BigBang: Best Enjoyed Live
M gives a preview of what Singapore fans can expect when K-pop superstars BigBang perform on next month as part of their MADE V.I.P Tour
No K-pop act has captivated the world over the past decade quite like BigBang, who are undeniably South Korea's hottest boy band of the moment.
The dynamic quintet - G-Dragon, T.O.P and Taeyang, who are all 28, Daesung, 27, and 25-year-old Seungri - are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year by giving fans huge doses of what they do best: electrifying live performances that showcase the group's magnetic charm.
Since March, they have taken their MADE V.I.P Tour, which is a fan meet format as opposed to the usual concert, to 20 cities in China including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
In mainland China alone, the tour reportedly attracted an astounding overall audience figure of 500,000.
Before these stars arrive in town for the highly anticipated Singapore leg of their MADE V.I.P tour on Oct 2 (unfortunately, T.O.P will not be joining his groupmates here due to scheduling difficulties), M gives you a preview of what you can expect based on the tour's most memorable moments so far...
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
At fan meets, nobody cares about vocal chops. It's all about seeing your favourite idols let their hair down.
And in BigBang's case, watch them turn back time to become goofy, silly kids.
For their MADE V.I.P Tour fan meets, BigBang devote a huge chunk of their time on stage playing wacky games.
In Shenzhen, they mucked around with ping pong balls and hilariously piled their bodies onto each other to form a "BigBang Burger".
In Nanchang, they played jumping rope and kicked jianzi (the Chinese equivalent of capteh, using a shuttlecock), did the limbo rock in Foshan, and gave Jenga a go in Hefei.
"Our style of music shows 'toughness', but we are actually playful, like students in an all-boys school," G-Dragon told Japan's An An magazine in a March interview.
"Taeyang's sense of humour is like that of a kid. Sometimes I don't understand why he thinks his jokes are funny, but when he gets addicted to a joke, he keeps saying it for at least a month."
HUGGING HEAVEN
Fortunate fans will not only get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see their idols up close, receive autographed gifts and have pictures taken together, they might even be hugged by the guys themselves.
At Kaohsiung, Taiwan, this month, the audience was sent into a screaming, shrieking frenzy when G-Dragon embraced a female fan tightly for 10 seconds.
Seungri and Taeyang also gave out warm hugs and Daesung spontaneously decided to hug his fan from behind.
In a March interview with ELLE magazine, Daesung credits BigBang's fans for constantly motivating him.
"Even if we are really busy, I think of our fans' faces and I feel okay," he said. "They are a huge source of energy to me."
ENTER THE G-DRAGON
In fashion photoshoots, leader-rapper G-Dragon effortlessly oozes suaveness, but at BigBang's fan meets, he transforms the stage into his personal cosplay playground.
At Chongqing, he dressed up as legendary Chinese martial artist Wong Fei Hung, and at Dalian, he portrayed playful Mario from Nintendo game Super Mario Bros.
In Harbin, he had the crowd cheering when he put on a Minions costume.
On CNN's Talk Asia television programme, G-Dragon said that BigBang's ability to switch between cool and fun was what made them different from other K-pop groups.
"For example, we wear fun costumes and show the cute side of us, or add many comical elements and produce diverse dance steps throughout our performances," he said.
"We think a lot about the flow of our performances and we want our audiences to feel it themselves."
FYI
WHAT
2016 BIGBANG MADE V.I.P TOUR IN SINGAPORE
WHEN
Oct 2, 5pm
WHERE
Singapore Indoor Stadium
TICKETS
$148 to $288 from Sports Hub Tix (www.sportshub.com.sg/sportshubtix)
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
