The Knockturnal got to sit down and speak with New York Giants quarterback and fashion icon Tyrod Taylor about his newest partnership with stylist to NBA and NFL stars Dex Robinson.
The Knockturnal got to sit down with Yuya Yagira at the Hulu offices to discuss his new role as police officer Daigo Agawa in GANNIBAL. Daigo is posted to a mountain village where a series of alarming events makes him realize that there is something deeply wrong with the village and those who live there.
The most-watched locally-produced series on Disney streaming services in Japan, GANNIBAL follows Daigo who is a newly hired police officer in Kuge Village. Wrestling with his guilt over a traumatic event that led to his daughter becoming selectively mute, things start off promisingly for the new arrival and his family. However, life in the sleepy community takes a rapid turn when a series of alarming events quickly leads Daigo to the horrifying realization that something is deeply wrong with the villagers. Thrown into a hostile environment with suspense around every corner, will the latest police officer to patrol the streets of Kuge Village be able to bring those responsible to justice before it’s too late?
Yuya was the first Japanese actor and youngest person to be named Best Actor at the 57th Cannes Film Festival for his role in Nobody Knows (directed by Hirokazu Koreeda). He has also appeared in the Japanese remake of Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven.
Check out our interview with Yuya where we got to discuss how he prepared for the role and whether he actually likes horror or not. Let us know what you think! GANNIBAL is now streaming on Disney+ internationally and Hulu, so don’t forget to check it out and let us know what you think!
Let us know what you think and don’t forget to check out our TikTok @theknockturnal.com and follow us on Instagram @theknockturnal for clips and interviews of your favorite celebrities and exclusive events.
Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston kicked off their celebration last week at the W Hotel in Hollywood honoring the incomparable icon Whitney Houston. It was an exciting week-long residency celebrating her 60th birthday, career and life presented by Sony.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Jordy Freed, Donna Houston, Larry Mestel, Pat Houston and Jun Makino during the Primary Wave Music And The Estate Of Whitney E. Houston Kick-off 60th Birthday Celebration Of Icon at W Hollywood on February 01, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston)
The event included tons of fun attractions like the opening of Sony’s 360 Reality Audio Immersive Listening Lounge, the Whitney Houston Pop-Up Retail Shop and gallery featuring rare and iconic photos, as well as several iconic gowns worn by Whitney throughout her career all leading up to the Saturday night pre-Grammy party with special guest DJ. Billboard Power 100 executive Larry Mestel of Primary Wave was also in attendance along with members of the Houston family – Donna, Pat and Gary Houston – and Sony executives Jordy Freed, Jun Makino and more.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Atmosphere during the Primary Wave Music And The Estate Of Whitney E. Houston Kick-off 60th Birthday Celebration Of Icon at W Hollywood on February 01, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston)
Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston continue to honor the incomparable singer, announcing today a Grammy-week residency to celebrate the 60th birthday, career and life of the iconic Whitney Houston at the WHITNEY HOUSTON HOTEL presented by Sony, with additional sponsors M·A·C Cosmetics, Proflowers®, and City National Bank. “It continues to be an honor to partner with the Estate of Whitney E. Houston and we couldn’t be more thrilled to celebrate the life and legacy of the incomparable Whitney Houston,” said Jeff Straughn, Chief Branding Officer at Primary Wave Music. He continues, “We’re also extremely grateful for the continued brand support from all of our partners as we prepare to celebrate Whitney’s 60th throughout 2023!”
