BIGBANG brings songs to Coachella in their long-awaited festival appearance
MANILA (UPDATE) — K-pop superstars BIGBANG unleashed a succession of hit songs as they took the Coachella stage on Monday, completing a long-awaited appearance that coincided with the group’s 20th anniversary celebration.
The group had been scheduled to perform at the popular US event in 2020; however, the show was canceled because of the COVID-19 epidemic.
G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Daesung took the stage at the festival’s Outdoor Theatre on Monday for their much-anticipated performance.
Their performance lasted slightly over an hour and included a combination of music that drove them to South Korean chart success as well as international attention.
“It is very lovely to finally meet you in person.” “This is a moment I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time,” Daesung shared at the beginning of the performance.
With flames exploding from the stage’s perimeter, the group began their performance with the high-energy “BANG BANG BANG” before transitioning to their other iconic singles “Fantastic Baby” and “Sober.”
The atmosphere became more casual when they performed “A Fool of Tears” from their debut full-length album in 2006, followed by “Loser,” “Haru Haru,” and “Lies.”
Taeyang and G-Dragon each took the spotlight with their own stages, performing Ringa Linga and Power, before coming back together to deliver Good Boy as a duo.
Daesung, meanwhile, introduced trot, a prominent South Korean genre, to the Coachella stage with performances of “HANDO-CHOGUA” and “Look at Me, Gwisun.”
The trio’s 16-track compilation culminated in the song “Still Life,” which featured the vocals of former member T.O.P., who announced his “withdrawal” from the group in 2023.
BIG THINGS TO COME!
Before closing up, Taeyang stated that their Coachella performance “means a lot to us.”
“I’m so grateful to share our music and our passion with all of you,” he told the audience, which included several BIGBANG fans waving light sticks.
G-Dragon, the group’s leader, teased: “This year marks BIGBANG’s 20th anniversary, and it has only just begun.” “We’ve got some big things coming up.”
Yang Hyun-suk, executive producer of BIGBANG’s company, YG Entertainment, had announced that the group would go on a global tour this year to commemorate their 20th anniversary.
BIGBANG wasn’t the sole K-pop group to take the stage at Coachella. Taemin of SHINee performed on stage at the Mojave Tent the day before.
Meanwhile, KATSEYE, a transnational female group affiliated with K-pop due to their co-management with HYBE, played on the Sahara Stage.
BIGBANG will perform at Coachella again during the festival’s second weekend.
BIGBANG, one of South Korea’s most famous boy bands, debuted in 2006 and has sold at least 140 million records worldwide.
BIGBANG, which was originally a five-member group, lost Seungri in 2019 when he departed from show business owing to several issues, including prostitution mediation and embezzlement.