Gowri Kanagarajah
Based on the theme ‘Earth Needs You’, the hip-hop South Korean group B.A.P was in Singapore for a one-night only concert with a grand mission – to make Earth a better place for mankind.
The concert was presented in 6 segments, each associated with a member of the band namely, Bang Yongguk (Justice), Kim Himchan (Emotion), Moon Jongup (Passion), Jung Daehyun (Love), Choi Junhong [Zelo] (Happiness) and Yoo Youngjae (You).
Non-Stop Energy
The show began with the heart-thumping anthem “One Shot”. Dressed in black pleather and embroidered jackets, the boys revved up the fans in the house, belting out their lines perfectly despite their challenging choreography.
For “Punch”, they returned outfitted in leather jackets, skinnies, graphic tees and high-tops. The youngest member, Zelo, showcased his famous ‘LTE’ rap, oozing charisma and confidence.
Main dancer Jongup wowed the audience with his impressive tumbling and smooth footwork during his dance solo. Towards the end, he stripped his shirt off, to the delight of more than 3,000 screaming BABYz [the nickname of their fan base].
“Rain Sound”, a ballad about the memories of a broken relationship, was backed by Youngjae’sand Daehyun’s mellifluous vocals. The pair hit every note flawlessly and delivered effortless ad-libs.
Himchan kept the song “Bang X2”, a high-octane rock song from their latest album First Sensibility, from getting too raucous with his deep, controlled voice while leader and main rapper Yongguk showed off his drawling baritone to great effect.
Coffee Banter
The talk segments provided B.A.P with an opportunity to interact with fans.
Before “Coffee Shop” came on, the stage was transformed into a StarBABYz store (a spoof of Starbucks) where 18-year-old Zelo offered drinks he mixed himself to the mostly-female audience. Although he won while playing scissors-paper-stone with a fan, he still gave her the drink, clearly a smooth move by the gentleman.
B.A.P also got fans on their feet to dance their hearts out to “Hurricane”, a single off their 3rd album Badman. Meanwhile, 2 B.A.P members wearing horse masks appeared on stage to teach fans the quirky dance moves to “Check On”.
Another single from their latest studio album, “Body & Soul”, left fans quite breathless when the scintillating and sensual performance ended.
Love for Singapore BABYz
Keeping their promise to perform something special for Singapore BABYz, Daehyun premiered a few lines off their then-unreleased song, before the rest had to step in to prevent the mischievous vocalist from revealing too much.
Daehyun said Singapore felt like “home sweet home”, while the hyperactive Youngjae was quick to add, “You guys are so nice and friendly”. Jongup could not resist proclaiming his love for chilli crab, going as far to hashtag it in his tweets.
It was heart-warming to know the band made the efforts to speak English to fans instead of relying on a translator.
A night to remember
B.A.P rounded off the 2-hour set with “1004” from First Sensibility, the song that got them their first win on Korean music show, Music Bank, and the powerful “Warrior”, their debut song back in 2012
A shower of confetti on the sea of green light sticks was a sight to behold, as everyone sang along with the boisterous group.
B.A.P impressed fans with their energetic 21-song concert and justified the reason for their superlative moniker – ‘Best. Absolute. Perfect’. It was one of their best shows in recent times, and a perfect one at that.
Setlist for B.A.P Live On Earth 2014: Singapore Attack!
Opening VCR
[JUSTICE]
One Shot
Badman
Power
[LOVE]
VCR – What Is Love? (Youngjae & Zelo)
Lovesick
Talk – StarBABYz Coffee Shop
Coffee Shop
Body & Soul
[PASSION]
VCR – Earth Needs Passion
Punch
No Mercy
Bang x2
[EMOTION]
VCR – Earth Needs Emotion
Jongup’s Solo Dance
Save Me
[HAPPINESS]
VCR – Check On Choreography
Check On
Excuse Me
SPY
Talk
Hurricane
Dancing in the Rain
Stop It
Talk
Crash
[YOU]
VCR – Earth Needs You
1004
Talk
Warrior
Photos courtesy of Fast Track Events