In New York City, bustling hordes of pedestrians crowding the streets and cramming into subway stations is commonplace. With an urban space as busy as Midtown Manhattan, people always have places to go, sights to see and tasks to complete. Yet on the night of October 23rd, the air around Madison Square Garden crackled with excitement, and even jaded New Yorkers felt there was something momentous about to happen. Having made a big statement with their debut American show at L.A.'s STAPLES Center last September, SM Entertainment had plans to outdo itself this year at the world-class Madison Square Garden concert hall. Every allotted seat on three floors was sold out, and 15,000 people flooded through the gates, their anticipation mixed with disbelief over how their favorite Korean idols were finally performing in one of the most established cultural cities in the world.

As everyone settled into their seats, the ambient music and lights suddenly shut off to signal the beginning of the concert. Responding with a chorus of gleeful screams, fans cracked their glowsticks and excitedly waved their placards and banners. They didn't have to wait for long, as SM TOWN's youngest group, f(x), emerged on stage. Greeted by an ear-splitting wave of welcome, the girls responded with enthusiasm as they threw themselves into "LA chA TA". After introducing themselves, California native Amber exclaimed, "Wassup New York! Can you do me a favor and scream as loud as you can?" The crowd more than happily obliged, which made Amber exclaim, "DAMN! You guys are awesome!" The girls were followed by a peppy joint performance by the Jung sisters, Krystal of f(x) and Jessica of SNSD, who covered Ke$ha's "Tik Tok" with four male backup dancers. Then the rest of f(x) returned for "Chu~?", followed by legendary singer Kangta with his unforgettable track, "Polaris". "Hello New York! I'm Kangta and I'm so glad to be here tonight at Madison Square Garden," the singer greeted warmly, impressing all with his English. "We have a great show coming tonight. Thank you." He then sat down on a bench for an adorable duet with f(x)'s Sulli, who stepped onstage in a white dress. "7989" began to play over the speakers, and Kangta reached over to a nearby mailbox to pull out his microphone. The audience was delighted with a few more aegyo-filled antics, which included surprise mics emerging from a bouquet of roses and then a large red box delivered by none other than SHINee's Onew, who staged a clumsy fall while en route to Sulli. Onew's presence signalled SHINee's stage, who kicked off with the ever-popular "Stand By Me" from the "Boys Over Flowers" OST. "This is crazy," Key exclaimed in English after each member had introduced himself. "This is New York! Please enjoy your time!" As expected, the boys didn't disappoint with their creative wardrobe, with each member adorned in large statement piece necklaces, animal prints, and pastel colors. As the song faded, the lights suddenly flashed onto center-stage and Super Junior's K.R.Y (Kyuhyun, Ryeowook & Yesung) were seen illuminated against a soft light. They sang a sexy R&B rendition of "Sorry Sorry Answer", before Key and Krystal returned to the main stage in pink leather and blue feather jackets for a sassy cover of Ke$ha's "My First Kiss". Next, SNSD and SuJu maknaes Seohyun and Kyuhyun emerged together to perform the evening's cutest duet, "Way Back Into Love", entirely in English. With Seohyun in a white babydoll dress and Kyuhyun in a suit, the two had fans melting left and right with their lingering gazes at each other; there was even some skinship as they held hands near the end. To everyone's total shock, the spotlight suddenly swerved to the top of the second floor, where SHINee's Minho and Key as well as SuJu's Shindong and Eunhyuk stood amidst the audience before making their way down the stairs. They brought the house down with a charismatic cover of Jinusean's hit track, "A-YO". The boys from YG may be famous for their swag, but that doesn't mean SM artists can't pull it off either, as the quartet had everyone in the hall chanting along. All nine members of SNSD electrified the mood when they stepped onto the stage to sing "Run Devil Run" in glimmering gold outfits. Each member introduced herself with big smiles and adorably broken English. "I'm honored to be... I'm honored to be...?" Seohyun paused, racking her brain for the right word. Tiffany helpfully finished, "Here." As everyone laughed and applauded the maknae on her attempt, Tiffany explained, "She practiced that a hundred times, but applause for her!"The girls then performed back-to-back stages of "Kissing You" and "Oh!". Super Junior strode onto the scene next with their catchy anthem, "Bonamana", which received an immediate response from ecstatic ELFs in the house who shook their blue glowsticks like their lives was depending on it. Each member delighted everyone with a hilarious introduction, with Leeteuk's being the most memorable since he threw his head back and screamed, "HIIIIII NEWWW YORKKKK!!!" The energy was perfect, and it was the right setting for the boys to perform "Too Perfect", a Super Junior-M track in impressive Mandarin Chinese. SuJu gave away to SNSD, who sang "Hahaha" and interacted with the audience, waving to fans and encouraging everyone to dance along. Then, the Queen of Hallyu herself came out and BoA confidently delivered "Look Who's Talking" from her English album, looking as sexy as ever in an outfit that showed off her legs. Afterwards, BoA broke into a big smile, and after a moment of taking in the view, she exclaimed, "When I debuted in the U.S., it was 2008, and I never imagined I could have had a show in Madison Square Garden. Here's the thing. And now, here I am!" "You know what, you guys made this