It's Sun-day!
Would have been a pretty cool arrangement if the concert I attended last night was held today, because it was none other than Taeyang!
Note: Taeyang means 'sun' in Korean. So, yeah.
Just a heads up, all my images were taken using my iPhone as the Korean management did not allow cameras to be brought in.
I was personally bummed because I would have loved to shoot Taeyang with all the grand lighting and stage antics.
However, it did give me the opportunity to concentrate more on enjoying the show, which I totally did.
The show started at 6.45PM and as Taeyang appeared on stage, the whole stadium erupted.
The very sight of the hottest BIGBANG member threw the audience into a frenzy and thus began a night of full-on awesomeness.
Even in the first song, Taeyang shone with his showmanship; immediately getting the crowd immersed in his song and sharp dance moves.
The energy in the venue that night would have been enough to power a whole city!
Taeyang continued to display his talent with the second song, Super Star.
This dance machine hit every move so perfectly, it was just incredible.
During the song, he also ran from edge to edge to greet his fans that came out to see him.
It wasn't only after the third song when Taeyang took a moment to formally greet everyone.
Note: I might have paraphrased a little.
Both sides won.
After a short intermission, Taeyang reappeared center stage with a single spotlight and performed You're My while playing the keyboard.
Then came one of my all-time favorite K-pop songs, I Need A Girl.
During the whole song, the crowd enthusiastically sang along, their voices resonating throughout the whole stadium.
I think I can still hear the chorus ringing in my head.
Suddenly, Taeyang paused from singing and told the crowd he wanted to invite one person on stage.
Mass hysteria ensued.
Everyone was screaming "ME! ME! ME!" but one lucky girl was already chosen beforehand and she was brought on stage, where she was serenaded by Taeyang, himself.
He also added in some extra fan service by asking some cheeky questions like "What are you doing tonight?" and "Do you have a boyfriend?" before exclaiming "I'll be your boyfriend tonight.".
The second round of hysteria began.
Taeyang continued to sing and invited the girl to dance along with him.
The song ended with Taeyang and the girl running backstage.
It was truly a moment of sheer envy.
The next song was another serenade, but this time for the crowd.
One of Taeyang's latest singles Eyes, Nose, Lips got everyone singing along.
There were many instances where Taeyang would just stop singing just to listen to the crowd's voice.
It was a beautiful moment; just looking at his face being mesmerized by the fans' sincerity instead of it being the other way around.
In my opinion, the most touching moment last night was during Wedding Dress.
Not only did Taeyang put on one of the best live performances I've witnessed, the addition of the crowd's singing elevated the song to a sense of utmost melancholy.
The song itself bears a message of sadness and regret but coupled with a choir-like crowd, it was simply epic.
It was also during this song where the live band also played a part in taking the song to another level.
One of the reasons Taeyang's whole show was a cut above the rest was because he deployed a live band instead of back tracks, which provided more emphasis on the term "live".
Fans also experienced the closest encounter with Taeyang as he danced and sang at the front-most part of the runway.
There was an intermission after that and when he returned to the stage, he had a change of clothes.
Now, before the show started, I had seen some Arabic wordings on T-shirts and merchandise outside the stadium but I couldn't really make out what the words were.
It wasn't until I saw Taeyang himself wear these clothes when I realized what they were.
I don't know the inspiration behind the usage of the Arabic translation but as a person who can read Arabic, it was quite a surprise.
Anyway, before Taeyang continued with his performances, he gave a heartfelt speech, basically conveying his love and appreciation to the fans.
Note: I might have paraphrased a little.
He had also asked the crowd if they liked his new album and the crowd responded with a resounding cheer.
He said that he would perform all the songs from the album that night, which he did!
At the end of his performance of This Ain't It, his band rocked out the stage with adrenaline-inducing rock music, complete with solos from each member of the band.
The light show during their solos were incredible, especially during the drummer's.
Suddenly, I felt as if I was transported to a rock concert and I truly appreciated the genuine sound of live instruments.
The solos cleverly segued into Ringa Linga and the crowd returned to the state of uncontrollable euphoria.
I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I say this, but I was impatiently waiting for a special guest to grace the stage.
It wasn't until Stay With Me when Taeyang announced that his special guest was non-other than G-DRAGON!
Sadly, GD only attended as a screen projection with recorded vocals.
I was flipping out when Taeyang said GD would be the special guest (which I had guessed it would be before the show) but I was quickly met with dismay when GD wasn't there in the flesh.
No worries, though, because Taeyang alone was enough to perform their collabs like Stay With Me and Good Boy.
Towards the end of Stay With Me, Taeyang only provided supporting vocals while the crowd sang the chorus.
