NewJeans performed a medley of their four songs this year. Right now, opens the show with an instrumental. The girls are trapped in a cage, looking like a Hybe Office. We see them doing a dance break, the cage slowly lifts, freeing the four girls.
Then we see them do something that Hybe groups are notorious for struggling with, they perform live. All of them sing all of their lines live on the couch, table and chairs. They do what HYBE could never do without them.
We move over to a live band for Bubble Gum, and once again we are given pure live vocals. The girls are singing adlibs, having fun, no choreo just a live concert. I cant help but start to feel this is intentional, the last concert as NewJeans. They know it. As this section comes to an end they joke around a bit in the crowd. Take a “break”
Now with How Sweet we get a classic NewJeans performance. This song was released amidst the end of their relationship with HYBE, amidst the ousting of their Creative Director, their producer, their leader, Min Heejin and like it or not its their final goodbye to the Label as a song. It was released at a very specific time. The girls do crowd work, they sing pretty much every line while doing choreo, the crowd sings along. Hanni sings to HYBE directly for her last line in a shout.
The finale, supernatural.
This might be the last song ever performed by NewJeans live on stage.
Back up dancers join the girls on stage, they sing live for a 4th song straight. The crowd sings along to the chorus, and we get a final dance break. The girls, sing breathy, beautiful highnotes almost a cappella as their final notes, proving how talented they are for one final moment.
“NewJeans lessgoooo”
And its over, the greatest girlgroup, for me and many others, has finished their final number.