One of K-pop’s biggest boy bands, Big Bang, made its debut performance in California on Friday at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
About 12,000 fans shelled out anywhere from $40 to $300 to see G-Dragon and his posse of K-poppers at Big Bang’s Alive Galaxy Tour 2012.
Big Bang is part of the new wave of Korean pop music sweeping Asia. Despite never promoting in the U.S., Big Bang sold out the Honda Center, prompting the band to book an extra day, which also sold out.
On Saturday night, Big Bang played its second show. At around 7 p.m., a flurry of cars and trucks filled the area surrounding the Honda Center. Parking was $20 but nary a Big Bang fanatic hesitated to pay if cash was in hand.
“Cash only?” a Big Bang fan exclaimed from her truck as she pulled into one of the parking lots.
She wore a tiara which flashed yellow light, the official Big Bang crown thousands of people flaunted at the show. The parking attendants directed her to make a U-turn and pointed toward a gas station with an ATM.
“But I need my bang stick before they run out,” the fan girl yelled.
The parking attendees shrugged and motioned her out of the area as they waved the next car through.
“Bang sticks” are Big Bang light sticks resembling the Statue of Liberty’s torch, except they are battery powered and held by thousands at Big Bang concerts.
By about 7:20 p.m. the bang sticks were sold out (the fangirl never had a chance). Cheaper, blue light sticks were still available until about 7:40 p.m. but those were soon gone too.
Fans ranging from their tweens to their 50s posed for pictures in front of 8-foot posters of band adorning the arena. Some sported the outfits G-Dragon wore in his music videos. Others wore T- shirts that said “Alive,” featuring pictures of each of the member’s pouty faces. A few of the trendier fans sported stylish outfits and hairdos, as if they were extras in a K-pop music video.
Right before the concert began, the lights shut off. Thousands of girls let out deafening screams. It was dark, but the bang sticks glowed in brilliant blues and yellows. The fans waved them back and forth in unison, anticipating the band’s arrival. Suddenly, screens on both sides of the stadium played the introduction to the show.
The concept goes like this: Each of the five members is from a different time period, cryogenically frozen and floating around in space until the world needs saving in 2012. At once, five capsules shoot toward Earth, penetrating its atmosphere and arriving with a “bang.” Somehow, they all land within 100 yards of each other and exit the capsules “alive” and ready to save the world with their dance moves and catchy K-pop tunes.
Fireworks erupted onstage as the boys came out and showed Californians what real swagger looks like. For almost two hours, they danced, rapped and sang in unison. B-boys and backup dancers break-danced and gyrated. The live backup band stood on a platform overlooking the stage and busted out funky variations of Big Bang’s hit songs.
The band performed hits from the eponymously titled album “Alive” such as “Fantastic Baby,” an electro-hip-hop mesh of rhythmic beats and quick rap cadencies, and “Bad Boy,” which sounds like a ‘90s hip-hop soundtrack with a mid-tempo beat.
Most of Big Bang’s lyrics are in Korean; however, the fans at the show seemed to know all of the words as they chanted along to the most popular songs.
Between the many costume changes, a few of the members performed solo tracks. What sets a lot of K-pop boy bands apart from the popular U.S. boy bands such as N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys is each member has practically an equal time singing or rapping in most songs. Also, they’re all involved in solo projects with the exception of G-Dragon, the leader of the band (and yes, “leader” is his official title).
At the end of the concert, Big Bang performed about five or six encores, three of which were performed twice. The other songs were early hits many fans waited with bated breath to hear.
One of the singers, Taeyang, seemed to like California a little more than the other members, instigating the extra encores. After the second encore, G-Dragon thought the band was done. He took his earpiece off and wiped the sweat from his eye-lined face. The band members said goodbye to the California fans, waving as they walked off the stage. A minute later, Taeyang came running out, arms wide, shirt off.
“I love you, Ca-leee,” he said and ran through the crowd on the ground floor.
Taeyang started singing “Bad Boy” again. The rest of the band followed. The backup band jumped in and finished a sloppier version of the song already performed.
This went on for about three or four more songs. They kept saying goodbye and Taeyang continued to run out.
When it was finally done, the fans screamed “encore” again— hoping for the best—but the lights came on. Big Bang promised to do it bigger next time. We will see if they can deliver.