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Atmosphere during the Primary Wave Music And The Estate Of Whitney E. Houston Kick-off 60th Birthday Celebration Of Icon at W Hollywood on February 01, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston)
Two days of live music featured an all-star roster of talent on hand for performances that will include a medley of their hits as well as their favorite Whitney song. The lineup includes Grammy winner Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, acclaimed actress and Grammy-nominated singer Amber Riley, Warner Records artists Baby Tate and Teddy Swims, Def Jam Recordings’ Coco Jones, artist and songwriter Georgia Ku (Martin Garrix, Dua Lipa, Zedd), Republic Records artist Kiana Ledé, TikTok sensation and Capitol Records latest signing Natalie Jane, plus more! All performers were supported by the trailblazing musical director and guitarist, Freaky Rob Gueringer (Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Cardi B) who were accompanied by an all-star band.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Atmosphere during the Primary Wave Music And The Estate Of Whitney E. Houston Kick-off 60th Birthday Celebration Of Icon at W Hollywood on February 01, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston)
The Grammy-week residency marks the second activity in a multi-faceted collaboration between The Estate of Whitney E. Houston, Primary Wave Music and Sony to honor Whitney’s legacy of impeccable sound.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Atmosphere during the Primary Wave Music And The Estate Of Whitney E. Houston Kick-off 60th Birthday Celebration Of Icon at W Hollywood on February 01, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston)
In Summer 2022, select Whitney Houston catalog songs and albums were released in 360 Reality Audio on supported music streaming services, including Amazon Music Unlimited. Sony’s 360 Reality Audio is a new immersive music experience that allows listeners to immerse themselves in a field of sound – using any pair of headphones. Individual sounds such as vocals, chorus, piano, guitar, bass and even sounds of the live audience can be placed in a 360 spherical sound field, giving artists and creators a new way to express their creativity.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 01: Atmosphere during the Primary Wave Music And The Estate Of Whitney E. Houston Kick-off 60th Birthday Celebration Of Icon at W Hollywood on February 01, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Primary Wave Music and the Estate of Whitney E. Houston)
In December 2022 aligned with the launch of the I Wanna Dance With Somebody biopic, Sony released the global ad “Whitney Houston x WH-1000XM5” bringing Whitney’s world to life through Sony’s WH-1000XM5 wireless noise canceling headphones (leaning into “WH” for “Whitney Houston”), which allows fans to get lost in her iconic music. #WhitneysWorldNothingElse.
Don’t forget to check out our TikTok @theknockturnal.com and follow us on Instagram @theknockturnal for clips and interviews of your favorite celebrities and exclusive events.
The Knockturnal got the chance to chat with Dominique Thorne, who plays Ironheart in the latest MCU Black Panther movie, about joining forces to provide the gentlest touch with Puffs to meet with the world’s fiercest superheroes at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Even the world’s toughest superheroes are not safe from a sore, red nose during Cold & Flu season, let alone the delicate noses of children battling life-threatening illnesses whose treatments can often cause delicate skin to become dry, rough, itchy and red. The “Puffs Power Pals” troupe is back for yet another #PassthePuffs mission, this time with Dominque leading the charge.With cold and flu season upon us, the chances of a sore, red nose are
only increased by using ordinary tissues.
Playing an iconic role, Dominique knows all too well about the strength of superheroes and what it’s like to face
and overcome unique challenges in the industry. “The success of the MCU and the growing ways it seeks to accurately represent us all; across creed and circumstance, is something I am very proud to be a part of. ” says Dominique. “So when Puffs asked me to join them and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, in celebrating these kids —all of whom have and continue to be real life superheroes in the face of adversity— it was an easy ‘yes!’”. An elite group of young yet mighty superheroes, the Puffs Power Pals are on a mission to blast sore, red noses this season with Puffs Ultra Soft, all while honoring those children that fight like superheroes every single day. To further help the Power Pals on their mission, Puffs tissues is donating $25,000 and 3,500 boxes of Puffs Ultra Soft to the little noses in need at Children’s HealthCare of Atlanta.
“We are honored and humbled to put a spotlight on the children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and lend a
soft touch to those battle adversity and face challenges every day,” said Janette Yauch, Vice President, Puffs. “This
year we’re proud to commit $25,000 in addition to donating Puffs Tissues to help these children keep fighting like
the superheroes they are.”
