g-dragon 'act iii: motte' in singapore
G-Dragon, an iconic Korean music pop singer, is currently having one of his largest solo World Tour. He came to Singapore on the 24th and 25th of June, 2017, at 8pm and 6pm respectively. We were lucky enough to be able to catch his concert on both days, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
The title of this tour is Act III, M.O.T.T.E, which actually has a deep and emotional meaning behind it and G-Dragon made it very personal both to him and the VIPs (his fans). “Act III” represents the third act of G-Dragon’s life as he will be turning 30 years old (in Korean Age) this year, while “M.O.T.T.E” is an acronym for “Moment Of Truth The End”. Interestingly enough, the acronym also means “mother’s womb” or “since birth” in Korean, which perfectly directs the message of his concert, which is to reflect on his life thus far. G-Dragon thinks it is time for him to take a step back from all the glamour and think about his life when he is off camera and away from the media. He wanted to use this tour as an opportunity to let his fans and loved ones know that he wants to keep it real with everyone, which he later elaborated on during the concert.
The concert started off on a high note as GD performed the song “Heartbreaker” while clad in his first outfit - a thick, red fur coat. The staging of the first performance was already pretty unique as GD was seen singing alone on a raised platform while the dancers were dancing below on the normal stage.
GD went on to perform other hits such as “Breathe” and “Obsession”. The audience was already getting hyped up as those with lightsticks started raising them up and waving them in sync to the beat, turning the stadium into a really pretty yellow ocean.
The concert was split into three acts, with intervals in between, where videos relating to GD’s message and the main purpose of the concert were being played. For the first act, as each song was being performed, GD slowly removed layers of his outfit, revealing his jacket and eventually a white singlet. The order of the songs was intentionally placed in a way such that there is a mix of high and low songs throughout. This is actually meant to mirror how his life is like a rollercoaster, with many ups and downs. His outfits for most of the concert also tended to be red in colour.
During the first interval, a video featuring GD’s friends and family such as several members from some YG entertainment groups, including fellow labelmates 2NE1 and Big Bang themselves, as well as his manager, parents and even his high school teacher, was played. They were being interviewed and were asked questions such as “Who is G-Dragon to you?”, “Who is Kwon Ji Yong to you?” and “Are G-Dragon and Kwon Ji Yong the same person?”. GD is popular amongst his friends and is also a filial son who takes good care of the people around him. Some also mentioned that he is a mischievous boy and has a fun and outgoing character. It was warm and heartening to discover the true personality of Kwon Ji Yong around his peers and family, and how he treats them behind the scenes.
For the second act, GD continued to perform songs such as “One of a Kind”, getting the fans hyped up especially since it was one of his title tracks that most could sing along to. A remix version of “That XX” was also performed and despite it being simple and clean, it was a beautiful piece.
One of the most memorable videos shown was a video of GD, speaking while facing the camera. A video of raw emotions, true feelings and reflection. In a large room, a small area was set up with just the camera crew, one main camera, and GD himself. The surroundings were dark, with a single ray of light directed to focus on him. Everything was quiet, except for the occasional ruffling sound of his clothes, or slight movements as G-Dragon spoke. He was clad in a white, long-sleeved shirt and had his arms folded, occasionally touching his neck uncomfortably, hinting signs of nervousness.
However, this was not the G-Dragon that everyone was used to seeing on stage, this was Kwon Ji Yong, his true self, who he really is on the inside. He was also speaking really slowly, probably because he was thinking of which words were best to describe his current emotions or that he was struggling to try to raise the issue of him losing himself.
He appeared to be insecure and overwhelmed by the pressure of being a public figure. He confesses that he does not want to be seen as “G-Dragon” anymore, since it is a stage name which represents the front he chooses to show for the media industry, but instead be seen as “Kwon Ji Yong”, the real him. After pouring out his thoughts, he pointed to the people all around him and behind the cameras and concluded by saying that they may not have been able to understand what he was trying to say and probably thought he was crazy. The video was so intense and emotional that the whole Indoor Stadium was silent throughout, absorbed in listening to what he had to say. We managed to learn so much about this one man in a seemingly short video.
G-Dragon returned to stage. Right after performing the second last song for the last act, GD began to ease into his speech for his fans, which got really emotional. He spoke in English throughout and started off by saying that he truly appreciates his fans for supporting him all the way, and introduced the concept behind the concert. He then went on the talk about his enlistment which will be happening soon. He said that this might be the last concert he will be doing in a very long time. It got a little emotional and he could be seen rubbing his eyes with his sleeve as he spoke. The fans started shouting words of encouragement, with the occasional fanboy loudly declaring his love for him. This led to the entire stadium breaking out in laughter, and even the star himself could not hold back his smile. The full 10 to 15 minus were personal and real, and we could feel his sincerity and love for his fans, as well as how he truly felt.
The lights dimmed once again, giving the yellow lightsticks a chance to shine brighter than before. Everyone started to chant the words “Kwon Ji Yong” in unison, in hopes that he would return to stage for an encore.
GD’s voice could be heard backstage, and it was slowly amplified as he walked closer to the curtains that were already down. He reappeared on stage and proceeded to sing the all time favourite, “Crooked” with a slight change in style. The audience were all jumping and singing along, and everyone chanted the chorus together.
GD’s voice could be heard backstage, and it was slowly amplified as he walked closer to the curtains that were already down. He reappeared on stage and proceeded to sing the all time favourite, “Crooked” with a slight change in style. The audience were all jumping and singing along, and everyone chanted the chorus together.
The concert then ended with the final song “Untitled, 2014”. He explained that it is a love song and was called “Untitled” as everyone will have a special someone in their heart. He added that we should think of them while listening to this song.
As he bade his final farewells and left the stage, the audience was left with only the memory of the concert. We hope that we’ll see him on stage again, soon.
We would like to thank IME Entertainment for giving us the chance to cover this event!
As he bade his final farewells and left the stage, the audience was left with only the memory of the concert. We hope that we’ll see him on stage again, soon.
We would like to thank IME Entertainment for giving us the chance to cover this event!
What did you think of G-Dragon's concert? Do leave a comment below and share your experience or opinion with us. Meanwhile, be sure to check out our instagram @koreamonthly for more videos and live updates!
Writers : KaiLin & Kylie
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Writers : KaiLin & Kylie
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