K-pop A-listers hit the stage at Indoor Stadium
It's not every day that you see K-pop's biggest acts on stage in Singapore.
Fans here were treated to performances by several K-pop A-listers from top talent agency YG Entertainment at the YG Family 2014 Galaxy Tour over the weekend .
Superstars such as Psy, Big Bang, 2NE1, Epik High and rookie boy band Winner sang and danced their hearts out for more than three hours to the full-house crowd of 8,000 screaming fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Besides their solo performances, the artists surprised the audience with many special crossover collaborations, something not seen before in their own concerts here in the past.
2NE1's Dara and Song Minho from Winner performed T.O.P's rap track Doom Dada with him, while boy band Big Bang put up a hilarious effeminate version of 2NE1's I Love You.
In the same vein, Epik High's Tablo sang a touching rendition of Taeyang's (Big Bang) new song Eyes Nose Lips with him. The leaders of 2NE1 and Big Bang, CL and G-Dragon respectively, also did a rap together.
Big Bang fan Veronica Tan, 28, said: "The collaborations were a visual feast for the eyes as we'll never get to see these anywhere else. You can tell that the idols put in so much effort into their performances.
"This is hands-down the best concert I've ever watched in my life!"
IMPRESSED
K-pop fan Grace Chan, 24, who works in events management, said: "The whole concert's simply mind-blowing. I really like the special stages. It's great that all of them came down here for the concert, as it is so rare to see everyone on stage together."
Another fan Joanna Soh, a revenue executive, said: "This is my first time going to a concert with any of the YG Family artists. I'm very impressed by them, as they can all sing and dance so well."
Here are some highlights from the concert:
1 MONSTER ROOKIE
Having earned the nickname Monster Rookie after only debuting for a month, boy band Winner impressed the crowd here with his stage presence, powerful vocals and well-rehearsed dance moves.
They may be new to the scene, but the five-member group has won five coveted titles on prestigious music countdown shows such as Inkigayo, Music Bank and M! Countdown with their new song Empty in the past few weeks, a feat not achieved by any newcomer so far.
The boy band members blazed through a few catchy tracks during the gig, including Empty and Smile Again. They drewscreams from the fans, who sang along to each word.
Student Low Huishan, 19, said: "My favourite performance for the concert is Winner's part, as I've not seen them perform live before. They're so confident on stage and do not look like newcomers at all. I'm so glad they came despite being rookies!"
2 POWER OF PSY
Psy showed how a superstar works the crowd as he kicked off his segment by interacting with fans in English.
The 37-year-old performer took time to joke with and talk to the fans, saying things like: "I have been a singer in Korea for many years, but in Singapore, you guys know me as a two-year singer with only two famous songs. It's okay, it's fine."
His words evoked laughter from members of the audience, who stood up and cheered. Psy brought the house down when he finally dished out his hits Gangnam Style and Gentleman.
Student Jonathan Li, 18, said: "Psy really knows how to hype up the crowd and create a very lively and wild atmosphere. The other performances were excellent, but I enjoyed Psy's portion the best."
3 FANTASTIC FOUR
Top boy band Big Bang were struck with the last-minute news that one of their members Seungri would not be attending the concert as he was involved in a car accident on Friday.
But that did not deter the members from putting up their best performances for their diehard fans during the gig.
Member Taeyang addressed the issue, saying in English: "We're supposed to be five members, but there are only four of us today. Seungri is doing okay now, but let's continue to pray for him.
"Next time, we'll be back as five and we'll do even better!"
It was clear most fans came for Big Bang as they carried their signature yellow crown lightstick and chanted along to the boy band's award-winning hit Fantastic Baby.
"This is hands-down the best concert I've ever watched in my life."
- Big Bang fan Veronica Tan
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now