Following G-Dragon’s ‘MOTTE’ Tour earlier this year, Taeyang was the next BIGBANG member to meet his North American fans through his own solo tour. Taeyang 2017 ‘WHITE NIGHT’ US/CANADA Tour took the singer to eight cities across North America. After a phenomenal show in San Jose, Taeyang made his way down to Los Angeles on September 12th for his sold out show at The Wiltern. As the lights dimmed and the live band took their place onstage, fans raised their crown-shaped light sticks high in the air and turned on their crown-shaped headbands to welcome the long awaited artist.
Being BIGBANG’s lead dancer, Taeyang made sure to show off his swag with his grand opening number, “Ringa Linga,” a hip-hop track complemented by a sick choreography concocted by choreographer, Parris Goebel. Taeyang jumped right into his next song, “Body,” and gave a playful performance with hints of teasing accompanied by his female backup dancers. Taeyang then wrapped up his opening set with “Superstar,” a throwback track from his first full-length album, Solar.
After a brief break, a spotlight suddenly lit up the dark venue and shined down on Taeyang laying onstage as he gave a heartfelt performance of “Wake Me Up.” Then, he took us back to 2008 with “Only Look At Me” from his first EP, Hot. He quickly followed with “Wedding Dress.” An iconic track from his Solar album, the song is credited for making Taeyang the first Asian artist to reach the Top 3 in the U.S. iTunes R&B/Soul album chart as well as #3 on Billboard World Digital Songs in 2010.
Taeyang finally took a breather from singing and dancing all over the stage to welcome the crowd to his show. He mentioned that it had been over ten years since his first performance in LA at the YG Family concert in 2006 and was happy to see his fans again for his very own solo tour. He then briefly talked about his new album. “There’s no one here who doesn’t know about my new album right?” After hearing the crowd giggle at the thought of it he inquired, “Why [are] you guys laughing? I hope not!” He then shared how, among all of his albums, White Night was the one he had the most fun with. “I am very satisfied and happy with the way it turned out. I hope the message in my music gets delivered to you.”
After a warm response from the crowd, Taeyang jumped right in with back-to-back performances of “Amazin’,” “1AM,” “So Good,” and “Naked.” He then followed up with a beautiful acoustic version of “I Need A Girl.”
Hands down the most jaw-dropping performance of the night was for “Love You to Death.” As the song reached CL’s verse, a large full moon was shown on the LED screen. Her haunting vocals was accentuated by a lunar eclipse that blanketed the venue in darkness. Once the song reached its pinnacle moment, the crowd was enveloped by a bright flash and a large sun was displayed behind Taeyang. The symbolism behind the visuals resembles Taeyang’s (literally “Sun” in Korean) growth as an artist, a transformation exhibited by his more mature sound in his new album.
As the show was coming to a close, Taeyang reappeared and performed a stunning acoustic rendition of BIGBANG’s newest song, “Last Dance.” As a final adieu to the fans, Taeyang wrapped up the night with his newest title track, “Darling.”
But of course, what’s a concert without a finale? Taeyang, adorned in a black cap and official White Night tour shirt, returned onstage with his backup dancers for a fun performance of “Break Down” before quickly transitioning into the EDM-centric track, “Good Boy” and “Stay With Me.” He then hyped up the crowd with BIGBANG’s “Bang Bang Bang“ that quickly turned this historic venue into a lively night club.
After that jammed pack set, Taeyang announced that he brought a special guest to help him out. Youtuber and singer Ysabelle Cuevas caught Taeyang’s attention after discovering her English cover “Wake Me Up.” So much so that Taeyang reposted her cover on Instagram and invited her to perform her English cover live at the show! With Taeyang supporting her, Ysabelle lived out the ultimate fan’s dream and sang in front of over 2,000 mesmerized fans.
WHITE NIGHT in LA officially wrapped up with Taeyang’s most recent viral track, “Eyes, Nose, Lips.” Although the crowd had failed to finish the lyrics to some of his earlier songs of the night, everyone came together and harmoniously sang the chorus back to him. Seeing how much his music had an effect on the crowd had Taeyang smiling throughout the song as he poured every ounce of emotion into every note.
While WHITE NIGHT marks Taeyang’s first US tour as a solo artist, the bright yellow glow emitted from all of the VIP light sticks and headbands perfectly exhibited the long-lasting legacy that both Taeyang and BIGBANG have left in the music industry. BIGBANG’s T.O.P began his two-year military service early this year, signaling the five-member group’s hiatus. It may be a while until the world sees BIGBANG perform as a whole but VIPs will continue to stand by and support each member’s solo endeavors. Taeyang and the other members can enlist with ease knowing that, no matter how long it will take for them all to complete their service, they will always have a family of VIPs eagerly anticipating their future activities.
