(x)clusive!: Head to Polaris with NU`EST W at their ‘DOUBLE YOU’ Encore Concert in Hong Kong


NU`EST W

The journey to fame was not an easy one for NU`EST W. Known as ‘Reversal Idols’ due to the sudden burst in popularity after their appearance on popular reality programme, Produce 101 Season 2, NU`EST W – Aron, JR, Baekho, and Ren – is back in town for their ‘DOUBLE YOU’ Encore Concert in Hong Kong. And this is actually their first full-fledged concert in Hong Kong, despite having debuted for almost seven years, though they have held fan meetings, showcases, and even a mini concert previously.

The long wait, however, was not in vain as the concert was one that made fans fall in ㄴㅇㅅㅌ all over again! These are the six highlights of the electrifying concert last Sunday:

1. Setlist Curated by the Members

Baekho

For this ‘DOUBLE YOU’ Encore, the concert setlist consisted of classic fan favourites, such as ‘Hello (여보서요)’ and ‘GOOD BYE BYE’, that were tastefully remixed for their encore tour. The members definitely gave a lot of thought for this concert, as they also shared that they added their favourite B-sides, including ‘CLIMAX’ and ‘Love Without Love(사랑없는사랑)’, in hopes that these songs receive the same amount of love from fans who just began to show interest in NU`EST/NU`EST W.

2. Solo Stages

It was evident that a lot of effort had gone into the preparation of their individual stages as well, for which the members had the opportunity to showcase a side of themselves that was uniquely them. As the main vocalist of the group, Baekho put together a performance in which he rearranged his backing track to include as little instruments as possible and allowed the audience to concentrate on his raw vocals as he sang ‘Happy Until Now (지금까지 행복했어요)‘.

Ren’s performance was jaw-dropping as it was the complete opposite of Baekho’s calming stage. Despite having performed ‘Paradise’ when he was in Hong Kong in July for his individual schedule, the version this time around was more seductive, complete with a sexy choreography and a very bold translucent sequined top—all the fans were definitely entranced.

3. Hilarious VCR

Ren

NU`EST W is known for their playfulness and it could be seen via their videos (a noteworthy mention would be the Deja Vu Dance Practice video they recorded after winning No.1 with the song), and the VCR before the encore stage is definitely one of the more memorable moments of the night. The footage is of all four members when they were planning for their solo stages and Ren was trying his best to hit the high notes for Kim Ah Joong’s ‘Ave Maria’. Of course, just watching the VCR was not enough, so Ren was asked to try it once again during the final ment “due to popular demand”. The best part of it all was when the maknae staged a revenge and led the crowd to chant “Kim Jonghyun! Kim Jonghyun!”, forcing JR to squeak an immensely high-pitched yet adorable “MARIA~~”, earning bouts of laughter from fans present that evening.

4. Little ㄴㅇㅅㅌ Song

In an attempt to bridge the distance between them and their ㄴㅇㅅㅌ (official name for fans of NU`EST) ones, all four members tried their best to converse in simple Cantonese. As Ren also promised on his visit two months before to challenge himself and try singing a Cantonese song as a gift to Hong Kong ㄴㅇㅅㅌs the next time he is back in the city, NU`EST W came prepared for the concert with a classic Chinese love ballad, Soda Green’s ‘小情歌 (Little Love Song)’. Though not a Cantonese song, the reason behind choosing this particular track was enough reason to love them a little more. The group’s language capabilities has always been exceptional, but you can tell that the members did not simply just memorise the lyrics, but also understood the meaning behind those words. Baekho and Ren confessed that they had a long list of Chinese songs to choose from, but no other song conveyed their feelings better than ‘小情歌 (Little Love Song)’. Indeed, like this line from the song, “我想我很快樂  當有你的溫熱”, we’re sure NU`EST is very happy with the warmth they get from their fans.

5. Blessed To Be ㄴㅇㅅㅌd

Hong Kong ㄴㅇㅅㅌs prepared a slogan banner event, with the words ‘Blessed To Be A ㄴㅇㅅㅌ’ on the banners, for NU`EST W when they serenaded the audience with ‘IF YOU (있다면)‘. Isn’t that just so sweet?

Aron

The close relationship between NU`EST W and ㄴㅇㅅㅌs can also be felt when Aron – the resident English representative – gave his thank you speech in English, including his “must have” line of “Thank you for all the love and support!”. While this might not seem like anything special to those who haven’t been following the boys closely, it’s actually particularly heartening for fans to hear this signature line from Aron.

“Is it okay if I speak English? Thank you to all the loves in Hong Kong for coming out tonight. We really appreciate all the love and support you guys give us. Don’t laugh! (laughs) I know it, I know it! Love and support! It’s because you guys are next to us that we are able to stand on stage, that we are able to perform. So we want to thank you guys for everything that you guys do for us. We promise to work harder for you guys so keep supporting us? (shyly) Love you guys the way you guys do. We promise to come back to Hong Kong soon! Thank you!”
– Aron

6. The Concert was Almost 4 Hours

JR

A total of 27 songs were performed last night and the boys were really delighted and thankful whenever ㄴㅇㅅㅌs sang along. But time indeed flies past quickly when you are enjoying, and when Aron said, “It still feels like 5PM (the time which the concert started)! We should just do this all over again!”, all of the fans cheered loudly, fully agreeing to the idea. JR then continued, “Although it’s a pity to end here, but only with some regret will we look forward to meeting each other again next time!” And JR is absolutely right too, having a next time to look forward to is also a great motivation for their fans!

Perhaps if we all wait A Little Bit More, we can meet NU’EST back in Hong Kong (and hopefully Singapore) in 2019, as five.

NU`EST W ‘DOUBLE YOU’ Encore Concert in Hong Kong is brought to you by SMILES Production Ltd., D. Show, and Pledis Entertainment.

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