You can join Puffs and Dominique in lending a soft touch to #ANoseInNeed at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta by visiting choa.org. Check out our video interview with Dominique where we chatted about the campaign, as well as what it was like working on “Wakanda Forever”.
Be sure to also visit @DominiqueThorne on Instagram and @PuffsTissues on Instagram and
@Puffs on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and Facebook to check out the newest members of the Puffs Power Pals
troupe. Don’t forget to check out our TikTok @theknockturnal.com and follow us on Instagram @theknockturnal for clips and interviews of your favorite celebrities and exclusive events.
The Knockturnal got the chance to sit down and speak with standout 4th generation K-Pop group ONEUS.
In their first two years, P1Harmony has achieved what other groups could have only imagined.
LA3C successfully wraps up their first annual festival without a hitch. Penske Media Corporation’s (PMC) highly-anticipated LA3 music, food and art festival, which celebrates the rich culture and immense creativity of Los Angeles, wrapped the final day of the inaugural two-day festival at Los Angeles State Historic Park. Never have I attended a festival where close to nothing went wrong, much less a first ever festival. Staff were extremely kind and prepared with security guards constantly passing out waters and checking in with concert goers. In between set changes, LA3C also had a DJ keeping the crowd moving and excited. The stage production for each act was so unique and amazing and matched each artists unique charms. Many festivals that have been established for years, still can’t pull off what LA3C got right the first time.
Lil Baby at the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 10, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Alongside diverse music, festival-goers were wowed with curated best-in-class experiences including a range of multicultural food at Dining Discovery presented by Facebook; one-of-a-kind artwork and installations representing the city; fun and interactive brand activations by Homedics, NYX Professional Makeup, Maker’s Mark, Redken, ViX+; and SHE Media’s Meaningful Marketplace Sponsored by U.S. Bank that showcased LA-based entrepreneurs.
Maluma performs on the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
LA3C’s genre-spanning lineup celebrated the sounds and spirit of Los Angeles with big-name headliners and homegrown favorites. Saturday was marked by amazing performances from beloved music icons and today’s biggest hit makers from hip-hop to K-pop including Lil Baby, Snoop Dogg, Seventeen, Mustard, Free Nationals, and KYLE as well as a special pop-up from legendary ethologist, activist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall. Sunday kept the energy just as exhilarating with a celebration of Latin music, featuring high octane performances from Colombian superstar Maluma, Snow Tha Product, Gerardo Ortiz, Fonseca, Chesca, and so many more.
K-pop group Seventeen (Back Row L-R) Jun, Jeonghan, Woonwoo, DK, Dino, Hoshi, The 8 and S.Coups (Front Row L-R) Seungkwan, Joshua, Mingyu Woozi and Vernon arrives at LA3C held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 10, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Day 1 of LA3C kicked off with electronic performances from Lil Baby, Snoop Dogg, and Seventeen among a huge lineup of amazing and diverse acts. Day 2 of LA3C wrapped up the amazing weekend with exciting performances from Latin legend Maluma as well as Snow Tha Product, Gerardo Ortiz, Fonseca TOKiMONSTA, and so much more.
