MARTIN TSAI
G-Dragon, at The Prudential Center in Newark, Aug. 23.
G-Dragon, the iconic K-pop rapper and member of the legendary Bigbang, commenced the U.S. leg of his Übermensch World Tour at The Prudential Center in Newark, Aug. 22, and will perform a second show on Aug. 23. He last toured the States in 2017, right before K-pop’s popularity exploded here and its top acts began filling Stateside stadiums. For newer American fans, this was the first opportunity to experience such a storied artist in person. And it was a unique show indeed.
Inside the venue, the sense that this was going to be a different sort of evening was pronounced. It was not the typical K-pop crowd. There were very few children, and the ones that were there were all Asian. Instead, grown men were well represented, and appeared to be genuine fans who weren’t there just as dates or chaperones. The merch lines were monstrously long, rivaling ones at the recent Blackpink stadium shows.
Once the curtain — or rather, the jumbotron — rose, the distinctness was even more apparent. There was a full live band in support, rare not only in K-pop but also in rap. Despite having 12 backup dancers, G-Dragon himself was just vibing onstage without adhering to any rigorous routine, for the most part, projecting a benign aloofness throughout. But unlike American rappers, there was an undeniable physical component to his performance. This was a seasoned artist comfortable in his skin and assured in his craft.
The entirety of his latest album, Übermensch, made the setlist. The 20 songs chosen also included greatest hits from his previous two albums and two EPs. Starting off the set were his two most recent smashes, “Power” and “Home Sweet Home,” which was not unusual for K-pop; Western performers tend to save those for closers. The studio version of the latter featured his bandmates Taeyang and Daesung, but here G-Dragon had to go at it alone. Fortunately, fans knew the missing parts well and filled in without being prompted.
GALAXY CORPORATION
G-Dragon at The Prudential Center.
Despite wearing shades onstage, G-Dragon seemed more amped up than usual in a jacket that looked like a bouquet of red roses. Speaking in English, he commanded: “If you don’t mind, just show me how much you love me.”
After basking in the screams for a moment, he added, “Take your time.”
When he spoke of his eight-year hiatus from the stage, someone in the audience shouted, “Bigbang!” To which G-Dragon replied, “I like Bigbang. But tonight is mine.” He did eventually tease Bigbang’s return in 2026. (It is not known if T.O.P, who has pivoted to acting and starred in the last two seasons of “Squid Game” as rapper Thanos, will participate.)
Unexpectedly, the most outrageous costume during the show had to be the red suit with the straw hat. It was a truly lost-in-translation cultural moment. G-Dragon didn’t even bother to keep up with the lip sync at this point. He finally did some proper choreography in this fit. Then again, the performance with him was about the whole package, not just vocals. All the perspiration seemed to get to him, though, as he was constantly drying himself with a towel and flipping his hair back toward the end of the show.
MARTIN TSAI
G-Dragon at The Prudential Center.
Live musicians seemed superfluous at first, given some of the pre-recorded vocals. But the band jazzed up the arrangements a bit, riffing off The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” during “Who You?” as well as Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” in “Too Bad.”
G-Dragon twice walked around the runway and the B-stage, occasionally taking selfies with fans. Some in the audience rushed down the stairs in anticipation, only to be dispersed by security. Nevertheless, a number of them attempted this again. The tour’s setlist apparently doesn’t change from night to night, so of course they were anticipating their chances.
Though this was a visibly more mature crowd, the fanaticism showed no signs of having faded with age.
G-Dragon will present his second show at The Prudential Center in Newark, Aug. 23 at 8 p.m. Visit ticketmaster.com.
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