Big Bang’s annual concert “BIG SHOW,” held in the Olympic Stadium from March 2 to 4 was a place to officially kick off the promotion for their mini-album “ALIVE,” as well as their world tour concert “ALIVE TOUR” which is set to take place in 25 cities in 16 countries. Not just that, it was also a turning point for the group that has reached a certain level of achievement. Last year, Big Bang shot a parody video of SBS’ drama “Secret Garden.” In the video, G-Dragon and T.O.P even kissed each other to takeoff a famous scene from the popular drama. However, no such clips were found at their concert this year. They did not even have time to take breaks between performances; which they would have if there were videos to entertain their fans. A stage that was stretched out long enough for the group to make eye contact with the audiences on the second floor was gone too. For nearly two and a half hours on that small stage, Big Bang kept focused on their singing.
The number of special programs that goes in line with the concert can't be the standard to evaluate the concert’s perfection. As long as the musicians showed their best to the fans, that’s all it takes for the group to hear a genuine applause. However, Big Bang is currently headed towards a different direction from all the other Korean male idol groups, regardless of the guarantee of their success. Big Bang's solo activities have been heating up hotter than ever and their music style is also departing from the average idol groups'. One can see from Big Bang’s new tunes “BLUE” and “BAD BOY,” that it is hard to distinguish which part is sang by which member. There was no chorus as well, one that's so addictive that it keeps ringing in one’s head. From the beginning, there was no break dancing to show off the members’ moves. Instead of their fancy moves, the group represented themselves just through the tracks from their album. Big Bang focused on making the listeners to listen and truly enjoy their music rather than making them sing after the song. “TONIGHT, “one of their tunes released last year, still shared a common characteristic with average idol groups: clear division in parts and notes that ascend to the climax in the music composition. That was the maximum level that Big Bang can get to stay as an idol group while keeping their own style at the same time. There was no such thing in this year’s album.
Band, Screen and Lights: The Golden Ratio
Big Bang has the format of a male idol group, not to mention their fandom that proves it. Nonetheless, their music does not fit the standards for an idol group anymore. That is who Big Bang is today, and their “BIG SHOW” is its reflection. If last year’s parody video of drama “Secret Garden” was their limit, this year’s show, without such clips, was the evidence of the group's enhancement to the next level. Leaving the fan services behind, Big Bang hired the world-known concert staffs like Lady Gaga’s stage director and Madonna’s stage and lighting designer, and solely immersed in the basic elements of a concert: music and stage. They filled the main stage with a mega-size screen and played videos that played nonstop with the theme of each song. Carefully chosen color of lights illuminated the stadium with the group's videos.
Unlike last year’s concert, there were no direct messages about the songs or the group written on the screen. But the combination of the music, video and lights quickly overwhelmed the space. The majestic sound captivated the whole crowd and filled in the spaces that the videos and lights could not reach. All the songs were played in live by a band that was consisted of guitars, bases, drums and a piano. It was the most basic structure of a band but the powerful sound of the session swept the crowd away. What lacked was the vocal that got covered up by the session but the controlling sound of the live band was strong enough to ring in one’s heart.
Just by using lights and sounds, Big Bang’s different repertories balanced well on stage. The live band did a fantastic job making the audiences get into the groove to their songs "LOVE SONG” and “Where u at,” which were all better than the original recorded tracks. Especially the drumming that played flexible to the music and took the lead during the play will be a memorable one for the audiences. Also, even if two videos that features different moods appeared on the screen one after another, such as GD&TOP’s club-like tune “HIGH HIGH” and Seungri’s dance-focused “Strong Baby,” the group managed to pull out a natural transition between videos. With the live band, screen and lights, Big Bang’s different styles of music mixed well into one package, including their hit song “Lie” and the members’ new solo tracks “BLUE” and “BAD BOY.” The stage may have gotten smaller but the energy it gives out and the concert’s organization has got powerful than ever.
What left incomplete
Big Bang did not invest much on preparing this year’s stage with back dancers or equipments. They arranged more group dance moves to fill the empty spaces on stage. It is a prerequisite for an idol group to dance to the music in perfect order. It was also a method for Big Bang to draw the attention solely to themselves by dancing in a group with lights and sounds all focused on them on stage. Adding to the group dance, it would have been better if the boys got closer to the audiences and prompt people’s joyous action on the three stretched-out stages. However, “BLUE” was too calm to dance in a group, “BAD BOY” goes better with the natural bounce move of hip hop music and “LOVE SONG” is expressed better just by running around like rock band members and giving out vibrant energy.
Based on the tracks they played, the concert's program and arrangements changed but the group dance, which is a trade mark of all male idol groups, remained the same and that failed to maximize the potential that each song has. Performances like “How Gee" with b-boys, or “FANTASTIC BABY,” in which each member had individual parts with differently assigned moves, were impressive at the concert. Constantly changing the stage concept will lack consistency and a chance to show Big Bang’s power as a group. On the contrary, group dance moves will draw a limit to the boys’ potential in the future music styles. Big Bang is a good example of a group born into the history of male Korean idol groups, but they are trying to make a change and appeal to the wider audiences. As a result, they may have proven a new potential as an idol group. However, their task to transform into a new style is left incomplete. People may hold different opinions about Big Bang’s attempt to change but it is for sure that Big Bang is on the doorstep of a new start.
TAEYANG always VIP*.*
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