Denise KangWhat does a girl-next-door decked in hip-hop gear, a fashionista who resembles a Gryffindor student and Dementor with a lollipop, and a tutu-donning, whip-wielding cat woman have in common?
All 3 girls, or rather fans (collectively known as “V.I.P”) of the South Korean pop group BIGBANG, had the opportunity of a lifetime to be dressed by their favourite idols on Mar 15 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium – never mind that 2 of their members, T.O.P (Choi Seung-hyun) and Kang Dae-sung were unable to join due to other commitments.
Taeyang (Dong Young-bae) was tasked to dress his fan girl “hip-hop style”, while G-Dragon (Kwon Ji-yong) had to deal with “cute” (much to his chagrin) and Seungri with every hormonal man’s favorite, “sexy”.
Of course, getting the chance to see BIGBANG perform as a group is pretty common these days, but it’s not every day that one gets to witness a live performance of hits from a member’s solo music venture.
Taeyang, known for his smooth vocals and dance moves, hit the stage first with “Superstar”, a number off his debut full-length Solar, an album also responsible for the cult heartbreaker hit, “Wedding Dress”, a song so catchy it’s probably stuck in your head right now.
However, those anticipating an aural treat from Taeyang were definitely let down by his average vocal performance and extremely pitchy notes in the higher registers.
In his defense, the singer-dancer stepped right back into his game right after the shoddy first performance with “I Need A Girl”, while the latest hit “Ringa Linga” showed off his complicated choreography.
The group’s extroverted maknae [Korean term for the youngest in a family/group] – Seungri – was definitely the life of the concert, performing hits released just last year like “Let’s Talk About Love” and “Gotta Talk About You”, as well as older numbers like “Strong Baby”.
Like a rite of passage all idols went through in Singapore, Seungri professed his love for a certain local spicy crustacean dish (read: chilli and black pepper crabs).
After the gastronomic adulation, the 24-year-old shared an anecdote about his grasp of the English language that had the audience in stitches.
“When I first came to Singapore (in 2012) my English was so horrible you know… but now I can speak English!” he proclaimed proudly before confessing, “I don’t understand (English) very well, you know… but I am very good at reactions.”
If that didn’t endear him to the crowd (the majority of which seemed to lean more in favor of G-Dragon), his self-deprecating humor and jibes at the leader of the group definitely did it.
“Actually he (GD) doesn’t like me talking too much, I don’t know why, but you guys paid to see me, so I have to talk a lot,” Seungri confessed before exclaiming albeit jokingly, “…so GD, I don’t care (about) you!”
While Seungri was the life of the party, the star of that night was definitely the singer, songwriter, producer and leader of BIGBANG.
Effortlessly slaying his own hits from both One Of A Kind and Coup d’Etat in his signature cavalier style, the fashion icon elicited the most screams and cheers from the crowd, particularly in the 2013 hit, “Crooked” off his latest solo effort, and “One Of A Kind” off his EP that featured his seamless rapping, something that was sorely missing earlier due to the group’s key rapper, T.O.P’s absence.
The trio ended the set with their cult classic, “Fantastic Baby”, proving that while they were 2 men short, they were 3 fantastic babies (pun intended) that left V.I.Ps yearning for more although they were here just 6 months ago.
With a new album in the works, we’d be expecting them to turn up here pretty soon, hopefully with full strength.
Set List:
Taeyang
Superstar
I Need A Girl
Ringa Linga
Seungri
Let’s Talk About Love
Gotta Talk About You
Strong Baby
GG Be
What Can I Do
G-Dragon
One Of A Kind
Michigo
Crayon
Crooked
Encore:
Let’s Talk About Love Mash-up
Bad Boy
Fantastic Baby
Photos Courtesy Of Launch Entertainment