting with the epic “The Road,” then moving to “Lie,” they had everyone dancing to their fandom’s iconic “Sky Blue Balloon.” The group ended their set to what has pretty much become an Korean anthem, “One Candle,” which can arguably be considered one of the most memorable performances across KCON.
P1Harmony feels like locals at this point with their full tour and appearance at Governor’s Ball, but we were falling for them all over again at KCON. They opened up the concert series with an homage to BTS with their legendary song, “Burning Up (Fire).” Hitting the iconic dance moves and moving with fast precision, they honored the group in style. But for the rest of KCON, it would be all P1Harmony and no matter how often you see their performances, they still feel vivid and fresh. Coming back on stage for ”Everybody Clap,” they had everyone standing again to the music going into “Killin’ it” and “Backdown.” P1Harmony wasn’t ready for their KCON to be over with this, so those who went to the KCON stage would be able to see them again as well as those who attended the next day's concert with “Doom Du Doom” and “JUMP.”
If there was a rookie takeover this KCON, the crown would have gone to BOYNEXTDOOR. Though TWS, INI and ME:I gave great performances, it was BOYNEXTDOOR whose crazy energy shone at the least expected moments, not only as MCs, but through their killer performances of “One and Only,” “Earth, Wind & Fire,” and “But Sometimes.” You could sense a comforting and relaxing attitude on stage that seemed genuine and sweet. Having a sound that at moments echoed the style of their founder and fellow KCON line-up sunbaenim ZICO, the sextet seemed to be having a blast at KCON. Though the performances were killer, sometimes it’s the smaller moments that endear you to a group. In this case, when the show closed, and as all the groups calmly paraded around the stage, the energy bunnies started running playfully, showing a comfort on the stage and a non-conforming quality that seared them into the hearts of many viewers. At the same time you couldn’t discount the charm of TWS as they covered Jungkook’s “3D” and performed their catchy hit, “If I'm S, Can You Be My N?,” “Double Take,” and their debut song “Plot Twist” as well. INI’s “LOUD” and “LEGIT” performance with the crew all dressed sharply in white were solid and combined with ME:I “High 5” and “Drop Kick” showed that Produce 101 in Japan had created some stellar performance groups with much to look forward to.
Though the ladies that presented were strong, and maybe because IZNA was missing due to visa issues, it felt like there could’ve been more girl groups this year. Kepler did a stand out job playing homage to Stray Kids, performing “Back Door” night one as well as shining with the popular “WA DA DA.” NMIXX’s return to KCON was a true treat as they opened night two with the powerful “DASH” and performing hits “DICE,” “Run for Roses,” and “Love Me Like This.” STAYC debuted their first domestic performance of “Cheeky Icy Thang,” as well as “ASAP.” To be honest though, this fan kinda wished for “Teddy Bear.” The tribute night three though was for the ladies as ZEROBASEONE covered Red Velvet's "Psycho" and STAYC covered (G)I-DLE's "Queencard."
Though KCON may have tried to balance this with more female soloists, the hole wasn’t quite filled completely. Regardless, BIBI, Jeon Somi, Hyolyn, and Jo Yuri gave strong performances at this KCON. Favorites for this KCONer would have to be BIBI’s “BIBI Vengeance” and Jeon Somi’s “Dumb Dumb.” “BIBI Vengeance” tore off the sweet girl vibe that BIBI was trying to sell with her sweet “Bam Yang Gang” performance, but anyone who has seen BIBI before had a hard time being convinced, and when “BIBI Vengeance” went on, her strength, power, and sexuality were finally revealed. Maybe that’s why it was performed again night three, though this fan would have loved to see her perform one of her other songs instead to mix it up. Jeon Somi’s vocals and her MC skills were on point at KCON. While she made KCON a club with “Fast Forward,” it was the fun “Dumb Dumb,” the 2021 hit, that hit a chord night three at KCON.
Two of the anchor performances of KCON belonged to night one’s closer and Dream Stage host TAEMIN and fellow Dream Stage host of night three, ZICO. Both legends in their own regards, they showed their experience and comfort and ability to own the room with their presence. TAEMIN had been at KCON last year and though some of the songs echoed the prior year, it’s difficult to not to love a TAEMIN performance. With an inborn elegance of voice and movements with a sexuality that is hard to match, he closed off the night to sighs. ZICO, on the other hand, showed why he has taken on legendary status. Performing his hit song, “SPOT!,” which is recorded with JENNIE from BLACKPINK, he had the floor moving from the get-go. His Dream Stage song was a bit of a surprise, with “New thing” featuring Homies from the Street Fighter show series. Surprisingly the dancers were able to hold their own through the choreo of the addictive song and there were many who thought this might have been the strongest Dream Stage because it looked like they were all having a blast. “Any Song” was a viral hit when released and a joy to be able to dance and sing the song that literally tells you to sing and dance to “any song.”
KCON’s three nights of concerts did what it purported to do: put on a great show for K-Pop fan that ran through different styles, generations, and proved what range the music has. The inclusion of Japanese group INI and ME:I from the Produce 101 Japan shows, as well as the pre-show performance of KATSEYE, formed from the international survival show “The Debut: Dream Academy,” as well as a KCON appearance from the Filipino girl group BINI, gave a hint as to what the future of KCON and K-Pop might be giving the feeling that the genre has gone beyond its Korean origin to spread worldwide. It’s clear from the new and up-and-coming groups that the next generation of K-Pop and related pop has a lot to offer. In addition, KCON also proved that the veteran performers know how to make a crowd come alive and that they still have much relevance with skills yet unmatched by the rookies. We hope that this mix continues for future KCONs and that the range of artists performing only expands. Next stop for KCON is Germany. The lineup is already out there, so if you’re a fan stateside with miles, book your trip to Frankfurt September 28-29 to continue to KCON.
