Eight years ago, I flew to Bangkok to watch the King of K-pop, G-Dragon, live in concert. Titled ‘Act III: M.O.T.T.E,’ it was his last solo world tour before he entered his mandatory military service and was at the helm of what would eventually be a nearly decade-long hiatus. That show proved to be one of the most powerful concerts I had ever attended and G-Dragon, born Kwon Ji Yong, cemented himself as one of the most incendiary performers I’d ever seen. So of course when the South Korean megastar made his big return to music last year and announced a tour for 2025, I knew it was a pilgrimage I had to make again.
This time, I flew to his home turf to attend the very first show of the ‘Übermensch World Tour’ on Mar, 29, 2025. The tour supports the release of G-Dragon’s third studio album of the same name, which dropped on Feb. 25, and marks the beginning of what will be an expansive set of shows across Asia and possibly other continents later on. I wasn’t the only one dying to see him onstage again; tickets for both South Korean shows scheduled for Mar. 29 and 30 had sold out within 10 minutes of going online in February, crashing the ticketing portal several times in the process and causing chaos as Korean and global audiences entered a battle royale for a chance to see the King’s return. With a total of 60,000 people finally set to attend over the two days, the ‘Übermensch World Tour’ had geared up to become the biggest live event in K-pop this year.
As I made my journey to the venue on D-Day, I realized the entire town of Goyang was flooded with banners of GD–courtesy of his many fan clubs. Everywhere I looked, there were fans walking to the show, clad in GD-themed merch or holding the highly-coveted DaisyBong–G-Dragon’s brand new official lightstick. Tens of thousands of fans from Korea and around the world gathered at Goyang Stadium, brimming with excitement and braving the bitter cold as they waited to enter and be seated. Thousands more stood in line for hours to get their hands on limited edition merch or the sold-out-everywhere-else DaisyBong before the show, desperate to take a piece of the experience home with them.
I was given access to the VIP Soundcheck–more of an interactive experience in K-pop for a handful of fans to connect with the artist before the show–and it was a delight. GD seemed to appear out of nowhere, thanks to a stage lift, sitting cross-legged and bundled up in a fluffy red robe and scarf as he launched right into “Bonamana,” a brooding, acoustic number from Übermensch. It was my first glimpse of him in-person since 2017, and the first thing I noticed was how much more open and relaxed he seemed. Makeup-free and cheerful despite the freezing weather, he worked his way through a total of three tracks (“Who You” and “Crooked” followed from his 2013 studio album Coup d’Etat), entertaining fans by engaging in playful banter, close-up serenades, choreography and various other cute shenanigans, including taking off his scarf to unveil a new platinum blond look for the tour. It was a great way to connect a little with a superstar who had otherwise seemed so incredibly out of reach. The soundcheck ended as suddenly as it had begun, with the rapper vanishing swiftly to prepare for the main show.
When I attended ‘M.O.T.T.E,’ I had witnessed the incredible transformation he makes from Kwon Ji Yong to G-Dragon; this metamorphosis still packs a punch eight years later and is more distinct when you watch the soundcheck and then the concert–it was Ji Yong’s sweet, shy demeanour that led the soundcheck, but the enigmatic G-Dragon soon emerged to take center stage for the main show. Donning a ruby crown, a jacket of roses and dripping in diamonds, the King of K-pop looked larger-than-life as he made an entry worthy of his title. Surrounded by flames, fireworks and his longtime team of dancers, he kicked off the show by introducing Übermensch with “Power,” the single which marked his return to music in 2024. From there he moved seamlessly into his second single “Home Sweet Home” — a nostalgic pop number that features his fellow Big Bang members, Taeyang and Daesung. Both artists made digital ‘appearances’ on screen for their respective verses on Day One, but joined G-Dragon in-person on Day Two (which I’m high-key salty about missing.)
