13th August (Saturday) was a day many Malaysian iKONICs have been waiting for.
It was the day when their beloved boys from iKON visited the country for their debut concert in Malaysia, “iKONCERT 2016 Showtime Tour in Kuala Lumpur”, and well, we have to say that the boys did not disappoint.
Prior to their Asia tour, the boys – Jinhwan, Yunhyeong, Bobby, B.I, Junhoe, Donghyuk, and Chanwoo – had a tough time. Thrown into the spotlight when the eldest amongst them, Jinhwan, was only 19, they had to compete with their fellow trainees on Mnet’s reality survival show “WIN: Who Is Next” as Team A (known as WINNER now) and Team B (known as iKON now). Unfortunately, they lost; but that wasn’t the end of them.
YG Entertainment gave them a 2nd chance, entering them into another reality show named “Mix & Match”. This time, they faced immense pressure as it was the last chance for them to debut. 3 new trainees were added to the show, and the public had to vote for their favourite members to determine the final lineup of iKON. Fortunately, the original 6 members stood the test and debuted in 2015 along with new member Chanwoo.
The boys may have gone through many obstacles, but the fans remained steadfast and supported them through thick and thin. For iKONICs, it was truly a magical experience to finally see the boys in the flesh, the same boys they’ve watched, rooted for, and invested their time and energy in.
Hours before the concert started at 7:30pm, fans were already crowding the arena, patiently waiting for the concert to begin. Merchandise was sold, and it did not fail to gain the attention of iKONICs, who generously parted with their money to show their support for their idols.
A video posted by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy) on
The screams and cheers that resounded throughout Stadium Negara on Saturday were well justified.
When the boys kicked off the concert with “Rhythm Ta”, the energy in the stadium was already at insane levels. The 5,000-strong crowd sung along and in that moment, it felt like we were witnessing an intimate moment between the boys and their iKONICs.
Without wasting much time, the boys proceeded to sing a few more upbeat tracks, “Dumb & Dumber” and “Sinosijak”. They did not fail to energise the crowd, as their synchronised dance moves and remarkable vocal abilities successfully wowed the crowd.
Taking the opportunity to rest up between their high octane dance moves, they then sung a few slow numbers, such as their hit songs “My Type” and “Go”. As always, “My Type” made the fans’ hearts flutter, as the lyrics are about iKON’s ideal types and understandably, iKONICs couldn’t resist the boys’ cringe-worthy yet lovable gestures.
“Go” (Bobby’s solo), “Be I” (B.I’s solo), and “Anthem” (Bobby and B.I’s duet) were performed next and we have to admit, despite knowing that they were good rappers, they were exceptionally awesome live. They may have the “idol rapper” stigma attached to them, but we bet they could take on any underground rapper and still emerge victorious.
A video posted by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy) on
While the rap break was impressive, what came next truly blew us away. “Apology”, “Airplane”, “Wait For Me”, “M.U.P”, and “I Miss You So Bad” were performed back to back. While iKON did have choreographies for the aforementioned songs, it was kept minimal in order to allow the boys to showcase their vocals. It resulted in goosebumps-inducing vibratos and jaw-dropping high notes, most notably from their main vocal line, Junhwe and Jinhwan.
After the stellar performance, the boys went back stage and a VCR played. It showed the boys joking around with each other while preparing a cover/parody of their sunbae’s (senior’s) hit song, “Bang Bang Bang”. They certainly elicited laughter from the audience when they discussed G-Dragon’s signature “seaweed hair” and when Bobby was adamant about taking T.O.P’s role.
A medley of cover songs, “Bang Bang Bang”, G-Friend’s “Me Gustas Tu”, and EXID’s “Up & Down”, were performed next. While “Bang Bang Bang” showed the boys (sans Jinhwan, as he had to prepare for the next stage) dressed up in BIGBANG’s manly costumes, “Me Gustas Tu” saw Jinhwan channeling his inner girl group. We have to say, the vocalist’s exaggerated moves were “on point”. He also introduced the other members’ in a flamboyant manner before they emerged on stage to perform “Up & Down”.
Evidently, the Malaysian iKONICs had a very enjoyable time with the boys, but sadly, all good things must come to an end. The boys emerged on stage to belt out “Long Time No See”, “#WYD”, “Dumb & Dumber”, and “Rhythm Ta” before thanking their fans once again and exiting the stage for one last time.
We were thoroughly entertained by iKON’s various antics during the show, and the one thing that we really appreciated was the effort the boys put into learning English. No translator was present and they did not need one as they spoke impeccable English, something not many Korean idols are capable of. They also took the time to learn a few Malay phrases, and the most commonly used word was “bagus”, which members Chanwoo and Bobby couldn’t stop using.
All in all, we have to say the concert was a good experience, and if given the chance, we wouldn’t hesitate to meet the boys again.
A video posted by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy) on
The full track list for “iKONCERT 2016 Showtime Tour in Kuala Lumpur” is as follows:
- Rhythm Ta
- Dumb & Dumber
- Sinosijak
- My Type
- Today
- Go
- Be I
- Anthem
- Apology
- Airplane
- Wait For Me
- M.U.P
- I Miss You So Bad
- Bang Bang Bang
- Me Gustas Tu
- Up Down
- What’s Wrong
- Climax
Encore
- Long Time No See
- #WYD
- Dumb & Dumber
- Rhythm Ta
If you’d like to relive the night or didn’t get a chance to witness the concert, fret not, our Instagram and Twitter are loaded with videos and tweets from the night! Don’t forget to check it out 😉
Special thanks to our friends from IME Productions for extending the invite. Till next time, iKON!
For more information, visit IME Productions’ Facebook page.
