What do you get when you combine a handful of K-pop's most talented rookies with hard-hitting choreography, endless talent and visuals, and enough love for their fans to send them all the way across the world? You get GHOST9, making their way [INTO THE NOW], and into the hearts of Ghosties worldwide.
On January 23rd, 2022, New York's Webster Hall saw one of the first snows of the new year christened with one of the first shows of the new year: GHOST9's [INTO THE NOW] Meet&Live Tour in U.S.! The Maroo Entertainment group's first-ever U.S. tour brought the seven members to four stops across the country, with the third taking place in none other than the Big Apple.
If we had to list all of our favorite moments from the New York tour stop, this article would never stop - so, we'll settle for our top nine moments from GHOST9's [Into the New] Meet & Live Tour. Let's dive in with...
1. Seeing the night get started with 'Vision' & 'Think of Dawn'
Nothing can replicate the first few seconds of a K-pop concert: the screams of fans seeing their biases for the first time, the fog and lights framing the idols like artwork, the anticipation of it all. It's no surprise that some of our top moments from the show comes from the two intro songs that kicked the night into high gear.
A special shout-out goes to the picture-perfect scene of Shin launching himself over his members into choreography with Jinwoo in "Vision," getting the crowd even more hyped! Plus, "Think of Dawn"'s words, 'This is your vision/This is your dream/This is your wish,' hit all the more deeply knowing that the night fulfilled both GHOST9's and Ghosties' dreams: being together during an unforgettable night in New York.
2. The playful self-introductions of each member!
The only thing that might be better than seeing each member of GHOST9 in the flesh is seeing each member introduce themselves - complete with jokes, talents, and a healthy amount of fanservice.
Junhyung's English skills shined through as he teased the audience as the resident "physical" member, Shin's rhythmic lap pats earned him the title of GHOST9's main dancer, and Junseong proudly declared his aspirations of becoming a Future TikTok star. Kangsong, too, showed off his own aspirations with a basketball jump worthy of NBA fame.
Our personal favorite introduction? The entire group being proud older brothers to resident maknae-on-top Jinwoo. Prince urged him to "show them how cool you are," with Jinwoo pulling through by sending a wink to the audience. Even Woojin, GHOST9's visual, couldn't help but smile.
3. The youthful joy of 'Flying at Night'
The amount of power and skill that each member puts into their dancing can make you forget that the group's average age is only 19, but their performance of "Flying at Night" was the cutest reminder of GHOST9's youth.
The boys each grabbed a red paper airplane prop for "Flying at Night" and sent them flying into the crowd. While some lucky Ghosties got to take home a paper airplane as a souvenir of the night, we'll be taking home the cutest memory of Jinwoo hopping around and bouncing to his line, "It's like a paradise!"
4. Junhyeong's iconic pop star moments during 'Monday to Sunday'
To be honest, we could probably cite the entire show as one of Junhyeong's iconic pop star moments: the man exudes starpower from the way he sings, to the way he dances, to the way he effortlessly provides Ghosties with fanservice and hearts whenever he can. However, his vocals came out in full force during the bridge of "Monday to Sunday," in which his powerful, falsetto riffs sent us right into GHOST9 heaven.
5. Kangsong indirectly sending his love to Ghosties.
Huh? You mean, Kangsong hadn't directly sent his love to Ghosties the entire show? Actually, the orange-mulleted legend had been as much of a fanservice king as the rest of his members, but one moment stood out as the pinnacle of playfulness.
Antenna's stage performance granted Ghosties the privilege of seeing Kangsong and Woojin perform alone together, and Kangsong took this as an opportunity to kneel down and propose to Woojin with a finger heart. Almost immediately, though, Woojin laughed it off and sent the finger heart to the fans instead. Poor Kangsong!
Still, Prince later mused on Antenna being one of his favorite songs, since it's about how GHOST9 and Ghosties meet. Kangsong's finger heart, delivered to Ghosties by Woojin, is merely a fraction of the love contained in that meeting.
6. Junseong's excitement to be in New York!
Junseong made sure that everyone in the venue knew just how excited he was to be and perform in New York. The ending of Antenna was blessed with a serenade of Junseong riffing to "New York!," and the member even shouted out the city's name in between the eclectic beats of Triangle.
Even during a post-show talk with press, he mentioned loving New York vanilla milkshakes. (Ghosties, take notes - the way to this vocalist's heart is through sweet snacks!)
7. Ghosties singing and dancing along to 'Control'
It's special just being in the same space with GHOST9, let alone being able to learn choreography or sing along with them. Count on GHOST9 to make every single moment as special as it can be: the boys spent one of their ments teaching the audience to sing and dance the killing parts of 'Control.'
After practicing a couple of times, Ghosties could dance with at least 10% of the charm that GHOST9 puts into their performance, which was a win! But in the end, it was Junhyung himself that needed the practice. After getting a move wrong, younger member Junseong playfully chastised his leader with a sass-filled, "Practice, please!"
8. 'Seoul,' in its entirety.
The song showcased the reality of GHOST9's triple threat: their top-notch dancing skills, their charismatic rapline, and the most amazing vocals, especially from Junhyung and Junseong.
The vocals we didn't expect, however, came from Ghosties singing along to Seoul's iconic "Woaaahh!" The track took international Ghosties on a trip from Webster Hall straight into GHOST9's own world.
9. GHOST9's endless love for Ghosties during 'Cosmos'
Our final favorite moment from GHOST9's [INTO THE NEW] Meet & Live tour came from GHOST9's final performance, 'Cosmos.' As a goodbye gift to Ghosties, GHOST9 prepared signed, plastic balls that they threw into the crowd, each sending them out with a unique flair: Kangsong started his basketball career early by chucking them as hard as he could, while Jinwoo politely gave signed balls to audience members in the front row by hand.
It's hard to imagine what a perfect end to a concert can look like, especially when Ghosties are so focused on making their moments together with GHOST9 last forever. But, our imagination probably would come close to this: GHOST9's playful, incredible performance; their unending love for Ghosties; and Junseong, inevitably, showing off how good at belting he is at every chance.
These were our top nine moments from GHOST9's [INTO THE NEW] Meet & Live in New York! Each New York Ghostie (us, included!) cherished each and every moment that they could spend with GHOST9.
We can't wait for them to come back to New York next time! Thank you so much to GHOST9 for providing us with press access to the show.