Since he’s always accompanied by a live band for his shows, GD tends to lean toward rock-heavy mixes of his discography. He delivered delightfully gritty, alt renditions of “Power,” “Home Sweet Home,” “Superstar,” “Middle Fingers Up” (both from his 2017 EP Kwon Ji Yong) and “One of a Kind” (from 2012’s EP of the same name). This let him experiment with growls and vocal improv while his band unleashed a few outstanding riffs and beats you definitely won’t hear on the albums. His rapping was as quick as ever and he sailed through the choreography with ease. Four songs in, he took a pause to greet everyone and I realized he already had us eating right out of the palm of his hand. Every movement, smirk and wink incited frenzied screams and despite his soft-spoken tone whenever he addressed the audience, he somehow had complete control over us all– silence fell immediately whenever he raised his mic to speak, and we were constantly at the edge of our seats to find out what he would do next; truly a King holding court.
He kept the energy up with “R.O.D” (2013), elevating it’s dubstep foundation with samples from “Dirty Vibe,” his 2017 collaboration with Diplo and Skrillex, and Travis Scott’s “FE!N,” before finally using a blistering guitar solo at the end to introduce his first guest artist of the night: CL of 2NE1. She joined GD for a charismatic performance of their iconic 2009 collaborative single, “The Leaders” — a fitting addition as both rappers had last performed the track together at the ‘M.O.T.T.E’ opening show in Seoul in 2017. Featuring various references for longtime fans and the duo’s signature playful chemistry, “The Leaders” was one of the highlights of the night. Once CL left the stage, G-Dragon dove right into a slower, menacing version of his 2012 EDM/hip-hop hit “Crayon” to signal an end to the explosive first act.
The second act began as a more emotional affair, opening with a single spotlight falling on GD, who had changed into a long, glittering white coat. He brought out his slower, vocal numbers including “Bonamana,” 2013’s “That XX” and–to our surprise–the rarely-performed “Butterfly” from his 2009 solo debut album Heartbreaker. Digitally rendered butterflies fluttered around him while he sat on an Übermensch-themed throne to sing. Switching to the saucy “I Love It” (2013) next was a low-key genius move to change moods and pick up the pace without a jarring change. As the funky instrumentals for “I Love It” began, the cameras followed him backstage to give us a glimpse of his quick change into the next costume–a jacket with white angel wings to add a touch of camp for his more rebellious hits, “Who You?”, “Today” and the critically-acclaimed “Crooked.” The lattermost invited the first taste of chaos that evening; GD charged into the crowd to interact with his fans while his security chased after him in a slight panic, a pretty standard occurrence at any G-Dragon show. He didn’t seem phased by the wave of fans tripping over each other to get closer to him and instead simply trusted that they wouldn’t crush him. As the song ended and he made his way backstage again, the second act drew to a close with a drone show in the sky–hundreds of lights shifted from the cover of Heartbreaker to a portrait of him from the 2025 tour promotions, before finally morphing into the Übermensch album artwork.
Act three served as a sampler of G-Dragon’s various eras, focusing on nostalgia, evolution and the future all at once. While the drone show set a tech-forward tone, GD brought out his second guest of the night to strip things down to the bare minimum–champion beatboxer Wing led the rhythm for “Heartbreaker” while GD rapped, a sharp contrast from the track’s original EDM-heavy composition. As the song progressed, the band brought in synths from 2013’s “Shake The World” to build a heavier impact. From there GD, now clad in a bespoke teal suit, introduced what would be the most outstanding performance of the night–a 2025 rendition of his aggressive, DGAF 2017 anthem, “Bullshit.” This is also where he got to show off more of his genius in terms of production and arrangement, blending in elements of Kendrick Lamar’s Superbowl Halftime performance of “Not Like Us,” choreography included, and switching out the lyrics to add references to his own history and artistry (peep “Zutter” if you can.) It soon turned into a game of hidden references–his next offering was “Take Me” from Übermensch with dashes of what I identified as the Jackson Five’s “ABC” tossed in, followed by a cheerful performance of the album’s lead single “Too Bad” in which I caught sections of Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” He wrapped up with conversations about BIGBANG’s upcoming 20th anniversary celebrations and the philosophies of Übermensch, before concluding with a heartfelt performance of “Drama.”
