* This review includes the entire performance on the 29th and 30th.

ALL arrangement, a stage that incorporated AI-drone technology, and an unrivaled setlist.

Singer G-Dragon kicked off his world tour with an audience of 60,000 at Goyang Stadium on the 29th and 30th. This was his first performance in 8 years since ‘ACT III, MOTTE’ in 2017, which set a record for the largest tour ever by a solo artist.

In 2017, a reporter left the following impressions about ‘ACT III, MOTTE’: “It wasn‘t sweeping but it was sweeping, it was empty but not empty, and it was subdued but it was perfect.“ At the time, he ended the performance with ‘Untitled (2014)’, and it was impressive that the intense lighting was replaced with black-and-white images, emptying out the emotions that had filled the 150 minutes.
On the other hand, G-Dragon, who returned to the stage after 8 years, became very cheerful and playful. G-Dragon’s sense of knowing how to see the ‘whole thing’, such as his stage presence, arrangement that brings out the flavor of the performance, and composition that utilizes technology, was still there. The lively variations that are different from the original sound source were elements that could be enjoyed because it was a performance. Above all, the setlist showed consideration for the fans who had waited for a long time. They communicated with the audience with 25 songs for about 3 hours, and added to the joy by playing ‘Butterfly’ ‘1 Year Station’ (2009), which we thought we would never see again. It was a part that made us guess what this performance meant to G-Dragon and the fans who had waited for him for a long time.

There were also some regrettable points. The start of the performance was delayed by 40 minutes from the expected time due to safety issues and equipment maintenance caused by strong winds and extreme cold (as of the 29th), and the connection between the VCR and the stage was not smooth, which made the outdoor concert hall even colder. Above all, G-Dragon‘s vocalization seemed to be different from before and needed improvement. His rap was unique, but he could not sing high notes vocally. The special point of G-Dragon’s concert was the ad-libs and exclamations that made the sound source sound cheap. However, this part was greatly reduced, and it was regrettable that he was not able to permeate the right places at the right time. He himself confessed that it was awkward to perform for the first time in 8 years, saying, ”After going around once, I feel like I‘m flying,“ so we hope that he will find his feel through his future tour. In fact, he showed a more stable stage manner in just one day (30th) than in his first performance.
This concert consisted of a total of 3 acts and an encore. Appearing surrounded by daisy fields (fan cheering sticks), G-Dragon warmed up with ‘POWER’ arranged in an orchestral version and ‘HOME SWEET HOME’ (29th) featuring Taeyang and Daesung on screen, and said, “I told you so. I’m back. Hello! G-Dragon is back”” as his first greeting with a part of the lyrics of ‘Home Sweet Home’.

After ‘INTRO. Kwon Ji Yong’ ‘ONE OF A KIND’, which were arranged to have a completely different vibe from the original, first guest CL appeared in ‘The Leaders’ and created synergy. After saying, “I made a comeback because I wanted to and missed you”, and sharing her thoughts on performing for the first time in 8 years, she led the crowd in a sing-along with ‘Crayon’.
The second act started calmly with ‘Bonamana’, stimulated nostalgia with ‘Butterfly’, and added variety with the racy ‘I Like It So Much’ and the cheerful ‘Who Are You’. For the exciting ‘Today’ ‘Crooked’, they headed straight to the audience and filled the venue with applause and cheers.

The third act started powerfully like a VCR with a strong wildness. They collaborated on the ‘Heartbreaker’ stage with world-renowned beatboxer Wing. The chemistry between the two artists and the drone show in the sky brought out the advantages of an outdoor performance. I could see the spectacular sight of G-Dragon‘s face from the [Heartbreaker] album and G-Dragon’s face from [Übermancy] unfolding through a drone. Kendrick Lamar‘s ‘Not Like Us’ and the remixed ‘Bullshit’ made me forget the original song, and the easy-going rap flow reminded me of gangsters. The ‘dog robot’ that walked around the stage was cool, but it was a laughing point. The title song of the recent album, ‘TOO BAD’, was a remix of Daft Punk’s ‘get lucky’, which included a dance break section, and ‘DRAMA’ added a fast tempo in the latter half, which was refreshing.
The first song for the encore was ‘Boy’, the beginning of G-Dragon as a solo singer. (29th) He caught people‘s attention by creating an AI version of his appearance as a little Rula, and after ‘1 Year Station’, he even hummed unaccompanied after the complete version of ‘IBELONGIIU’.

At the concert on the 30th, Taeyang and Daesung came up on stage and sang ‘Home Sweet Home’, and G-Dragon performed BIGBANG’s ‘Last Dance’ with them instead of ‘Boy’, raising expectations for BIGBANG‘s 20th anniversary next year.

Lastly, he mentioned that he becomes a ‘Superman’ (Übermance) who constantly challenges himself when he is with his fans, and said “When are you not busy? See you again soon”, foreshadowing an encore concert within the year, and ending the concert with ‘Untitled’, just like 8 years ago.

G-Dragon’s 2025 world tour, which began in Seoul, will visit eight cities in seven Asian countries, starting with Tokyo, Japan on May 10th and 11th, then Bulacan, Philippines, Osaka, Japan, Macau, China, Taiwan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. Additional tour dates and locations will be announced later.
[The following is the setlist for the G-Dragon 2025 World Tour ‘Übermancy’ concert on the 29th]

Act 1

1.POWER
2.HOME SWEET HOME(ft.Taeyang,Daesung)
3.SUPER STAR
4.INTRO.Kwon Ji Yong (Middle Fingers-UP)
5.ONE OF A KIND
6.ROD (Feat. Lydia Paek)
7.The Leaders (Feat. Teddy, CL)
8.Crayon

Act 2

9. BONAMANA
10.그XX
11.Butterfly (Feat. Jin Jung)
12.I Love It (Feat. Zion.T & Boys Noize)
13.Who You?
14.Today (Feat. 김종완 Of Nell)
15.Crooked

Act 3

16.Heartbreaker
17.BULLSHIT
18.TAKE ME
19.TOO BAD (feat. Anderson .Paak)
20.DRAMA

Encore

21.소년여
22.THIS LOVE
23.1년 Station
24.IBELONGIIU
25.Untitled (2014)
Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com Reporter jhj@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.