He also did a freestyle dance after Good Boy when the crowd chanted his name non-stop.
It was apparent that Taeyang felt a deep connection with the fans throughout his performances and he acknowledged that with another heartfelt speech.
Note: I might have paraphrased a little.
In his iconic high pitch voice, he sang phrases such as "Apa khabar?", "Saya cinta kamu", "Terima kasih", "Saya rindu kamu", and "Jumpa lagi".
Taeyang sang two more songs before he presented a lucky draw.
Yes, he was hosting his concert, and he did it flawlessly.
At first, he only had one gift to give away: the Nike Air Force 1 sneakers that he was wearing.
He would sign the sneakers before giving it away to one lucky fan from a draw he made.
A girl in the Rock Zone won them.
However, Taeyang then said that he would give away another prize: the cap that he was wearing.
A very enthusiastic and thankful dude won it.
After a few last words, Taeyang left the stage and left everyone in awe and in a state of daze.
For about 5-7 minutes, the audience chanted "DONG YOUNG BAE!" non-stop, urging Taeyang to come back and sing more songs.
Nobody left the stadium and their crown light sticks remained glowing beautifully and bright.
After some time, Taeyang returned to the stage for what I figured was the encore performance.
The crowd was ready for the next song and BIGBANG's Bad Boy started to play.
The crowd's voice came into unison and it was as if I was attending a BIGBANG concert.
Taeyang had a lot of fun dancing, waving and thanking the fans who came out.
After that, Taeyang invited everyone to dance and Fantastic Baby blasted through the speakers.
The sound system was phenomenal.
At the end of Fantastic Baby, Taeyang introduced his band members: Delvyn Brumfield (keyboard), Maddie Rice (lead guitar), Joe Cleveland (bass) and Sean Wright (drums).
He also introduced his backup dancers: Hitec & Crazy.
Taeyang ran from one edge of the stage to the other, blew a few kisses, said his goodbyes and burrowed himself into the backdrop at the back of the stage.
But then he stuck his head out and asked if the fans wanted more.
Uh, OF COURSE WE WANTED MORE!
He wanted the fans to request a song and the fans bombarded him with mixtures of various song titles and love calls.
I guess one voice stood out and he responded, "Ringa Linga? You guys want to party?" and that's how the reprise of Ringa Linga began.
Just recalling the moment makes me jumpy.
Taeyang was an absolute boss at entertaining and his stage presence was truly felt.
I guess at that point even he didn't want to stop because he then immediately continued with Eyes, Nose, Lips, which then concluded his second encore of the night and finally ended the concert.
Taeyang's concert was two full hours of the highest level of entertainment.
From the connection with the fans to the amazing display of live singing and dancing skills (he also rapped in Ringa Linga!), Taeyang was an absolute superstar.
There were minimal hiccups during the concert (if there were any) and I believe that IME Productions have shown time and again their caliber in organizing such a huge event.
I am thankful for their invitation and I hope to attend more of their events in the future.
I dare say, those who did not attend should feel a little regretful because it was a hands down brilliant concert.
Hopefully Taeyang will come back with the rest of the crew for a full BIGBANG concert.
*fingers crossed*
The full song list is as follows:
2015 TAEYANG WORLD TOUR [RISE] IN MALAYSIA is proudly promoted by IME Productions and powered by Kaching.
For more information, do follow the links below:
IME Productions: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Would have been a pretty cool arrangement if the concert I attended last night was held today, because it was none other than Taeyang!
Note: Taeyang means 'sun' in Korean. So, yeah.
The most magnificent ray of sunshine I have ever seen, which burst through those windows just as Taeyang came on stage
I was personally bummed because I would have loved to shoot Taeyang with all the grand lighting and stage antics.
However, it did give me the opportunity to concentrate more on enjoying the show, which I totally did.
Taeyang begins the show with Body
Photo courtesy of IME Productions
The show started at 6.45PM and as Taeyang appeared on stage, the whole stadium erupted.
The very sight of the hottest BIGBANG member threw the audience into a frenzy and thus began a night of full-on awesomeness.
Even in the first song, Taeyang shone with his showmanship; immediately getting the crowd immersed in his song and sharp dance moves.
The energy in the venue that night would have been enough to power a whole city!
Taeyang continued to display his talent with the second song, Super Star.
This dance machine hit every move so perfectly, it was just incredible.
During the song, he also ran from edge to edge to greet his fans that came out to see him.
No, he did not take his shirt off *sad face*
Photo courtesy of IME Productions
It wasn't only after the third song when Taeyang took a moment to formally greet everyone.
Note: I might have paraphrased a little.
