BOYNEXTDOOR finished its first world tour’s Japan leg in Chiba after six Japanese cities, thrilling fans with varied stages and three encores.

BOYNEXTDOOR’s first-ever world tour’s Japan performances, “BOYNEXTDOOR TOUR 'KNOCK ON Vol.2' IN JAPAN,” ended with the concert held on October 10 and 11 at LaLa arena TOKYO-BAY in Chiba. This tour, which traveled through 24 cities in North America and Asia, was held in Japan across all six cities—Kanagawa, Saga, Osaka, Miyagi, Nagano, and Chiba—drawing about 140,000 people. Every venue sparked a response with glamorous and fulfilling staging, which surely must have led to great confidence and joy for the members. Among these, here is a report on the Chiba performance on the 10th. Inside the venue, ambient background music played together with the sound of dripping water and a buzzing noise, creating a unique atmosphere even before the show began. Then, at the scheduled time, a flash of light suddenly illuminated the audience. Powerful band sounds echoed throughout, and immediately after the six members were shown one after another on the screen, “06070” began amid cheers and applause. The fantastical production, with human-shaped silhouettes swaying everywhere on the stage, and the persuasive vocals seemed to strongly appeal to a “something” that no other group has, and it was truly reassuring. Next they performed “VIRAL.” Starting with this number, which carries the wish that their songs reach more people, they firmly energized the crowd with approachable songs such as “But Sometimes” and “I Feel Good,” showing once again that their entertainment value is exceptionally high. “Who’s there? BOYNEXTDOOR! Good evening, we are BOYNEXTDOOR!” After greeting the ONEDOOR (the fans) filling the venue, they then successively showed the group’s diverse charms. In “Count To Love,” which poppily expresses the real emotions between lovers, they were endlessly bright with comedic elements mixed in; in “Boom Boom Boom,” with its memorable glittering piano melody, they released overflowing youthful energy. In “Live In Paris,” sung in an airport departure lobby, they showed a more mature expression, and through the positive electropop “So let’s go see the stars,” they pledged eternal love with the fans. In this way, they captivated the audience with many different sides in a short time, and the seats sent them unreserved cheers. They cooled things down with songs that place emphasis on lyrics: “Forever You,” which lyrically describes feelings for important people, and “Call Me,” which encourages people going through difficult times by saying, “Even if things don’t go as planned, it’s okay because I’m with you.” But only for a moment, they changed gears to raise the voltage again. They created a special feeling with “Hollywood Action” and “Upside Down,” which entertained with a car-action filming-set style production, and gradually warmed up the venue with the funkier “Nice Guy” and the long version of “Earth, Wind & Fire.” This tour not only lets audiences fully savor a scaled-up BOYNEXTDOOR, but the stage devices designed with each song’s concept in mind are also one of the highlights. In the latter part of the concert, “ddok ddok ddok” used modern, mechanical media art; “One and Only” featured cargo moving in time with the rhythm; and “Dangerous” became even more thrilling with lighting and lasers, creating synergy between the members’ every move and the production. At last, only two songs remained in the main set. They closed for the moment with “Gonna Be A Rock” and “ADIOS!,” but in response to the nonstop cheers, the six members soon gathered on the center stage. After enjoying a sense of unity with the fans through the joyful “SAY CHEESE!” and “Today Only I LOVE YOU (Japanese Ver.),” each member spoke frankly about their current feelings. “As your voices get louder and louder, we feel that we are doing things properly, and this performance was the same” (TAESAN). “As soon as the remaining tour dates are over, we will come back, so please wait just a little while” (SUNGHO). “Whenever I was on the Japan tour, my heart was always healed” (JAEHYUN). “When we come next time, I want to show you an even more grown-up side of me, so please keep your eyes only on me!” (LEEHAN). “Because all of you (ONEDOOR) gave us good words and beautiful words, you made the time we spent preparing worthwhile. I want to tell you, ‘I really love you’” (RIWOO). “There was not a single day during the tour when I was not happy. Everything was beautiful. Thank you so much!” (WOONHAK). After the final greetings, they finally moved into the ending. Backed by powerful playing, they sang “I Wonder” and introduced the band members who supported them, then slowly disappeared toward the back of the stage. However, the heated audience strongly wished for them to come back on stage. In response to that expectation, a second encore began after some time, and this time they fired off pop numbers such as “Good Day,” “I Feel Good,” and “ADIOS!” Even so, the excitement in the venue still did not subside. Pushed by the loud cheers that drowned out the announcement of the end of the show, the six members appeared briskly. When the intro to the huge hit “ANIMAL” began, the large hall instantly turned into a dance floor. In a third encore, where the artist and audience became one, the three-hour performance came to a close amid thunderous cheers. What is once again recognized through this concert is their attitude of prioritizing the fans who support them above all else. That comes through not only in their performances, but also in their casual words and actions. Perhaps the strong desire to “live and move forward together at all times” is producing good results. As long as such an ideal relationship exists, BOYNEXTDOOR’s rapid rise will surely continue. Reporting and writing: Takuo Matsumoto. BOYNEXTDOOR’s 5th mini album, “The Action,” has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan! BOYNEXTDOOR won their first No. 1 after their comeback on “M COUNTDOWN”! Thanks to the fans (with video).