Back in July, we got a chance to go to Monsta X's sold out show at Playstation Theater – the New York stop of their first worldwide tour, the Beautiful tour.
Since their debut in 2015, Monsta X has released four EPs and one full studio album, each with smooth vocals, sharp rapping, and slick choreography that has attracted thousands of Monbebe – the endearing name they call their fans.
At Playstation Theater, the usual 7-member group was down to six people. A few days before the show, their company announced that dancer and vocalist Hyungwon would be taking a break due to health issues.
The other members passed along Hyungwon's words that he was sorry he couldn't make it to the show, to the roaring, supportive cheers of Monbebe.
Monsta X started their show strong, leading with their most popular track and tour namesake, "Beautiful."
Their energy stayed strong throughout the night, and they never seemed to give anything less than their best during performances. The hype seemed to get bigger and bigger as they performed all their hits such as "Hero," "Trespass," and their latest title track, "Shine Forever."
One thing we really loved about Monsta X was that they were surprisingly interactive with the fans in the audience. When K-pop groups tour in the U.S., most of them have a pretty set dialogue for the night since many idols aren't fluent in English. Some will have translators to pick up any ad libs the members might do.
Monsta X, however, seemed to mostly ad lib throughout the evening with the help of their translator and I.M., the only member who speaks fluent English. Their reactions were genuine, and their jokes were unrehearsed and playful.
Playstation Theater is a small venue with only a capacity of about 2,000 people. This made the event seem a lot more intimate, and you can sense how close to the members Monbebe felt by their fanchants and how they sang along with Monsta X.
Monsta X did not disappoint with their spectacular light shows. This, paired with their insane choreography, really delivered a powerful show.
Overall, their music and performances were perfectly on point - which shouldn't surprise anyone as they've always been hard-working and talented.
If you're new to Monsta X, you should know that they formed through the 2015 competition show NO.MERCY. Their first two EPs didn't really leave a strong impression, especially during a time when there were other strong groups putting out more popular tracks.
It wasn't until Monsta X and Starship Entertainment announced their new project called 'The Clan' that they began to find the right urban sound for their individual talents. Their albums as a whole have a wide range of music that showcases each member, while their title tracks often lean toward a fierce, intense sound that's so catchy, it'll stick in your head for days.
At the end of the night, we were really impressed not only by how much they've improved since debut, but also by how they are such great live performers with high energy and charisma. We can't wait to see where they'll go from here!
