Two thousand two hundred and fifty-five…
That’s how many days have passed since his last live performance in Atlanta, as Bang Yongguk finally made his long awaited return to BABY in Atlanta at the midpoint of his first solo U.S. tour - - COLORS OF BANG YONGGUK TOUR IN USA 2023. At 6:00 PM on Thursday, June 8, 2023, the Buckhead Theatre opened its doors to fans who found their way as close to the stage as possible. As fans began to fill the two-tiered venue, they were greeted by a stage bathed in mellow purple lighting illuminating a DJ setup….
As showtime approached, the venue went dark and fans were greeted by the sound of DJ Samuel Ku’s mixes. Samuel Ku is a member of PAPERMAKER Publishing, and has written and arranged for artists such as EXID, Kep1er, Park Jihoon, Ghost9 and GOT7. He also co-wrote “UFO” and “Ride or Die” with Bang Yongguk.
Once Samuel Ku had helped set the venue’s energy, he then invited Yongguk to the stage, who immediately launched into the opening lines of “G.M.T. (Give Me That)” letting Atlanta know HE IS BACK as the enthusiastic screams from his fans filled the venue. Fans held signs written in Korean and light sticks including their Matokis, B.A.P’s official lightstick.
After that warm-up (more like heat-up!!!), Yongguk took a moment to speak to the audience and conveyed his affection for Atlanta in particular as the birthplace of Martin Luther King which led to a rather unexpected surprise for long-time BABY where Yongguk began to rap his famous line from B.A.P’s "One Shot":
“기회는 한 번뿐 어두운 길을 걸어
빛을 밝혀 Martin Luther King 처럼”
He then took time to thank fans for staying with him and coming out to see him after a 7 year absence before continuing the night with performances of “RACE,” which is a very passionate song that speaks of his ambition to keep running towards his dreams and desires in moments during the song such as:
"Even out of breath I won't stop
Even if my road is blocked I'll run”...
And rest assured that his BABY will be there for the ride as far as he will go.
Following “RACE” was “Rain on Me” and “UFO,” where Samuel Ku joined in the performance before changing things up with “Hikikomori.” Next was the most anticipated and talked about song on the setlist - - “I Remember.” Released in 2011, the original duet track featured vocals from Yang Yoseob of B2ST, but was later released in 2012 as part of B.A.P’s repackaged mini-album, CRASH. The 2012 version of “I Remember” features Yongguk with former B.A.P. bandmate, Daehyun singing. As the track played and Daehyun’s backup vocals filled the venue, BABY were singing right along while being hit with nostalgia. Finally, “Screwed UP” was performed before Yongguk’s next ment stage.
For this ment stage, Yongguk took a moment to find a fan willing to allow him to borrow their lightstick.
BYG: What is this?
BABY: Matoki
BYG: Matoki light stick and it is
what color?
BABY: GREEN!
BYG: Green okay, let’s do GREEN.
This song once again shows his love for his and his group’s fans which can be heard in the opening line that filled the venue from Yonguk and fans alike - - “BABY you are my green.” Next were hype songs “Ride or Die,” “Ya,” and “Off,” where Yongguk displayed his confidence, powerful stage presence and his ability to flawlessly keep BABYz screaming throughout the venue as he poured water on himself.
Then we arrived to BABYz second most anticipated stage, Yongguk made a call for the audience to quiet down. As the venue fell to silence, Yongguk proceeded to shout --without his mic - - “YAMAZAKI! YAMA” where BABY joined in with “ZAKI.” Towards the end of this stage he stopped singing and watched in awe as BABY continued to sing the lyrics for his third mixtape track, “YAMAZAKI” before ending the theme of colors with “Orange Drive.”
As Yongguk made his way back to the stage for the encore, he performed his first encore stage with “Xie Xie,” a bilingual song sung in Korean and Chinese. The Chinese meaning of “Xie Xie,” is “thank you,” while this song gives a message of self assurance and power, and BABY were right there singing with him. Yongguk, again, thanked BABY for coming out to see him, and ended by asking BABY, “I want you to love yourself as much as you love me, alright?”
It was then time for Yonguk’s final song, “See You Later;” As he said farewell to his fans, he thrilled them as he jumped off the stage and stepped up on the barricade structure to say up-close-and-personal goodbyes to fans in several sections of the barricade crowd.
A big thank you goes out to YY Entertainment, My Music Taste, Bang Yongguk and Samuel Ku for allowing us the opportunity to provide coverage for this show!
Find our full gallery here.
Comments