NEXZ kicks off first Asia tour with sold-out Seoul shows

NEXZ launched their first Asia tour with two sold-out performances at Olympic Hall in Seoul on the 17th and 18th. The show featured seven members performing 28 songs across five sections, including solo stages and segments where the group moved through the audience aisles.

NEXZ launched their first Asia tour, "NEXZ 1ST ASIA TOUR < SAUCIN' THE WORLD >," on the 17th and 18th at Olympic Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Both days of the performance were sold out. The show featured a total of 28 songs divided into five sections. The production varied in color and atmosphere across each segment, ranging from an opening featuring black uniforms and red flames to a blue-lit space, dystopian visuals, and laser effects reminiscent of a boxing ring. Solo performances by the seven members were scattered across the sections, and the members met fans closely by moving through the audience aisles and below the stage.

Concert opened with CCTV footage and red flames

Prior to the main performance, the venue screens displayed split CCTV footage showing the members moving through the crowd from various angles. This sequence captured the members' movements to lead directly into the first scene of the stage. The main performance began with a scene of a member spraying a fire extinguisher. Wearing black uniforms, the seven members performed a group dance intro before moving into "Mmchk."

The early part of the show featured intense performances from "Mmchk" to "Want more? One More!" The first section reflected the red and black colors used in the tour's official poster. During "BURNING BLACK," red lasers cut through the stage as flames appeared on the screen. The "Want More? One More!" stage concluded with red lighting and red confetti. The early portion of the concert was filled with stages utilizing black outfits and red light, opening with a series of consecutive songs.

Transition from fast beats to blue space and glitch effects

The second section began with "Hellmate" following the fans' chant, "NEXZ, tear it up!" Upbeat and fast-tempo songs followed, including "Hands up, Yo!" and "UPGRADE." Subsequently, the stage lighting and screens shifted to express a blue-lit space. During "Starlight," visuals of butterflies and meteor showers were added to a space where stars twinkled. "ALIENS" featured a production using desk props, a scene introduced as reminiscent of the group's first fan meeting concept.

An ensuing VCR contained a message about coloring a colorless world and spreading sauces of various colors and flavors. Appearing with smoke guns after the video, the members used lasers and confetti during the "SAUCIN" stage. The message from the VCR, "We will color the world with NEXZ's own colors," was connected to the stage production. The section following this, from "Legacy" to "Beat-Boxer," included "I'm Him," which began with a siren, and "Simmer," which utilized glitch effects and cracked screen visuals to resemble a transmission error. During "Beat-Boxer," lasers drew a boxing ring, and cheers for "NEXZ" erupted from the audience after the stage ended.

Seven members' solo stages placed between songs

Solo performances were not grouped into one section but were distributed across the five sections. Each member's stage was placed during the intro, bridge, or outro of a song. YU performed contemporary dance amidst smoke. YU stated, "I tried the contemporary genre for the first time, and it was harder than I thought. Still, I worked hard because I wanted to show a cool side to NEX2Y." Seita performed a solo stage under white beams of light, while his movements appeared overlapping on the left and right screens like afterimages.

Hyui performed a cappella rap under a single pin spotlight on a darkened stage before continuing the performance to the following beat. While the other members were offstage, So Geon filled the bridge alone under blue and pink lighting. Yuki decorated the outro of "Next Zeneration" with a dance break, and Haru's solo stage utilized lasers and flames. Tomoya completed his solo performance by performing a windmill move during "Beat-Boxer." The solos, using different movements and stage effects, were placed before or after each song.

Encore and slogans utilizing audience aisles

The concert also utilized the audience seating and aisles as part of the stage movement. When "Ride the Vibe" began, the members descended below the stage to interact closely with the fandom NEX2Y. During "Starlight," the members divided into groups and continued their performance in the space between the aisles and the seats. During the encore following the main performance, they moved throughout the audience while singing songs from "20 NOW" to "Eye to Eye." Rather than staying only on stage, the sequence included meeting the audience by moving through various spaces within the venue.

Fans responded with slogans reading, "Let's draw tomorrow in our own language." The concert proceeded from the previous five sections of production and songs to the encore stage, where the members sang close to the audience. The Seoul performance, which served as the opening for NEXZ's first Asia tour, was held at Olympic Hall on the 17th and 18th and was fully sold out for both days. The show, which presented 28 songs across five sections, included group stages, solo performances by the seven members, and stages utilizing the audience area.

The first Asia tour, "NEXZ 1ST ASIA TOUR < SAUCIN' THE WORLD >," has kicked off in Seoul.

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