The sweetest part of the show was when he returned onstage for his encore performances. Clad in a fluffy black robe this time with a white feather boa around his neck, GD was the picture of joy as he cruised through “A Boy,” “This Love,” and “One Year Station” — all from his 2009 debut record Heartbreaker. He darted into the audience and remained there for the majority of the encore, much to the distress of his army of bodyguards. He finally returned onstage to treat us to a few soft verses from Übermensch’s “IBELONGIIU,” finally ending the night with a gorgeous performance of his number one hit single “Untitled 2014” from Kwon Ji Yong–the same song he had ended the Bangkok show with all those years ago. Whereas then he had been swept away quickly by his team, now he lingered, reluctant to part from the audience and promising a swift return and more shows.
As this was my second time seeing G-Dragon live, it was impossible not to do the ‘then and now’ in my head. ‘M.O.T.T.E’ was definitely a show about darkness and struggle. It was a time when GD was built of sharp edges and seemed to be fueled by a drive to push himself beyond anything he had done before. There was a desperation to show the audience Kwon Ji Yong behind G-Dragon, and the need to separate these two identities into different areas of his life was reflected in the way the show had been divided into crisp, chronological summations of his artistry. “I’ve been living as G-Dragon, but now I want to live as Kwon Ji Yong,” he had said at the time. The ‘Übermensch World Tour,’ however, paints a different picture. Here, we met a more relaxed, balanced version of the same artist. Time has melted away the sharp edges of ‘M.O.T.T.E,’ and GD is mellower, sweeter, endearing with his various quirks, and confident about who he has grown into– regardless of what anyone might think. “Basically, it’s about continuing to work hard despite everything. I just want to smile,” is what he explained about Übermensch. Rather than disconnected identities, it’s now about coexistence. “The cover shows two silhouettes facing each other,” he added about the album art that was also prominent throughout the show. “One represents my past, the other my present. It’s a message to keep evolving.”
There was some criticism online around his performance that night, and yes, there were unfortunately a few snags. The rasp in his voice was more pronounced than usual at certain points due to the cold, leading to moments where he struggled to hit a few notes and had to rely on the backing track. He also took a fall during his solo dance break for “Too Bad” thanks to a wayward drone flying a little too close to his head, and needed a few extra seconds to gather his bearings and stand. He later told the audience with a soft smile, “This is a strange experience. They say your legs go weak. Is this what happened? I couldn’t put any strength into my legs.”
The biggest issue honestly was the weather; as the evening progressed, temperatures in Goyang dipped to a bitter zero degrees celsius and strong winds (an anomaly for the end of March) caught us all by surprise–including G-Dragon and his team. It led to the show starting over 73 minutes late. There were some boos and heckles to get the show started as we all sat there shivering in the dark, but both GD and his team later apologized to the audience directly. It was pretty easy to forgive once we saw his shaking hands and runny nose, and realized he was just as cold as we were. Despite all the hurdles, GD seemed happiest onstage. His eyes sparkled every time he addressed the audience and he took every opportunity possible to get closer to his fans and make up for the eight years he spent away. So sure, mistakes were made and the show wasn’t perfect. But it was relatable. Because neither of us is the same person we were that day in Bangkok in 2017, after all.
G-Dragon’s life over the past decade has been a whirlwind of change — military service, a new label, various ups and downs with BIGBANG, and not to mention the pressure of returning to an industry as complicated as entertainment. So think about this for a second: he was facing an audience of 30,000 for his first solo show in eight years, in zero degree weather, with a ton of complex new tech and last-minute set changes; perfection on Day One was never feasible. Yet, he made it onstage that night and gave it everything he had.
It circles right back to the core concept of Übermensch–finding your best self and putting it forth into the world, regardless of how difficult the journey is. GD will embark on Phase 1 of the ‘Übermensch World Tour’ from May to August 2025, with dates set for various cities across Asia including Tokyo, Bulacan, Osaka, Macau, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Hong Kong. As he begins to tour regularly again and gets back into the flow of things, I’m anticipating each show will be better than the last. Reports from Day Two in South Korea certainly seemed to indicate so.