Fresh off of their rookie year, NMIXX embarked on their first solo showcase tour called NICE TO MIXX YOU. San Jose was the second stop of the North American leg of their tour. The San Jose Civic opened its doors for fans on the evening of May 4th, 2023.
Before the show, the halls were bustling with fans as they made final preparations for the concert. Stalls at the theater sold a variety of snacks, while a pop up booth sold the various concert merch. As the clock reached 7:30pm, the lights dimmed as the concert was about to start.
Like most JYP artists' concerts, they started with a sizzle reel of the various artists currently at the company. Right after that, a video of the group featuring their concept called Mixxtopia played. As the video ended, the shadows of Haewon, Lily, Sullyoon, Bae, Jiwoo, and Kyujin entered onto the stage into a formation, ready for the first set. The lights slowly faded in and a loud, “Incoming!” played on the p.a.
This first set started with a bang with the hard hitting songs of their debut EP, AD MARE. “TANK” is a high-energy song with quick and precise dance moves. “O.O”, their debut title track, followed to keep the energy up. Both songs show off their genre of mixx pop, where their songs incorporate multiple contrasting genres into the same track.
After brief introductions from each member, it was time for the next set. With tracks like “PAXXWORD” and “Just Did It”, the group got to show off how diverse their catalog is. The former is more of a soulful funk, where they can show off their vocals more. The latter puts a little groove into the set with swinging dance moves. These b-sides come from their latest release, expergo. Main dancer Kyujin helped teach one of the point dances of their pre-release track, “Young, Dumb, Stupid.” With this knowledge, the group naturally performed the song, to give us a chance to show off our new skill. They followed this up with an explanation of the song. Because of the nursery rhyme style of song, the group split the audience up to have a singing competition. As a gift of helping them out, they rewarded fans with some cover stages.
Being the sister group of TWICE, it’s only natural to cover a song like “TT”. From catchy electro-pop, brought the energy back up with their version of David Guetta’s Hey Mama. Without a breather, they went back into their catalog with “DICE.” This orchestral title track is backed up with a very technical dance. Several modern genres are sliced into the song, capitalizing on the mixx pop concept. To give them a breather, a VCR played to show off their funny side. This video was like a variety show as they frantically picked their roommates for the tour, almost like a dating game. This break also served as a costume change, as the members came out in their concert merch.
To accompany their title track from their EP, “ENTWURF”, they performed “COOL (Your Rainbow).” This orchestral song with a hip-hop beat let them put a hold on dancing to show off their vocals and harmonizations. Staying on vocal-focused songs, they proceeded with pop-ballad, “My Gosh.” This departed the electric and symphony songs and exchanged it for acoustic guitars.
Before you knew it, each of the members gave their thank you speeches. This is always the signal for the last set of the night. “HOME” is a bass-heavy rock anthem that tells audiences that they don't want this tour to end. “Love me Like This” wrapped up the main show with addictive dance moves. For a dance-intensive song, this title track also shows off their vocal skills with several harmonizations.
With the help of a scream meter on the stage screens, audience’s cheers brought the members back out for an encore of “O.O” and “Love Me Like This.” And like that, their San Jose stop was over.
The group did an amazing job on their first solo showcase tour. We’re looking forward to what they bring to their next tour.