"Apa khabar, Malaysia? I was waiting for a long time to come here. Did you guys miss me?"After a short speech, Taeyang proceeded to do some crowd exercises, with simple 'yeah's and 'yeah yeah's and also compared the 'yeah's of the left side with the right side of the venue.
Both sides won.
After a short intermission, Taeyang reappeared center stage with a single spotlight and performed You're My while playing the keyboard.
What a sight
Then came one of my all-time favorite K-pop songs, I Need A Girl.
During the whole song, the crowd enthusiastically sang along, their voices resonating throughout the whole stadium.
I think I can still hear the chorus ringing in my head.
Suddenly, Taeyang paused from singing and told the crowd he wanted to invite one person on stage.
Mass hysteria ensued.
Everyone was screaming "ME! ME! ME!" but one lucky girl was already chosen beforehand and she was brought on stage, where she was serenaded by Taeyang, himself.
He also added in some extra fan service by asking some cheeky questions like "What are you doing tonight?" and "Do you have a boyfriend?" before exclaiming "I'll be your boyfriend tonight.".
The second round of hysteria began.
Oh. My. God.
Photo courtesy of IME Productions
Taeyang continued to sing and invited the girl to dance along with him.
The song ended with Taeyang and the girl running backstage.
It was truly a moment of sheer envy.
The next song was another serenade, but this time for the crowd.
One of Taeyang's latest singles Eyes, Nose, Lips got everyone singing along.
There were many instances where Taeyang would just stop singing just to listen to the crowd's voice.
It was a beautiful moment; just looking at his face being mesmerized by the fans' sincerity instead of it being the other way around.
In my opinion, the most touching moment last night was during Wedding Dress.
Not only did Taeyang put on one of the best live performances I've witnessed, the addition of the crowd's singing elevated the song to a sense of utmost melancholy.
The song itself bears a message of sadness and regret but coupled with a choir-like crowd, it was simply epic.
It was also during this song where the live band also played a part in taking the song to another level.
One of the reasons Taeyang's whole show was a cut above the rest was because he deployed a live band instead of back tracks, which provided more emphasis on the term "live".
Fans also experienced the closest encounter with Taeyang as he danced and sang at the front-most part of the runway.
Photo courtesy of IME Productions
There was an intermission after that and when he returned to the stage, he had a change of clothes.
Now, before the show started, I had seen some Arabic wordings on T-shirts and merchandise outside the stadium but I couldn't really make out what the words were.
It wasn't until I saw Taeyang himself wear these clothes when I realized what they were.
الشمس meaning 'sun' and شروق meaning 'rise'
Photo courtesy of IME Productions
I don't know the inspiration behind the usage of the Arabic translation but as a person who can read Arabic, it was quite a surprise.
Anyway, before Taeyang continued with his performances, he gave a heartfelt speech, basically conveying his love and appreciation to the fans.
Note: I might have paraphrased a little.
"I am so happy to be here. I waited so long for this tour. It took me four years, FOUR years to make my album RISE. I always thought about this moment, to be on this stage. I think about it when I'm recording, when I'm walking down the street, when I'm eating rice, when I'm taking my shower *fangirls shriek* and when I'm doing my "business". And when I'm sleeping, I dream about this moment."It was a defining moment, where I realized that it wasn't us who were blessed to be at his concert, it was actually Taeyang who felt blessed to have the support of his friends and fans that have brought him to that stage; to that exact moment.
He had also asked the crowd if they liked his new album and the crowd responded with a resounding cheer.
He said that he would perform all the songs from the album that night, which he did!
At the end of his performance of This Ain't It, his band rocked out the stage with adrenaline-inducing rock music, complete with solos from each member of the band.
The light show during their solos were incredible, especially during the drummer's.
Suddenly, I felt as if I was transported to a rock concert and I truly appreciated the genuine sound of live instruments.
The solos cleverly segued into Ringa Linga and the crowd returned to the state of uncontrollable euphoria.
Dong Young BAE
Photo courtesy of IME Productions
I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I say this, but I was impatiently waiting for a special guest to grace the stage.
It wasn't until Stay With Me when Taeyang announced that his special guest was non-other than G-DRAGON!
Troll-yang
Photo courtesy of IME Productions
Sadly, GD only attended as a screen projection with recorded vocals.
I was flipping out when Taeyang said GD would be the special guest (which I had guessed it would be before the show) but I was quickly met with dismay when GD wasn't there in the flesh.
No worries, though, because Taeyang alone was enough to perform their collabs like Stay With Me and Good Boy.
Towards the end of Stay With Me, Taeyang only provided supporting vocals while the crowd sang the chorus.
