Review: MONSTA X Are Back and Better Than Ever on "THE X: NEXUS" World Tour

MONSTA X are back and arguably better than ever. Their return to New York on October 6 as part of their new world tour, The X: Nexus, marked the group's first tour in four years, following 5 of the 6 members' completion of their mandatory military service. The group was still down one member, however - the youngest, I.M., is currently in the military and his presence was truly missed. But the other 5 members held it down, putting on a performance that rivaled many of the other K-pop shows I've been to this year. 

Four years ago, in 2022, the group performed in New York on the No Limit tour, which was one of the first K-pop shows I attended. Now, with nearly 100 concerts under my belt, I can confidently say that MONSTA X puts on a show like no other. Maybe I just missed them these past four years, but I think this show was a testament to their longstanding career, proving that they're still titans in the industry.

There's a reason why MONSTA X have had such a long and successful career, and that's fully due to their talent and unmatched stage presence. Every single member showed off his unique talents and charms, from Joohoney's commanding rap delivery to Kihyun's stunning vocals, every member brought something distinctive to the stage. MONSTA X has it all and they continue to prove it over and over.

The setlist was practically perfect. The show kicked off with "DRAMARAMA", a classic in the group's discography from their 2017 album "THE CODE." What a way to begin the show. The entire first set was hit after hit, with "Love Killa", "Rush Hour", and "LONE RANGER" following.

I think they did a good job balancing some older fan-favorite songs with newer material from their most recent English release, "Unfold." It was so nice to hear songs like "baby blue" and "heal" and to be able to sing along with the members, who seemed pleased that Monbebe knew every word. They of course included some of their earlier English music as well, including "WHO DO U LOVE?", a classic, as well as their latest title track "MAGIC" which was so much fun to hear live.

In the middle, each member performed a solo stage, which began with a video performance from I.M. (which did make me a little misty-eyed, I won't lie!) Shownu performed "Around & Go" followed by Hyungwon's "NO AIR" before the pair, who have released multiple unit albums, reunited on stage for a unit performance of "Breathe." Shownu and Hyungwon's chemistry on stage is always fun to watch, not to mention the sensuality of their performances, both solo and as a duo, is undoubtedly a crowdpleaser.

Next up, Kihyun performed his song "Howling" which is so catchy, and he sings the heck out of it. Kihyun's vocals are always so impressive to hear live. Then, Minhyuk took the stage with a guitar to perform his first solo single, "Reaching." He noted that the song was fully in Korean but he hoped we could connect with it anyway, and I think it's safe to say we did. 

Finally, Joohoney performed two solo songs, "STING" and "Touch the sky." I mentioned previously how much I love Joohoney's stage presence, and it really is just unmatched. His rapping is so powerful, and the way he commands the stage is so admirable. His solo music is some of my favorite, too. 

The final section before the encore featured some of MONSTA X's older songs, including "Autobahn", "Burning Up", "Beautiful Liar", "Alligator", and "Shoot Out." What a treat it was to hear all of these, especially the final two. All of MONSTA X's discography is great but I will always harbor nostalgia for their earlier tracks, and I never get tired of hearing them.

Speaking of their older songs, the encore began with "Oh My" and "Rodeo", two of my personal favorite older songs of theirs. They even played an encore chorus of "Rodeo" when fans shouted for more.

Something that made this show particularly special was the fact that it was Joohoney's birthday. Before the final song, a fan-made video played, featuring Monbebe sending birthday wishes and kind words to the birthday boy. A cake was brought out, we all sang Happy Birthday, and Joohoney cut the cake before being splashed with water by the other members. I always love being in attendance at birthday shows, and this one definitely was no exception. 

The final song was the sentimental ballad "growing pains", a sweet and soft way to wrap up the intense show, with the members wandering around the stage, interacting with their fans, and taking props to pose with. 

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