Photo courtsey of TEN’s official Instagram account
TEN is a Thai K-pop artist who is a singer, rapper and dancer. He is a member of three sub-units under the group NCT. He is a member of NCT-U, WayV, and SuperM. Ten has shown his amazing talent across these groups, but this U.S showcase tour was made to show who he is as a solo artist. His passionate performance style excited fans in Baltimore on November, 6th at The Nevermore Hall. This show made me feel proud as a fan of TEN. I have been listening to his music since he debuted in NCT-U with the song, The 7th sense. It was surreal yet beautiful to experience TEN performing the top hits from his discography as well as new songs from his latest album, OUTWEST and a special unreleased song!
When I arrived at the venue, Nevermore Hall in Baltimore, Maryland. Fans were dressed in outfits inspired by TEN’s streetwear style and outfits inspired by his songs. There were also a lot of purple outfits in reference to TEN’s chosen color in his group, WayV.
I thought it was so sweet and nice that the fans passed out freebies to my sister, my friend and I as we walked around the venue. Freebies are a part of the K-pop fan culture when fans pass out handmade trinkets, keychains, and banners. These gifts are made with lots of effort and love. A fan gave me a banner that was meant to be held up during TEN’s song “Waves”. I was impressed when a venue staff member told me there were over 500 fans in attendance for TEN’s VIP meeting.
I was very excited to hear his song Stunner- A fan favorite with over 100 Million streams on Spotify. Luckily for me and other adoring fans Ten opened the amazing night with Stunner. He wore an all white outfit with leather elements that made him look very futuristic and effortlessly cool. His talented background dancers were perfectly in sync with him the whole night.
There is something enticing about watching TEN perform. His dancing style is sharp, controlled with hip-hop elements but also flowy and mesmerizing. TEN posses a rare ability that allows him to sing with a that fills up the entire venue with a calm yet fierce presence. In his song, Stunner, the lyrics “홀린 듯 다가와” caught my attention. In English, the lyrics translate to “come closer as if possessed”. This lyric showcases TEN’s entire performance style and who he is. The crowd was hypnotized during Stunner by TEN’s magnetic presence. TENand the crowd sung together as a choir with Ten acting as the conductor. With this show being in America, it was impressive that the crowd sung the Korean lyrics so well.
The next two songs were Beautiful Monster and Birthday which are both alluring songs that filled the stage with mystery, sensuality and calmness. Once TEN performed Birthday, he showed the crowd a different side of him which was a sensual style. TEN and his dancers captivated the crowd with this and it was clear Birthday was a song a lot of fans were waiting to hear live for the first time in the United States. Dangerous was another song TEN played that also had a sensual vibe. The choreography featured chairs and beautiful dancing from both TEN and the backup dancers. The lighting was stunning during this song. It looked like white sunrays and also featured foggy smoke. It made the song sound even more beautiful.
The instrumentals that played under TEN’s vocals sounded like they had been recorded with a live band. That live band sound was amazing as it filled the Nevermore Hall that night and it added a different flare to TEN’s music. As I listen back to TEN’s music now, it makes me miss this live performance so much.
His performance to his self titled song “ON TEN” showed off his confidence. It had a hip-hop sound and choreography. This is something I truly enjoy about TEN, his ability to switch between sensual songs, R&B, hip-hop and ballads.
TEN performed one of his older songs, “New Heroes” from 2018 and it was so nice for a lot of fans in the crowd to hear that song live for the first time after all these years. When he sang this song he wore the Baltimore Orioles jersey which is the city’s baseball team. The crowd and I thought it was so endearing. I love when artists show support of the city they attend.
A slower rendition of TEN’s song, Water was performed and it was his chance to show off his solid vocals. TEN sang Water on stage by himself. No dancers just stage lights and a water visual behind him. This really made me understand why TEN can stand on his own as an alluring vocalist.
TEN ended the night with hype songs featuring, Bambola, Enough For Me, and Outwest. I like how he left the concert on a happy feeling. It felt like a party when TEN and his dancers came back out on stage for an encore. They all danced to an EDM rendition of OUTWEST, It was fun and hype. TEN would look out at the crowd and felt like he was telling at everyone personally to dance and have a fun time for this last song. His outfit along with the dancers’ were more casual and fun. They were wearing a tour shirt that TEN designed. The visuals behind them were fun and exciting. It truly felt like a club in the middle of a concert venue and it made me want to see the entire show again. At some point in the show, TEN said he asked his friends, “How is Baltimore?”. His friends said "Baltimore has the craziest energy ever!” The crowd cheered and TEN smiled at that.
I have been to many concerts over the years in Baltimore, in a city that I call my home. Baltimore is a city that gives you back the same energy that you give to them. That night, the Baltimore crowd gave TEN their all and showed him so much support. I want TEN to know that he brought his talent and positive energy first . Then the crowd fed off his positive energy with how amazing he treats his fans and the care he puts into his craft.
TEN has a song from his new album, OUTWEST called, IRL. Which means, In Real Life. Some of the lyrics from the song are:
// Jump out the window cause I wanna fly
Feelin' like a movie playing in my mind
I just hit a milli on the first try
Never thought I'd see this shit in real life //
As TEN sang IRL, he looked so happy and I can tell he is truly living out those lyrics. The song speaks of someone who never thought he could see these big dreams come to fruition. TEN was in Baltimore and performed a sold out concert at the Nevermore Hall. His tour was sold out in general. It felt so inspiring to see TEN becoming exactly who he always wanted to be. If you see TEN live in concert, you will feel like you can see your dreams come true in real life too. That’s what this concert was all about, a showcase of TEN’s extensive career. This was also a moment to show how much he loves his fans and for his fans to show they believe in him too.
Katana for KtopiaX.
