K-Pop veteran G-Dragon made a grand return to America this fall with his Übermensch World Tour. Fans in Newark, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles were treated to shows from the BIGBANG member throughout August and September. This series of concerts marked G-Dragon’s first solo tour throughout the country since 2017, and his first shows on U.S. soil since headlining the Head in the Clouds music festival in Pasadena, CA this past June. While many fans in attendance may have regarded the show to be a personal reunion between them and the iconic performer, others had the privilege of being able to see him live for the first time, and be left with a first impression that was nothing less than remarkable.
My turn was on September 6 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where G-Dragon would wrap up the U.S. leg of his tour. Upon entering the arena, I was immediately greeted by venue staff and handed an aqua blue guitar pick with the show date on it. As I looked around, I saw droves of fans proudly equipped with their daisy-shaped G-Dragon lightsticks and BIGBANG lightsticks. Another common sight was fans tying decorated scarves around their heads as a tribute to one of G-Dragon’s signature looks.
Something that immediately stood out to me was the giant scoreboard in the middle of the arena, which displayed some of G-Dragon’s music videos before the start of the show. While my seat neighbors and I had fun singing along to songs like “DRAMA” and “POWER,” I was preparing myself for what I suspected to be a true immersive experience. Rather than relying solely on the screens suspended from each side of the stage, the screens on the scoreboard would be helping fans from all corners of the venue feel closer to the action throughout the evening.
As the crowd danced along to the “TOO BAD” music video, lightsticks throughout the arena began to flicker, sending the entire arena into a frenzy. Seconds later, the screens on stage began to rise, revealing G-Dragon perched atop a raised platform. Dressed in a coat covered in red and white roses and a ruby red crown, G-Dragon exuded main character energy as he led his troupe of backup dancers in a high-voltage rendition of “POWER.” G-Dragon was also joined by a live band for the evening, who helped bring a thrilling rock sound to the song.
Keeping everyone’s spirits high in the sky, G-Dragon went on to perform “HOME SWEET HOME,” creating a rave-like atmosphere in the arena. Visuals of his BIGBANG bandmates Taeyang and Daesung singing their own verses appeared on the screens, catching many fans by surprise. When the chorus hit, there was a sudden blast of fireworks, followed by giant lasers strobing across the arena. These effects intensified toward the end of the song, as there was even more pyro and the crowd’s lightsticks flickered.
It quickly became clear that the rest of the evening would be nothing short of a visual spectacle, and only the kind that an artist who has been in the game for over 20 years could create. Offering fans a career-spanning setlist, there wasn’t a dull moment when the skilled rapper, dancer, and overall showman was on stage. Even during slower songs such as “BONAMANA,” the dynamic performer had no issue retaining the crowd’s full attention. G-Dragon also made sure to throw some humor into the mix, especially when it came to the crowd barking. By now, it’s safe to say that K-Pop concerts in America and “barking” (repeatedly shouting “woo woo woo”) go hand in hand. After a moment of hearing a few fans bark, G-Dragon said, “I don’t know what you guys are saying. Woof woof woof? No, I’m dragon, not woof.”
Übermensch is G-Dragon’s first album release in eight years, and the title symbolizes him finding a sense of enlightenment and belief in himself. He knew that fans had been patiently awaiting his return. He promised even more to come, including from BIGBANG. As he acknowledged the band’s rapidly approaching 20th anniversary, he reflected on his long journey as an idol and K-Pop exploding globally.
“As a kid, I got influenced by many Korean pop stars to become an artist myself,” he said. “I can see that K-Pop is getting a lot of love these days. It’s such an amazing thing. Our language is different, but when we sing our songs, you guys sing it in Korean.”
While offering praise to the younger K-Pop acts that are helping the genre stay on a global scale, G-Dragon also noted that back in the day, he wished K-Pop could be a generational movement. “I am here for this movement,” he said. “Next year, me and my brothers will make another movement. Let’s make K-Pop a generational movement!”
Prior to the encore, there was an intermission period consisting of more than 20 minutes of a dark stage. The arena was only illuminated by lightsticks and phone flashlights. Despite G-Dragon not being on stage, the fans still remained energized, screaming and cheering periodically during this time. Eventually, everyone’s lightsticks turned a golden color, and G-Dragon returned to perform his cover of Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” The stage remained dark for the first few notes of the song, and as soon as the lights came back on, the performance immediately transformed into a blazing rock number. As part of this encore, G-Dragon also performed his classic cover of Maroon 5’s “This Love,” marching his way through the barricade and greeting his fans along the way.
G-Dragon’s parting number for the night was “Untitled, 2014.” Accompanied only by his backing band on stage, G-Dragon emptied an entire reservoir of emotion into performing the iconic ballad. Towards the conclusion of the song, the stage turned orange and red, reminiscent of the Übermensch album artwork. The performance ended with G-Dragon laying down on a raised platform to sing the final notes of the song, and a screen was lowered, creating an effect that he had floated into the clouds. It almost felt like this was his way of giving the crowd a goodnight kiss and wishing us all sweet dreams. It was a peaceful and emotional ending that resembled G-Dragon finally finding bliss, which is yet another nod to the album’s theme.
As the ending credits of the concert rolled, the arena danced along to “HOME SWEET HOME” one more time, and were treated to a behind the scenes video of G-Dragon preparing the concert. He was involved in all aspects of creating the show, making the experience an even more personal reunion for him and his fans. With this being my very first time experiencing a BIGBANG member’s performance in person, I was highly impressed by the show and was left wanting even more. (I may or may not have shed a few tears when it was time for me to leave my suite and exit the arena.) As promised, BIGBANG will be reuniting in 2026 to celebrate their anniversary, with a performance at Coachella already set in stone. With this major milestone approaching and fans getting excited over additional legs of the Übermensch World Tour, it’s undeniable that G-Dragon is ensuring K-Pop is a generational movement in 2025 – and he’s one of the leaders.
Article featured photo courtesy of GALAXY CORPORATION