REVIEW: An Explosive Reunion with BIGBANG at “XX: Cosmos” World Tour
WRITTEN BY GINGER
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Twenty years since their debut on August 19, 2006, K-pop legends BIGBANG came back with their new single last month titled “BiiiG” and kicked off their first world tour since 2015 titled XX: Cosmos - a nod to their twentieth year with the Roman numerals XX.
On September 11, the group brought their tour to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey and I was proud enough to say I was in attendance.
I’ve been a big fan of BIGBANG since I first came across their music in 8th grade with their hit single “Fantastic Baby”; their music video sparked a curiosity for middle-school Ginger. While I do not speak a single lick of Korean, their music and creativity sparked much interest within me. With that, I did what any other teenage girl who needed a new obsession did: I went down the rabbit hole.
The group has been through a lot in the past year alone, from performing at Coachella, which they originally were scheduled for in 2020 before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to performing a sold-out three-day run at Goyang Stadium in Seoul. The fans have all come together for the group’s only East Coast stop in this run (while previously completing two nights in Oakland, California).
This would mark the band’s first time performing a tour as a trio, with two other original members parting from the group; nevertheless, the nostalgia was all over MetLife Stadium that night.
The concert was divided into three acts and the group kicked off their concert with the 2012 hit song “Fantastic Baby.” Screams erupted in the stadium when leader G-Dragon sang the opening lines of the concert. This was then followed by multiple songs from all their discography and even brought back elements from their past tours; for instance, during the bridge of “Tonight,” G-Dragon smashed a guitar on stage, something he has done with every performance of the song since its release in 2011.
At the end of Act I, the band brought it back with a medley of songs “Haru Haru” and “Lies.” Hearing all 50,000+ voices sing along to the fully Korean lyrics in harmony was a nod to the fandom also known as VIPs.
Act II allowed each member to shine in their own possible way. While the group was on hiatus, each member still produced and made music, not shy of a variety of genres. Daesung came on stage with a set that included 2 trot songs that he performed at Coachella (a performance unlike any other), that shows the audience more Korean culture as opposed to just K-pop, while Taeyang brought along his solo songs “Live Fast Die Slow,” “Ringa Linga,” and “Bad.” Lastly, Chanel-ambassador G-Dragon came on stage adorned head to toe in their exclusive outerwear and bags to perform three of his iconic hits - “Power” from his most recent album Übermensch in 2024, “Crayon” and “Crooked.”
As we entered the final act of the show, they kicked it off with their ever-explosive song “Bang Bang Bang,” which now rings to this day as the most iconic K-pop song of all time. Bringing the stadium back to 2015 with the electronic synth intro claps.
The members all spoke in English throughout the concert breaks, with Daesung even making a joke as to how the fans are only singing along to the English parts of the songs and mumbling the rest (jokes on him, us non-Korean speaking fans had the Korean lyrics memorized years along and they were all unlocked that night).
Daesung would tease Taeyang as fans would tease him to take off his shirt - something he was well known to do in the past while performing. While jokes of the members' age would occasionally pop up as they now approach the latter half of their thirties, Taeyang did a back flip to show that they are nowhere near done.
And the show is just getting started.
“Finally, BIGBANG is back,” G-Dragon states during a personal speech. “It’s been 11 years; we’ve only got one single out so far, and the show has gotta keep going on and on, right?” hinting that the group is not just making an appearance to mark their 20th anniversary but that more will be coming in the future.
The group closed out the tour with their 2022 single “Still Life,” which consisted of the vocals of previous group member T.O.P, who left due to various reasons; fans cheered as his voice played in the speakers during the song - a nod to the past adventures the group had with him and acknowledging that there wouldn’t be BIGBANG today if it wasn’t for him.
To close off the show, the members brought along some fan gifts that were handed to them, with Taeyang wearing an inflatable Statue of Liberty crown with a torch and G-Dragon wearing a Chanel “I <3 NY” shirt, plus them briefly singing along to “Empire State of Mind” earlier in the night, showing the love they had for their East Coast crowd.
In Korean culture, the deeper a bow is, the deeper the gratefulness and gratitude it represents. As the members stood on the platform while the screens slowly closed, audience members saw Daesung bowing 90 degrees while Taeyang and G-Dragon got on their knees to bow down to the fans who came from all over to celebrate them on this Friday. It was their ode to thanking everyone who has been with them for 20 years.
Their resilience and power once again show the fans why they are the powerhouses of the K-pop industry, yes we are now introduced to groups such as BTS, Blackpink, Twice, and more, but BIGBANG walked first in the industry, paving the way for all future groups to strive forward.
This concert felt like a love letter to the fans who have been by their side throughout the last 20 years. And for me, hearing BIGBANG live again was both acknowledging the past and the present, as we grow the memories that tie us all together are still there.
