In a mere two hours, Taeyang manages to charm, tease, and find himself a girl, all while singing and dancing through his set list of hits.
Kicking off the concert with high-octane tunes Body, Superstar, and Move, the crowd instantly goes wild. The catchy songs are well served by Taeyang’s sparkly gold pants that emphasize his every movement as he grooves on the brightly lit stage.
A quick costume change later, the mood takes a turn for the emotional. Taking his place at the keyboard set up in the middle of the stage, Taeyang croons the sentimental You’re My, followed by the sleek R&B track I Need A Girl. The crowd sings along enthusiastically, and becomes visibly excited when Taeyang leads an audience member on stage (who was already waiting in the wings). Once he gets confirmation that the girl isn’t currently attached, Taeyang offers to be her boyfriend tonight, leaving every hopeful girl (and maybe some boys) in the stadium torn between melting from his smoothness and turning green with envy when he runs off the stage, arm in arm with the girl.
Then comes the crowd favourite, and Taeyang’s greatest hit to date, Eyes, Nose, Lips. This song is so popular that it not only reeled in awards and broke records, but was covered by world-famous crooner Michael Bublé . The only fault that can be found with his performance of this song was that unlike in the music video, Taeyang had on one shirt too many.
Following with Only Look At Me and Wedding Dress, Taeyang finally takes a quick break to chat with the crowd. With perfectly clear English, he greets his fans, thanking them for coming to the show. He shares the long four-year journey to putting out his second album, standing on this stage, and meeting his international fans, which he had apparently been thinking about in every moment possible–whether recording, eating, showering, even when “doing my business in the bathroom”. That last one is delivered with a cheeky grin, and lapped up by the crowd. In fact, whatever he does, the crowd loves it. He waves, blows kisses, and runs down the extended stage to deafening screams.
Taeyang’s vocals soar powerfully in the next track This Ain’t It. After a short band performance during which he ducks backstage for a change of clothes, he runs back out with energetic dance number Ringa Linga, Break Down, 1AM, and Stay With Me, featuring Big Bang bandmate and “my best friend” G-Dragon on the huge screen behind him. Of course, one G-Dragon collaboration is never enough, and Taeyang breaks out Good Boy, but only after regretfully telling the crowd that there will only be one good boy here tonight.
It’s this set of songs that truly showcases Taeyang’s talents. Thoroughly warmed up, Taeyang’s vocals glide effortlessly over the melodies as his body twists fluidly from one move to the next. But even as he dances in abandon, his movements are graceful and economical, a joy to watch.
He charms his way through the lucky draw segment of the show, teasing fans into arterial hypertension by lifting his shirt and allowing everyone a glimpse of skin as he wonders aloud what he should give away. In the end, his Air Force 1s go to a lucky girl, while his cap, with the words ‘RISE SUN’ written in Arabic, goes to an ecstatic guy. Everyone else who weren’t as lucky had to Let Go, and then be marginally consoled as Taeyang and his four-piece band rocks out to Love You To Death before he thanks the fans for a great night.
Of course, every concert needs at least one encore, and so Taeyang busts out Big Bang staples Bad Boy and Fantastic Baby, to the delight of the crowd. After introducing the band members and his dancers, we head into the final songs of the night. First was Body, followed by a lovely guitar-led version of Eyes, Nose, Lips, marking the end of the show.
Like Taeyang said, time flies, and fly it did through the two hours and change of the Malaysian leg of Taeyang’s first solo world tour. It was a truly spectacular show thanks to stellar performances by everyone, from headliner Taeyang to the dancers and the band, as well as the sound engineers and lighting technicians. If you missed Taeyang this time round, be sure to catch him in Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, or Taipei in the following weeks.
A big thank you to IME Productions for extending the media invite!
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