Baekhyun Shines At 1st U.S. Concert In Newark: Full Review & Setlist

As part of Baekhyun’s ‘Reverie’ World Tour, the K-pop superstar’s first-ever U.S. solo concert at Newark’s Prudential Center was a dreamy experience as the Tri-state area was locked in a record-breaking heat wave. But the arena’s atmosphere inside quickly turned into one of anticipation over exhaustion the moment the lights dimmed.

As the anthemic synths of his 2018 single “YOUNG” burst through the speakers, Baekhyun stood center stage, headset mic in place, utilizing the opening up-tempo tracks like “Ghost” and 2024 hit “Pineapple Slice” to quickly establish his commitment to giving his all equally in choreography and vocals.

Despite battling a stubborn cold since performing his Latin America tour dates just a day earlier, Baekhyun’s June 23 show saw the star powering through every choreography-driven note and vocal run as though nothing were amiss. He swapped effortlessly between headset and handheld microphones, performing intensely choreographed pieces alongside more relaxed ones where he could showcase playful vocal runs.

“You guys waited so long for me, right?” he asked the crowd early in the show. “To be honest, I was really worried going into this world tour, so thank you so much for so many of you guys being here today. For as much as you guys are giving up your time to be here with me tonight, I will give you a memory that you won’t forget.”

While Bakehyun has toured the States with his boy bands EXO and SuperM (including two past EXO concerts at Prudential Center), the ‘Reverie’ tour setlist leaned exclusively on Baekhyun’s solo catalog, giving fans a chance to rediscover lesser-known b-sides alongside the chart-topping hits.

One highlight came in “Underwater,” where dark blue lighting bathed the stage as his background dancers mimicked ocean current swirls to spotlight the haunting R&B ballad from his 2020 Delight album. Later songs like “Lemonade” unleashed his sunnier side, complete with buoyant choreography and lyrics dancing across the giant LED screens backing him, allowing the audience to better clap and sing along. Meanwhile, darker tracks like “Cold Heart” and a special band arrangement of “Psycho” revealed a more enigmatic facet of his performance style, as he and a masked backup dancer mirrored one another’s movements to bring the intensity of the latter electro-pop track to life.

Baekhyun beamed between songs, visibly savoring this milestone in a new corner of the world with his recently dyed blonde locks catching the stage lights to frame his many big, boyish smiles. While Baekhyun’s chocolate-brown hair during the Essence of Reverie promotions lent him a mature air, the tour’s platinum blonde hue underscored his playful spirit, one that shone with every wide-eyed glance and genuine laugh.

“The last time I had a concert, I wasn’t able to do a world tour,” Baekhyun later told the crowd, referencing last year’s Lonsdaleite Tour that only visited Asia. “I thought it was such a relief that this time I could do a world tour.” A world tour spanning North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Asia is one of the latest major moves Baekhyun has made in his solo career since the recent launch of his new label INB 100, which also houses his EXO band mates Chen and Xiumin.

Before Newark’s night of ‘Reverie’ ended, Baekhyun noted that, “I think music unites us all.” That sentiment was wholly clear when the entire arena joined in a singalong for his 2020 single, “Amusement Park,” as an LED screen displayed the lyrics in English and Korean before his encore began. “Amusement Park” is a light, airy R&B-pop pre-release buzz track for Baekhyun’s third mini album, Bambi, that was not heavily promoted in Korea but still had an entire arena singing along. Baekhyun was right: the music truly did unite everyone.

Extreme weather and colds might not have been the ideal conditions for Baekhyun’s first U.S. concert. Even still, Baekhyun only paused once near the show’s end to cough and clear his throat. However, what rang true was his commitment to being the all-around professional superstar, hitting major new milestones in his career more than a decade after his debut.

Check out the setlist for Baekhyun’s ‘Reverie’ World Tour below.

2025 BAEKHYUN WORLD TOUR ‘Reverie’ in U.S. Setlist

1. -Video Content Reel (VCR) Intro-
2. YOUNG
3. Ghost
4. Pineapple Slice

   –Talk With Audience–

5. Woo
6. Underwater
7. Bambi

   –VCR Video Interlude–

8. Chocolate
9. Rendez-Vous
10. Good Morning

    –Talk With Audience–

11. Love Comes Back
12. Lemonade
13. UN Village

    –Talk With Audience–

14. Truth Be Told
15. Cold Heart
16. Psycho (Band Version)

    –VCR Video Interlude–

17. Black Dreams
18. Betcha
19. Candy

    –Talk With Audience–

20. Elevator

    –Audience Singalong to “Amusement Park”–

    Encore:

21. No Problem
22. Garden in the Air (BoA Cover)
23. Late Night Calls (Acoustic Snippet)

    –Final Talk With Audience–

24. Amusement Park