Snoop Dogg at the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 10, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
On the first day of LA3C viral artist Shawn Wasabi kicked off the day of mainstage performances with an energetic set featuring an appearance by LA local pop singer Sophia Black. Following an amazing opening to the festival, KYLE hyped up the crowd with an unforgettable performance at one point even surfing through the crowd on an actual surfboard. LA natives Free Nationals performed their hits and brought out singer India Shawn as she joined them to perform their songs including “Time” as a special tribute to Mac Miller. One of the most anticipated acts of the night, K-pop legends Seventeen, delivered a show-stopping hour-long performance to an electric crowd of fans. The “carats,” some of whom camped-out overnight, were out in full force during their set, lighting up Los Angeles State Historic Park as they proudly waved their lightsticks. Following Seventeen’s set, members Mingyu and Vernon came back to help introduce surprise guest Dr. Jane Goodall to the stage for a speech bringing attention to the importance of conserving the environment and imploring younger generations to take action against climate change. Goodall stated, “I want to tell you what you can do to make the world a better place. There are three reasons to have hope for our future – human intellect, nature, and the power of young people,” said Goodall, sharing an inspiring message of hope to attendees. Jane then led the crowd in an empowering chant saying, “We can, we will, we must!” LA music icon Snoop Dogg treated fans to performances of crowd-pleasers “Gin & Juice” and “Drop it like it’s Hot,” and did a tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac singing “Hypnotize” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.” Snoop Dogg ended his set with a crowd sing-along to his self-proclaimed national anthem for the youth, “Young, Wild & Free.” Closing out the amazing Day 1 Saturday LA3C Headliner Lil Baby heated up the stage on a cold LA night performing hit after hit including “Drip Too Hard,” “Wants and Needs,” “Freestyle,” and more.
Snow Tha Product performs on the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
In partnership with Hot Import Nights®, the world’s largest and most unique indoor/outdoor automotive lifestyle event producer, HIN Events hosted a second festival stage with its headliner Mustard. Other featured HIN Stage performers included AJ Hernz, CUCO, Freya Fox, Kill Bambi, Kim Lee, Paper Idol, Rosegold, and Vice. The Hot Import Nights® stage also featured a special DJ set by Linafornia in celebration of VIBE’s 30th Anniversary. In addition to epic performances, Hot Import Nights® presented vehicles featured in the Fast and Furious movies, celebrity-owned vehicles and more.
Gerardo Ortiz performs on the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
On the same night, Seventeen and Dr. Jane Goodall were honored at LA3C’s inaugural CREATIVITY AND CULTURE AWARDS, recognizing those enriching Los Angeles and who position the city as an international capital of creativity, culture, and innovation. Amongst the awardees was Chairman of HYBE Group and pioneer of the K-pop culture, Bang Si-Hyuk; President & Chief Operating Officer of Destination Crenshaw, Jason Foster; and former Publisher of La Opinion and President & CEO of College Futures Foundation, Monica Lozano.
Jane Goodall at the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 10, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Along with the festival, on Saturday, Deadline partnered with LA3C to host the ‘Contenders Film LA3C: Conversations with Contenders’ event in downtown Los Angeles. Films highlighted included Sony Pictures’ “A Man Called Otto” and “The Woman King,” Searchlight Pictures’ “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Apple Original Films’ “Emancipation” and Netflix’s “The Pale Blue Eye.”
KYLE performs onstage
Day 2 of LA3C began with Chicocurlyhead stage with lively performances of “Dame Mas De Ti” and “How It Goes.” Monogem took to the stage to perform “Tangerine Sky,” “Get You High” and more. Marc Segui surprised attendees by bringing out Latin rap and hip hop performer, Xavibo. Chesca charmed the crowd with dance moves to “Te Quiero Baby” and “TuTuRu” and closed the set with her hit song “ACTIVA” with Villano Antillano joining her onstage. Fonseca had the crowd dancing to his style of Latin pop/traditional folkloric rhythms with spirited performances of his hits “Eres mi sueño,” “Arroyito,” and more. The fans were jumping to Gerardo Ortiz’senergetic performance of his crowd-pleaser “Tranquilito” and more. Snow Tha Product hyped up the crowd with dance contests, toasted to her final show of the year while also performing hits such as “La Vida,” “Not Today” and also invited her mom to the stage to join her for a song. Performing with the skyline of downtown Los Angeles lighting up the horizon, Sunday LA3C headliner Maluma began his set getting the crowd to sing along to his chart-topping hit “Hawái.” The Colombian superstar also known as Papi Juancho closed the weekend performing fan favorites including “Felices los 4,” “11 PM,” and more.
