Big Bang Reunites at Coachella After 9 Years: "20th Anniversary Just Beginning... Big Things Are Coming"

Big Bang is performing on the outdoor theater stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held in Indio, California, USA, on the 13th (Korean time). Screenshot from Coachella YouTube

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"Hello, Coachella, we're back."

The group Big Bang kicked off their 20th anniversary activities on the stage of Coachella in the United States, the world's largest music festival.

On the afternoon of the 13th (Korean time), Big Bang performed a 60-minute solo set on the outdoor theater stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, USA. This stage marks their return six years after their appearance was canceled in 2020 due to the global pandemic.

This was the first major stage for Big Bang since the group was restructured from five members to three. It has been nine years since they performed on an official concert stage, following their 'LAST DANCE' tour held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul and Tokyo Dome in Japan in 2017.

Tens of thousands of fans packed the venue and erupted in cheers as the members' names were called, celebrating the group's return. Before the show, a video of an astronaut played on the giant screen to signal the start. The names Daesung, Taeyang, and G-Dragon appeared in sequence, and as the debut year "2006" changed to "2026," the audience burst into applause.

G-Dragon declared, "Big Bang's 20th anniversary has just begun," adding, "Something huge is coming. Please wait just a bit longer. We'll soon have a fun coming-of-age ceremony for our 20th anniversary." Daesung emphasized, "We've waited so long for this moment." He continued, "This is our first Coachella stage, and I'm really excited," and shouted, "Let's all have fun together!"

Bigbang performed on the outdoor theater stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held in Indio, California, USA, on the 13th (Korean time). Coachella YouTube capture

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Big Bang is performing on the outdoor theater stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held on the 13th (Korean time) in Indio, California, USA. Screenshot from Coachella YouTube

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The opening song was "Bang Bang Bang." Against a backdrop of intense red lighting and flags, the members dominated the stage with a 100% live performance. They fueled the atmosphere with passionate renditions of "Fantastic Baby," "Sober," and "Loser." G-Dragon wore a fur jacket, while Daesung and Taeyang wore leather jackets, exuding charisma and capturing everyone's attention.

The early debut song "A Fool of Tears" was reinterpreted as a three-member version. Instead of the original's youthful innocence, their mature voices, weighted by the passage of time, stood out in this performance. They followed with emotionally rearranged versions of "Haru Haru" and "Lies."

Each member also took the stage for solo performances. Taeyang displayed his maturity by baring his upper body during "Ringa Linga," while G-Dragon went down to the audience and took selfies with fans' mobile phones as he performed "Power." The GD&Taeyang unit's "Good Boy" evoked nostalgia from 12 years ago. Daesung projected large Korean subtitles reading "Hello, this is Daesung" on the screen, then performed "Limitless" and "Look at Me, Gwisoon," sharing the excitement of K-Trot with fans around the world.

Toward the end of the concert, the members emphasized, "We are still together." The show concluded with their last song released in April 2022, "Still Life," leaving a lingering impression. Starting with Coachella, Big Bang will embark on a global tour.

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