By Shim Sun-ah
GOYANG, South Korea, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- K-pop veterans BIGBANG launched a world tour marking the group's 20th debut anniversary with a three-night, hit-packed concert in Goyang, its first standalone show under the group's name in nine years.
The trio -- G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung -- performed from Friday to Sunday at Goyang Stadium, northwest of Seoul, for the opening concerts of their "XX: Cosmos" world tour. The shows paired a career-spanning catalogue of hits with the live debut of the group's new digital single, "BiiiG."
Sunday's final concert opened with the 2012 hit "Fantastic Baby" with its familiar opening and chorus immediately prompting a stadium-wide singalong.
Fans who had followed BIGBANG through the group's commercial peak sang alongside a younger crowd of teenagers and twenty-somethings who had discovered the music more recently. Across the stadium, yellow "Bangbong" light sticks rose and swayed as thousands of concertgoers shouted the lyrics in unison, their voices reverberating around the venue.
The three members emerged in coordinated all-white outfits -- a long white jacket, a floor-length white coat and a white blazer, respectively -- and took control of the stage with high-energy choreography and forceful live performances.
There was little pause after the opening song. "Hands Up" and "Tonight" followed in rapid succession, keeping the crowd on its feet. During "Tonight," G-Dragon smashed a guitar in a burst of rock-star theatrics, after which flames shot high above the stage. The audience responded by chanting "GD" and screaming at near-deafening volume.
After the opening three-song run, G-Dragon addressed the crowd with a simple declaration: "Hello. BIGBANG is back."
Daesung introduced himself as "Daesung, who has been singing loudly for 20 years," while Taeyang urged fans to give everything they had for the final Goyang date.
The group then settled into a run of songs that reflected the range of its long-running catalogue, from the melancholy pop of "Blue," "Loser" and "If You" to the swaggering "Bad Boy," "Bae Bae," "Haru Haru" and "Lies."
The concert then shifted to individual stages, allowing each member to foreground his own musical identity. Daesung opened the solo segment with "Universe," "Wings," "Limit Exceeded" and "Look at Me, Gwisoon," steering the mood with his animated expressions, robust vocals and playful exchanges with the crowd.
Taeyang followed with "Bad," "Ringa Linga" and "Live Fast Die Slow," combining smooth, controlled singing with tightly synchronized choreography alongside his dancers. G-Dragon took the stage next, raising the energy again with "Power," "Crayon" and "Crooked," the latter prompting another venue-wide singalong.
When the three members regrouped, the show returned to BIGBANG's most explosive material. "Bang Bang Bang" transformed the stadium into a vast club, as fans jumped and shouted along to the song's familiar refrain. "Stupid Liar," "Sober" and "We Like 2 Party" followed, while the yellow Bangbongs rolled through the audience in waves.
Daesung later spoke about the group's recent return with "BiiiG," which was released on Wednesday to commemorate BIGBANG's 20th anniversary.
"We released a new song for our 20th anniversary and wrapped up promotions in a short but intense period -- in almost just one week," he said. "There was a feeling that perhaps it would be a bit of a shame to wrap up our 20th-anniversary activities with just this one song."
Taeyang echoed the sentiment, joking that one song was insufficient for an anniversary of such scale.
"To be honest, ending it with just one song called 'BiiiG' isn't really big," he said. "If we end it here, it's extra small."
"When we decide to do something, we get straight to it," G-Dragon replied.
The group then delivered the first live performance of "BiiiG," giving the new song a prominent place in a set otherwise built around its most enduring hits. The three also performed "Home Sweet Home (feat. Taeyang and Daesung)," a solo release by G-Dragon that became their first song together as BIGBANG following their return.
The concert closed with an encore, but the Goyang dates marked only the opening chapter of the anniversary campaign. BIGBANG is scheduled to play 33 shows in 19 cities across North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia, with additional stops expected to be announced later.