Monogem performs on the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Sunday’s Hot Import Nights® stage featured ToKiMONSTA who ended the night by treating fans to performances of “Loved By U” and more. Other featured HIN Stage performers included performance sets from Accia, Arius, Cam Girl, LOLO, Lucky Light, Madds, MEIRLIN and Peach.
Shawn Wasabi at the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 10, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
On Sunday The Hollywood Reporter partnered with LA3C to host a live Q&A with Robert Downey Jr. titled “An Afternoon With Robert Downey Jr.,” which included an exclusive screening event for the emotional Sr., the Netflix documentary about Robert Downey Sr., followed by a live Q&A with Downey Jr. and his wife/Team Downey producing partner, Susan Downey, moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg.
Fonseca performs on the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Penske Media’s LA3C is a first-time annual festival celebrating the rich culture and creativity of Los Angeles. Over two days, LA3C promises to cultivate the best of Los Angeles with headlining musical talent, bold art installations, and food that represents the diverse palette of the city. Festival Goers will leave feeling proud to live in LA and energized by new experiences and surprise & delight moments. LA3C brings our community together in the heart of the city to celebrate everything that makes Los Angeles unique. LA3C will leverage the expertise and access of Penske Media properties including Variety, Billboard, VIBE, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone, Deadline, WWD, Sportico, SHE Media, ARTnews, Robb Report, IndieWire, TVLine and Sourcing Journal.
Penske Media Corporation (PMC) is a leading global media and information services company whose award-winning content attracts a passionate audience. Since 2004, PMC has been a pioneer in digital media and a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens across its ever-growing constellation of iconic brands, which includes Variety, Rolling Stone, VIBE, SXSW, Life is Beautiful, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, WWD, SHE Media, Robb Report, Deadline, Sportico, BGR, ARTnews, Fairchild Media, IndieWire, Dirt, Gold Derby, Spy.com, TVLine, Sourcing Journal, among many others. PMC’s journalists and content creators deliver daily the most comprehensive news and information in their industries and areas of coverage, unequaled in ambition, depth, and courage. In addition, PMC owns several vital cultural events such as SXSW, LA3C, and Life is Beautiful. Headquartered in New York and Los Angeles with additional offices in 14 countries worldwide, PMC believes companies should not only be profitable but also forces for good.
Marc Seguí performs on the LA3C Stage during the LA3C festival held at Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 11, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
The Knockturnal had the opportunity to speak with KYLE ahead of his set! We got to chat about how amazing this past year has been for him, as well as what’s in store for Kyle in 2023! Check out the interview below!
Follow the event on social media: Facebook @LA3Cofficial, Twitter @LA3Cofficial, Instagram @LA3Cofficial and join the conversation using #LA3C.
Let us know what you think and don’t forget to check out our TikTok @theknockturnal.com and follow us on Instagram @theknockturnal for clips and interviews of your favorite celebrities and exclusive events.
On October 7 The Knockturnal was invited to attend the NCT 127 private Speedway event to celebrate their 4th full-length album ‘2 Baddies.’ Inspired by their recent music video, the event was appropriately held at the world’s largest automobile museum, Petersen Automotive Museum. The museum transformed the top level of the parking lot to hold one of the best celebrations for NCT 127 complete with a ‘2 Baddies’ dance challenge hosted by Ellen and Brian and Eclipse, specialty ‘2 Baddies’ Latte, 360 Photo Booth with the ‘2 Baddies‘ car from the music video, and so much more. The event gave NCT fans, or NCTzens, a chance to step into the world of NCT while blasting some of their best songs.
