The Epik High is Here Asia Pacific Tour kicked off last Saturday in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands’ Sands Grand Ballroom. And in typical Epik High fashion, it was truly unlike anything we’ve experienced before – there was no fuss, no frills, and no nonsense. Instead, what we got was 90-minutes of straight-up solid performances, where we were treated to banger after banger.
When we first saw the seating plan for the concert, we were perplexed on so many levels. What’s an Epik High concert if we were to sit throughout the show?! And true enough, when the trio made their entrance to an overly excited audience with their opening track ‘Here’ and a simple “Everybody stand up!”, the crowd instantly went wild and stood up on cue, seats long forgotten. We loved how the intro track seamlessly drifted into ‘Prequel’, before continuing with crowd favourite ‘Fly’.
After a simple yet hilarious self-introduction of the three main leads of the night, Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz, fans were treated to an adrenaline-pumping set with ‘Face ID’, ‘Rosario’, ‘In Self-Defense’, and ‘Burj Khalifa’.
“For everyone who had to suffer the last couple of years, an applause for yourselves.”
What moved us the most was just being in that concert venue because it was so surreal. It was almost hard to believe that live performances are really coming back to Singapore, after the past two years of online concerts and fanmeets. So the speech by Tablo no doubt tugged at our heartstrings. As he mentioned, “Hoping the next time we meet, none of us have to wear masks, because what happened last two years will be nothing but a memory. Every single one of you here has been through a lot and you are still smiling, still loving your life, still dreaming, and that makes you Super Rare.” The trio then effortlessly continued with ‘Eternal Sunshine’, ‘Bleed’, and hit track ‘Love Love Love’.
Their talents aside (and performing like the true professionals they are, despite an in-ear malfunction), Epik High’s down-to-earth and humble personality made them stand out even more. Though they have long established themselves as acclaimed musicians in the hip-hop scene, behind all the glitz and glamour, it is evident that they are three best friends who simply love to make good music and perform for their fans. The synergy between Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz is so natural and wholesome, and we love their constant teasing of one another. Including when Tablo deliberately mistranslated Mithra Jin’s love for Singapore food, turning his words into cheesy pick-up lines.
Tablo promised that everyone would walk out from the concert being paid with DJ Tukutz’s dance and true enough, he showed off his moves during ‘One’, and the other two later joined him in ‘Fan’, where they pulled off a fun group choreography, which Tablo dubbed ‘the greatest dance ever created’.
It was indeed so hard to say goodbye to Epik High as they approached their last set of songs on their setlist with ‘High Technology’, ‘New Beautiful’, and fan favourite ‘Don’t Hate Me’.
Cheers for an encore stage filled the air and it didn’t take long for Epik High to reemerge on stage for one last round of fun with ‘No Thanxxx’ and ‘Born Hater’. A family photo was also taken to commemorate this special day.
“We need you to be in this picture because we are family now.
If this is your first time seeing Epik High, we will do everything in our power to make sure it’s not your last. It is not your responsibility, it is our responsibility.
We will spend the next days, months, years working hard to give you good music.
To make you smile, to make you laugh, to make you happy cause that’s what family does.
Thank you for being our family tonight.”
While the recordings of their songs are amazing in their own right, hearing them live just hits different as the members deliver their lines with such vigour, passion, and enthusiasm. We’re sure that each and every one in the room felt the instant emptiness after the members exited the stage, wanting the show to last just a little longer.
This concert experience was truly like no other and one thing is for sure, Our High is Epik!
A big thank you to CK Star Entertainment for the invite.
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