He also did a freestyle dance after Good Boy when the crowd chanted his name non-stop.
It was apparent that Taeyang felt a deep connection with the fans throughout his performances and he acknowledged that with another heartfelt speech.
Note: I might have paraphrased a little.
"I love you, Malaysia! I never felt this kind of amazing crowd. Malaysia, you're my No. 1 in my heart. From the bottom of my heart, I love you! I will never and can't forget about tonight."Proving how much he anticipated the Malaysia stop on his world tour, Taeyang had prepared some phrases in Malay that he learned.
In his iconic high pitch voice, he sang phrases such as "Apa khabar?", "Saya cinta kamu", "Terima kasih", "Saya rindu kamu", and "Jumpa lagi".
Taeyang sang two more songs before he presented a lucky draw.
Yes, he was hosting his concert, and he did it flawlessly.
At first, he only had one gift to give away: the Nike Air Force 1 sneakers that he was wearing.
He would sign the sneakers before giving it away to one lucky fan from a draw he made.
A girl in the Rock Zone won them.
However, Taeyang then said that he would give away another prize: the cap that he was wearing.
A very enthusiastic and thankful dude won it.
After a few last words, Taeyang left the stage and left everyone in awe and in a state of daze.
For about 5-7 minutes, the audience chanted "DONG YOUNG BAE!" non-stop, urging Taeyang to come back and sing more songs.
Nobody left the stadium and their crown light sticks remained glowing beautifully and bright.
After some time, Taeyang returned to the stage for what I figured was the encore performance.
Keep your friends close, and your fans closer
Photo courtesy of IME Productions
The crowd was ready for the next song and BIGBANG's Bad Boy started to play.
The crowd's voice came into unison and it was as if I was attending a BIGBANG concert.
Taeyang had a lot of fun dancing, waving and thanking the fans who came out.
After that, Taeyang invited everyone to dance and Fantastic Baby blasted through the speakers.
The sound system was phenomenal.
At the end of Fantastic Baby, Taeyang introduced his band members: Delvyn Brumfield (keyboard), Maddie Rice (lead guitar), Joe Cleveland (bass) and Sean Wright (drums).
He also introduced his backup dancers: Hitec & Crazy.
Taeyang ran from one edge of the stage to the other, blew a few kisses, said his goodbyes and burrowed himself into the backdrop at the back of the stage.
Take a bow
Photo courtesy of IME Productions
But then he stuck his head out and asked if the fans wanted more.
Uh, OF COURSE WE WANTED MORE!
He wanted the fans to request a song and the fans bombarded him with mixtures of various song titles and love calls.
I guess one voice stood out and he responded, "Ringa Linga? You guys want to party?" and that's how the reprise of Ringa Linga began.
Just recalling the moment makes me jumpy.
Taeyang was an absolute boss at entertaining and his stage presence was truly felt.
I guess at that point even he didn't want to stop because he then immediately continued with Eyes, Nose, Lips, which then concluded his second encore of the night and finally ended the concert.
Why did it have to end?
Taeyang's concert was two full hours of the highest level of entertainment.
From the connection with the fans to the amazing display of live singing and dancing skills (he also rapped in Ringa Linga!), Taeyang was an absolute superstar.
There were minimal hiccups during the concert (if there were any) and I believe that IME Productions have shown time and again their caliber in organizing such a huge event.
I am thankful for their invitation and I hope to attend more of their events in the future.
I dare say, those who did not attend should feel a little regretful because it was a hands down brilliant concert.
Hopefully Taeyang will come back with the rest of the crew for a full BIGBANG concert.
*fingers crossed*
The full song list is as follows:
- Body
- Super Star
- Move
- You're my
- I need a girl
- Eyes, Nose, Lips
- Just Look At Me
- Wedding Dress
- This Ain't It
- Ringa Linga
- Break Down
- 1AM
- Stay With Me
- Good Boy
- Let It Go
- Love You to Death
- Encore - Bad Boy
- Fantastic Baby
- Re-Encore - Ringa Linga
- Eyes, Nose, Lips
2015 TAEYANG WORLD TOUR [RISE] IN MALAYSIA is proudly promoted by IME Productions and powered by Kaching.
For more information, do follow the links below:
IME Productions: Facebook, Twitter, Website
Comments
i think he (always) attracted to Moslem culture.
I love him.
http://bigbangupdates.com/2013/11/yge-shop-official-taeyang-ringa-linga-goods-merch.html
And the first photo is gorgeous
Couldn't agree more with your write up. Absolutely spot on. If I had to pick 2 words to describe this concert - I'd say it was brimming with passion and sincerity