Fans had been lining up since the early morning in hopes to get a glimpse of the boys. Roughly 5,000 fans attended the event with lines wrapping around the museum. When we arrived we picked up our VIP passes and headed in. After grabbing my ‘2 Baddies‘ Latte, which was a delicious drink made from banana, charcoal, and oat milk, I walked over to check out the exclusive merch station. I was shocked to see that the event featured the sale of the recent ‘Sanrio x NCT’ collaboration, which any fan knows was almost impossible to get. I walked across the parking lot to check out the photo zone and took my 360 video, and then took my seat and got ready for the show.
First up was the special dance tutorial by K-pop dance coverists, Ellen and Brian and Eclipse. They showed the audience a very in depth tutorial on how to dance to ‘2 Baddies‘ and ended with a performance of the song with the fans. After NCT 127 came out to extremely excited NCTzens, the Q&A began. During the Q&A, NCT 127 got personal and shared some behind-the-scenes stories about the new album and their U.S.concerts with preselected questions from Twitter. The Q&A session lasted for about 50 minutes, and then the members conducted a raffle to see what lucky fans would be taking home a signed album. After the Q&A session, the boys said bye for the last time and the event wrapped up.
Don’t forget to check out our behind-the-scenes TikTok @theknockturnal.com of the event, and follow us on Instagram @theknockturnal for clips and interviews of your favorite celebrities and exclusive events!
@theknockturnal.com Here’s some exclusive footage from when we were invited to attend the NCT 127 Speedway event! #theknockturnal #kpop #kpopfyp #nct #nct127 #nctzen #ncity #ncitystruggles #nctspeedway #taeyong #taeil #johnnysuh #jaehyun #yuta #jungwoo #doyoung #haechan #marklee #czennie #fyp #viral #workvlog #journalism #dayinmylife #nctinla #nctconcert
What started as a social media TikTok group to inspire Asian American youth, is now transforming into the hottest new boy band. North Star Boys, or NSB, is a seven member group consisting of Oliver Moy, Sebastian Moy, Justin Phan, Ryan Nguyen, Kane Bray, Darren Liang, and Regie Macalino. Debuting on August 28th, 2021, North Star Boys was created by brothers Oliver and Sebastian Moy who brought together some of their best friends to take a leap of faith and pursue their dreams in their emerging social media careers. Now the boys are gearing up to once again take a chance on themselves with the recent drop of their newest song ‘Sunshine‘ following their debut single ‘You Are My Star‘. Since its release, the music video has already surpassed 740,000 views on YouTube and 275,000 listens on Spotify. Creating content is easier said than done, but with over 5.3 million followers on TikTok alone clearly these boys are doing something right. Now these international sensations are in the process of completing a tour having just performed in The Philippines, Florida, and currently performing in Texas.
When we spoke to the boys about their careers, we asked them if music was always the end goal when they started their rise to fame. Oliver responded by saying, “We came together to create content and that was something we were all already dabbling into. Music is just something that we all discovered that we all have a passion for.” Through this shared passion an idea was sparked to try their own hand at making music that feels authentic to themselves and communicates their love for their fans, their ‘Stars’. Oliver added that, “Through North Star Boys, we’re noticing that there’s a lot of opportunities for us to be able to turn that spark of passion into a burning flame.” Now these boys are diving in head first into the music world and we can’t wait to see how they do.
Check out our interview with the boys to hear them talk about how important Asian representation is, what tour has been like, and what songs are on their playlist right now.
Be sure to follow North Star Boys on their Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook accounts. Don’t forget to also check out our TikTok @theknockturnal.com and follow us on Instagram @theknockturnal for clips and interviews of your favorite celebrities and exclusive events.
NCT 127’s ongoing world tour headed to the United States after announcing only two stops in Los Angeles and Newark. On October 6, The Knockturnal was invited to attend the sold out NCT 127’s ‘Neo City: The Link’ show at the Crypto.com Arena in LA. This concert was extremely special for NCT 127 and their fans, also known as NCTzens or Czennies, because it was the first time NCT had been back performing in the states in 3 years post-pandemic. “The Link” world tour was first announced back in November 2021 and began with a three-date concert at the Seoul Sky Dome. Since then the boys have already performed in Singapore, Tokyo, and Manila. The group also announced that there will be dates and cities for Latin America coming soon. The Newark show will be taking place on October 13 at the Prudential Center.
