The 7 best moments from KCON LA 2023
Nothing showcases the dominance of Korean pop music better than KCON. Not even a tropical storm could stop fans from packing the Angeles Convention Center and the Crypto.com Arena to catch a glimpse of their favourite idols, all while basking in the sheer joy that is being a K-pop fan.
This weekend’s KCON LA 2023 was jam-packed with electrifying performances from iconic K-pop acts across generations. Legends such as Rain and SHINee’s Taemin led the pack alongside current powerhouses ATEEZ and Stray Kids. The festival even made time to showcase what the future of K-pop could look like, with Boys Planet group ZEROBASEONE and SM Entertainment’s new boyband RIIZE taking the centre stage.
Here are some of the most riveting moments from KCON LA 2023’s three-day weekend.
WayV’s ‘Love Talk’
On the first night of KCON LA 2023, the Lakers’ home was soaked by a neon green tide courtesy of NCT fans, who experienced the long overdue first US appearance of Chinese sub-group WayV. The quintet (leader Kun didn’t attend due to a conflict of schedules) inaugurated their performance with KCON’s signature song, ‘Poppia’, but it was just a warm up to what was about to come. The wait was brief, and as soon as they crooned, “I can hear it callin’”, the opening lyrics of fan favourite ‘Love Talk’, euphoria ensued.
This is Taemin’s world and we’re just living in it
Lee Taemin is like no other. Hypnotic and mesmerising, the vaunted “the idol of idols” cast a spell on the Crypto.com Arena with his solo stage, bringing out beloved songs such as ‘Advice’ and ‘Criminal’. It was captivating to see how between each performance, he also displayed his endearing essence off stage. Taemin bid farewell to the night with the timeless gem ‘Move’, a perfect ending for what will be remembered as one of the most iconic KCON sets of this year.
Dream Stages
Opportunities where fans can share the stage and perform with their favourite idols are extremely rare, but KCON does it best. During the three-night concert, the ‘Dream Stage’ was one of the most exciting moments to behold because it showed the special connection that makes the world of K-pop so unique.
On Friday, rising queens IVE and their fandom DIVE teamed up to enthral the audience with the pop perfection that is ‘I Am’. The next day it was the turn of monster rookies ZEROBASEONE, who performed ‘Here I Am’, the song that kickstarted their journey to stardom. It was an evocative occasion, considering fans helped them crystalise their aspirations of debuting as K-pop idols. And last but not least, ITZY brought back the shimmering zest of ‘Wannabe’, a song that never gets old.
Stray Kids and ATEEZ: The pinnacle of the fourth generation
Headliners ATEEZ and Stray Kids are two of the biggest groups to come out of K-pop’s fourth generation – and the boybands showed the crowd exactly why on the second and third days of the festival, respectively, transforming KCON LA 2023 into their own concerts with their formidable presence.
ATEEZ set the arena ablaze with the iconic Kingdom version of ‘Wonderland’, including Seonghwa’s breathtaking sword segment that is forever dazzler. On the other hand, Stray Kids thrilled with crowd favourites ‘S-Class’ and ‘God’s Menu’.
The absolute highlight, though, were the special performances titled ‘Hi My First’, where ATEEZ and Stray Kids gifted their fans with a rendition of their debut songs ‘Pirate King’ and ‘District 9’. It was a spirited celebration of their beginnings and the journey that led them to be the juggernauts they are today.
XG, Kep1er and NMIXX cover the queens of K-pop
Across all the entirety of KCON LA 2023 joy and nostalgia reigned supreme. Yet, it’s the covers of K-pop classics that always strike a chord across generations.
NMIXX took upon themselves to honour their labelmates TWICE with a beautiful rendition of ‘The Feels’, while Kep1er selected ‘Mr.Mr.’, perfectly embodying the vibrant charisma of Girls’ Generation. On the third night, global group XG hit the crowd with an explosive cover of 2NE1’s ‘I Am the Best’ that prompted a collective roar from the tribune.
Despite the generational shifts, there will always be a space to recognize and applaud the queens that shaped the current front of the K-pop landscape.
JO1’s first time in the United States
J-pop boyband JO1 missed KCON LA 2022 due to an unfortunate streak of COVID infections that prevented them from travelling. This year, they had another opportunity to leave a lingering first impression on the American audience – and they didn’t disappoint.
Dynamic and always in sync, JO1 presented the Korean version of their latest release ‘RadioVision’, immediately followed by the rousing energy of ‘Trigger’. However, the crowning moment of JO1’s night was when they performed a high-energy cover of SEVENTEEN’s ‘Super’, demonstrating they’re a force to be reckoned with.
The Return of EVERGLOW
After a drought that lasted nearly two years, EVERGLOW finally made their glorious return at KCON with their new single ‘Slay’, bewitching audiences in a way only they can. And by the time a remix of ‘DUN DUN’ and the magnificent ‘LA DI DA’ kicked in, everyone in the Crypto.com Arena rejoiced at their feet and sang in unison. Welcome back, girls.
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Ivana E. Morales
NME
