NCT DREAM performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Sept. 14, 2024. Aaron Lee/STAFF.

OAKLAND —K-pop fans can never have too much of a good thing. With its many members and lineup iterations, NCT remains an immensely popular draw. And NCT DREAM, its seven-member sub-group that brought its Dream Show 3 tour to Oakland Arena on Saturday, is no exception.

For the uninitiated, NCT DREAM is one of several sub-groups, or spin-offs, from now-25-member NCT. It got its start in 2016, when SM Entertainment first envisioned it as a teen showcase. Members were supposed to get promoted from it upon turning 19 or 20. SM changed course in 2020 and made the lineup permanent. Group leader Mark Lee, who’d aged out by that point, returned and resumed the leadership role.

Of its seven members, Canadian Mark and Haechan are also members of the second-largest sub-group, NCT 127. There’s also Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, Jisung and Renjun (though the latter is currently taking a break from the group).

NCT DREAM performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Sept. 14, 2024.

As its own group, NCT DREAM has released three LPs (most recently in 2023) and numerous EPs, the newest of which is last spring’s Dream()scape.

Make sense? Let’s get to the show.

The six active members made an impressive intro as a curtain dropped and revealed them on top of a riser at the back of the stage. Jets of flames and sparklers shot upward as the heavy-hitting bass (all the music at the show relied on backing tracks) introduced opening tune “BOX,” from Dream()scape. Right off the bat, the group showed off its biggest strength: multipart harmonies. The song, like much of the varied NCT discography, was influenced by ’90s hip-hop and that decade’s boy bands.

Although some of the arena’s upper sections were blocked off and others empty, the crowd let out vertigo-inducing screams. Most attendees remained on their feet for the entire show.

NCT DREAM performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Sept. 14, 2024

The pyrotechnics kept up for the next song, “SOS” (from 2023’s ISTJ), a rap song with an aggressive flow and hard-hitting bars that fell not just to rapper Mark, but to the other members as well. The bombastic triptych was concluded with “Go,” as NCT DREAM walked laps around a large square stage set up in the middle of the floor.

After Mark, who did most of the talking, introduced the group, the group changed up the pace with the soulful “Poison,” with sensual dance moves to match the singing. “Drippin'” followed with the same vibe, switching back and forth between R&B and rap.

In fact, much of the set included song pairs or trios with likeminded tempos or feels. These included “Arcade” (with more ’90s-inspired choreography and screensaver visuals from that decade) and danceable older hit “We Go Up.”

After Mark teased a forthcoming new album influenced by words like “future,” “sexy” and “cute,” the group moved into the ballad portion of its set. It started with “Walk With You,” a plenty fun song inexplicably paired with wintery visuals on the screens—weighed down fir trees, cozy homes, falling snow. It just felt off when it’s still north of 80 degrees outside. Then the group lined up on the B-stage to sing the sweet “Never Goodbye” and “Breathing.” It’s a testament to the group’s fans that even this section had most attendees on their feet.

NCT DREAM performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Sept. 14, 2024.

When it came time to raise the energy back up, NCT DREAM started slowly at first with “Yogurt Shake” and “Pretzel (♡),” with the six members prancing around the B-stage and pointing out fans who were working feverishly to get their attention with signs, outfits and glow sticks.

By by the time the group rolled around to its cover of K-pop progenitors H.O.T.’s 1996 song “Candy,” the sonic sugar rush was fully on. The energy wasn’t at all dampened when Jeno and company decided to change jackets after the song. They casually removed one layer and tossed it off-stage, getting new cream-colored replacements from a stagehand. The longer they took to pull them on, the louder the crowd got, whooping and hollering for bare shoulders.

They kept up the frenetic pace with “Dream Run” (another vocal highlight) and a sort-of medley of “Better Than Gold,” “Fireflies” (which upped the beats per minute even more), “Hello Future” and “Broken Melodies.” The last one was of the few rock songs in the set, driving, dramatic and guitar-heavy.

This freight-train-like momentum carried the group into the encore break, through boisterous pop banger “Skateboard” (on which the members took turns showing off their breakdancing moves, high-kicking and spinning on their backs), electro-pop tune with a hilarious doo-wop  break, “ISTJ” (which had some of the most energetic dancing of the night) and hit “Smoothie.”

The encore included hit “Rains in Heaven” and newer song “Like We Just Met.” The microphones were kept live between songs so everyone could hear the members’ heavy breathing. They were clearly working for the audience.

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter. Follow photographer Aaron Lee at Instagram.com/aaronxphotos.