This tour follows the release of NCT 127’s fourth studio album, ‘질주 (2 Baddies)’. The 12-track album showed fans a variety of different genres while staying true to the distinct NCT sound. The album featured tracks that showcase hip hop and R&B influences as well as the groups’ familiar soulful pop sound. Their album ‘질주 (2 Baddies)’ debuted at #1 on Billboard’s World Albums Chart, #2 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales, and NCT 127 charted on Top 3 on the Billboard 200 twice in a row.
When I arrived to the Crypto.com Arena, I was immediately amazed by the dedication Czennies had with their neon green fanbase color when coordinating their outfits. The arena was buzzing with excitement as fans ran to collect merch, lightsticks, and pre-concert photos. Once seated inside the stadium it was almost impossible to find an empty seat. Fans sat syncing their lightsticks while singing along to their favorite songs until the moment they had been waiting for when the two screens split to reveal all of the members. Immediately the whole venue erupted in cheers, arena shaking as the boys began with a powerful performance of ‘Kick It’. As a fan of K-pop for over 10 years, I have attended my fair share of K-pop shows and seen how loud fans can be, especially when they are finally seeing their favorite group for the first time. After witnessing ‘Neo City: The Link’, it is safe to say that no fanbase can compare to the volume of an arena full of NCTzens.
The members, consisting of TAEIL, JOHNNY, TAEYONG, YUTA, DOYOUNG, JAEHYUN, JUNGWOO, MARK, and HAECHAN, made sure to make up for lost time since their last show with the amazing setlist they had. The fans spoke, and NCT 127 listened setting the standard for all K-pop groups to follow with their immaculate setlist that no one was expecting. As a long time fan, watching the show was like an emotional rollercoaster where I found myself constantly screaming, “Oh my god!” with each song they performed. With tons of classics like ‘Regular’, surprise throwback performances like ‘Touch’ and ‘Back 2 U’, and new hits like ‘2 Baddies’ it was a concert that no one wanted to end. Just when I thought the concert couldn’t get any better, Taeil appeared on stage kicking off all of the members solo performances.
After almost three hours of consistent performing, laughing, and throwing signed balls into the crowd the concert finally came to a close with each member narrating a personal letter written to the fans while preparing for their final stage. They thanked everyone for waiting for them and hoped they enjoyed the show promising that they will return soon. The concert ended with each member giving their closing ments while fans and members started to tear up. Even up until the last minute the boys kept up their energy cracking jokes and screaming thank you’s into their mics as ‘Promise You’ played. NCT 127 will be missed, but now it’s time for fans in Newark to experience the same amazing show Los Angeles got.
Neo City: Los Angeles The Link Setlist
Kick It
Lemonade
Cherry Bomb
Elevator (127F)
Dreamer
Love Song
Taeil Solo (Another World)
Taeil and Haechan Stage (Love Sign)
Run Back 2 U (Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, and Jaehyun)
Highway to Heaven (English Version)
Breakfast
Mark Solo (Vibration)
Taeyong and Mark (Himalayas)
Jungwoo Solo (Lipstick Remix)
Focus
Johnny Dance Solo (Focus)
Jaehyun Solo (Lost)
Yuta Solo (Butterfly)
The Rainy Night
White Night
Back 2 U (Rearranged Version)
Doyoung Solo (The Reason Why It’s Favorite)
Favorite
Regular (English Version)
Love On The Floor
Paradise
Touch
Love Me Now
Sticker
Faster
2 Baddies
Dreams Come True
Promise You
Don’t forget to check out our TikTok @theknockturnal.com and follow us on Instagram @theknockturnal for clips and interviews of your favorite celebrities and exclusive events.
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