happen. All of your support, love, heart, those kinds of things made this happen, so I really appreciate it. Thank you, and thanks for sharing this moment with me." BoA took a swig from her water bottle and suddenly announced, "I just realized, my shorts are really short." She explained, "I can't really focus on my clothes, cuz I'm dancing, singing..." BoA then launched into "I Did It For Love" with Key making a surprise cameo. Kicking into high gear now, the concert gave fans back-to-back performances of each group's biggest hits. SNSD appeared on a circular platform, and slowly rose in white suits to deliver a sultry performance of "Tell Me Your Wish". Although the performance started off a bit muted, the energy began to build until Tiffany broke it down with a surprise 30-second rap session in English that had the everyone screaming. Super Junior carried the high energy with "Sorry Sorry", and Kyuhyun and Yesung indulged their fans with gratuitous amounts of ad libs. SHINee appeared in red and white outfits with black blazers for "Ring Ding Dong", which was accompanied by real explosions of fire as the members were strapped onto wires and raised into the air. Also dressed in red and black outfits were f(x), who returned to the stage for "NU ABO". SM's largest boy group returned yet again for their latest hit track, "Mr Simple", and their performance had fans jumping out of their seats as they danced along to the song's signature moves. SuJu continued with "Don't Don", and a live band actually rose from a hidden platform as the members headbanged along. Suddenly, the members were raised into the air on wires above the screaming fans, adding an element of 'epic' to their rockstar performance. Kangta then returned to follow with his Chinese hit track, "Love, Frequency", and f(x) performed "Hot Summer". SNSD's "Hoot" threw arrows into fans' hearts, and it was almost like a contest between Sones and Shawols over who could scream the loudest, as SHINee returned for 'Girls'. Then came time for arguably one of the most anticipated stages of the night -- the first-ever live performance of SNSD's "The Boys" in English. The girls brought "The Boys" out, but fangirls were just vocal in their screams for the ladies, who looked elegant in their cream, navy, and brown outfits. With its chanting and energy-infused beat,"The Boys" was perfect for live stage performances, and certainly elevated everyone's love for the track. SNSD eventually gave way to a slew of individual performances, including an impressive solo from Onew, who sang an Italian aria called "Nessun Dorma". His rich tenor rippled through the audience, and when the last note faded away, everyone lept to their feet to give a standing ovation. Taemin and Eunhyuk pop and locked for a special dance stage, followed by Hyoyeon and Luna. YoonA, Yuri, Sooyoung and Victoria came out in orange outfits for a steamy dance cover of Pitbull's "Go Girl", and the dance battle concluded with SHINee's Minho joining everyone for a huge group sequence. Next, BoA impressed with "Eat You Up", fully decked in an edgy leather jacket, beige pants and black boots. "I enjoy the stage, I enjoy the performance, so I want you guys to enjoy the same feeling," the petite singer exclaimed, then continued with "Energetic". The lights suddenly shut off and ominous horns filled the air, and fans, seeming to sense which act was next, immediately let out ear-splitting screams. A deep voice boomed out, "I give you the kings of SM ... TVXQ." Majestically, Yunho and Changmin glided to the stage, suspended on wires that raised them high above the audience. The familiar beats of their smash hit "Mirotic" pumped through the speakers, which was followed by "Maximum". The duo slowed things down with "Before U Go", then picked it up again with an aggressive stage for "Keep Your Head Down", which threw in exploding fireballs and fiery lights on stage. With each back-to-back performance, Cassiopeians in the audience felt like they were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime mini TVXQ concert. f(x) returned in a myriad of polka dot outfits to pep up the audience with "Pinocchio", with some members even mixing in some harmonization throughout the song. And then, we came at last to the final bend of the show. Each artist came back to perform the biggest hit track of their careers: SHINee emerged in all black for "Lucifer", SNSD appeared in their signature white tees and jeans for "Gee", and Super Junior brought us down memory lane with their 2006 hit, "U". TVXQ performed "Rising Sun" as golden fireworks exploded like fountains of fire on Changmin's high note, and as the audience batted away the smoke, BoA brought the concert to a close with "Hurricane Venus". It was the end, and yet everyone was filled with hope -- H.O.T's "Hope", to be exact. The SM TOWN crew came out to sing the legendary goodbye song, and knowing that they pulled off a phenomenal show, the idols relaxed and horsed around on stage as white confetti rained down on everyone. Some picked up Canadian and Brazilian flags from the crowd, and Eunhyuk made everyone laugh when he goofed around with a pair of angel wings. Waving goodbye and bowing deeply to the crowd, the idols disappeared slowly from the stage, one-by-one. They drank in the crowd, and their fans hungrily tried to grasp every last second with their stars. Both knew it was a historical moment not just for them, but for K-Pop lovers in the Western hemisphere, who've dreamed of seeing a concert like this for years. If the concert in New York was any indication, then 'SM Town Live' definitely needs to bring more stops to other parts of the world to let others experience the amazing stages that makes K-Pop so near and dear to our hearts. ==== Photos + Videography: SMTOWN