K-pop kings Big Bang rocket into town [Review]
Big Bang brought their explosive live show to HK fansBig Bang’s Made World Tour may be Hong Kong’s most anticipated show of the year. All 36,000 tickets of the three concerts held last weekend were sold out within a day of public sales; a first for a foreign group. Even tickets with partially blocked views sold for a whopping HK$988.
Naturally, the atmosphere was electric in the AsiaWorld-Expo arena. Over ten thousand fans sang along to the music videos of Big Bang’s latest songs, with Bang Bang Bang receiving the loudest screams. Those who were lucky enough to get their hands on the official crown-shaped fan light, which sold out well before the concert began, waved it enthusiastically while gleefully enjoying jealous looks from others.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed, the screaming got louder, and a video clip of the boys in a car chase scene played on the screen. Jonathan Lea, who’s made videos for Beyonce and Madonna, and Fast & Furious cameraman, Nino Pansini, were behind the impressive film, which gave G-Dragon, Taeyang, T.O.P, Daesung and Seungri chance to show off their bad boy looks.
The opening riffs of Bang Bang Bang struck up, the screen parted, and there they were: Big Bang, in the flesh. All the fans rushed forward and, being on the short side, I couldn’t see a thing.
By the time I could glimpse the stage, they were into second song, Tonight. Their sleek costumes stood out against the blasting fireworks, and every dance move was slick as they delivered a string of hits, including Haru Haru, Loser, Blue and Bad Boy. Despite the careful choreography, they spontaneously chatted with the crowds and made fun of each other. Taeyang had the best English, and Daesung entertained the crowd by shouting “ging ho!” (“super good”). They mixed things up by singing a capella while T.O.P beatboxed.
Each member took his turn in the spotlight: Seungri upped the party atmosphere by DJing some of YG Entertainment’s biggest hits, such as 2NE1’s I Am the Best and Psy’s Gangnam Style, and they all delivered solo songs. Daesung’s vocals shone in Wings, Taeyang’s Eyes Nose Lips was especially popular, and GD joined him for Good Boy before ending the section with Crooked.
Of course, everyone was waiting to see what GD was wearing. His objective for the night was seemingly to wear whatever would make him sweat most: a huge fur coat with orange dishwashing gloves. In the end, he got so wet he just wrapped a white bath towel around his head - only GD could do that and still look cool.
Then it was time for the most popular songs: Fantastic Baby, Bae Bae and We Like 2 Party, before they introduced their band and dancers, and launched into all the new hits one more time. At least I could enjoy Bang Bang Bang with a clear view this time. Seungri didn’t seem to want the concert to end, but T.O.P and GD began looking tired.
With almost two and a half hours of good music, it’s hard not to be satisfied.