The Fourth Dementia: Let's bring it back to Big Bang

Clearly I lied about posting more frequently, but what can I say; I have issues with commitment.

Despite being about midway through February now, I'm going to rewind this all back to the Big Bang concert because it was in fact the most incredible experience in time.

I had to travel to the concert by myself because among my friends who actually enjoy Kpop and live in my area, I'm essentially the only YG stan and the only one who was willing to pay that kind of money to see Big Bang. Naturally I would have paid double that because they're my bias group and because T.O.P.

...even though it took me a month to pay off because stupid wage.

*goes mad*

T.O.P is my bias but to be honest, since the concert I've decided I love them all so much that they all just kill me outright. Through the weeks leading up to the concert I had so many bad dreams that I had gone to London without my ticket or slept through the entire day (this is what they do to me. Lord help me). Luckily I arrived in London - ticket in hand - and checked into the hotel with my friend Leon. I can't even remember the name of the hotel, but it was right next to the Wembly arena. We arrived on the Friday so that we could just chill and not have to worry about rushing about everywhere, so we had time to check out the venue beforehand, but, being the boneheads we were, we took the wrong path and ended up walking around the entire outside of Wembly football stadium and up and down the stairs in an attempt to get to the arena. Turns out, our hotel was just around the corner in the other direction. Huh, go figure...
When we finally found the venue, we sat outside for a bit (because lazy) and oh my GOD there were sooo many fans turning up about an hour+ late.
HOW CAN YOU DO THAT?!

It baffles me - how can one pay so much money for travel and tickets and such then just amble in an hour late (some of them just walked up to the door casually as though it was nothing), for Big Bang nonetheless. It pained me.
So much.
After about an hour of being lazy and just loitering outside and checking it out, we walked back to the hotel (the short way round this time...) which meant we walked past the side doors, and to be completely truthful I nearly peed because as we passed, you could hear Daesung belting out a high note. We did come back later as the concert was ending so that we could meet with our friends Emma and Kola - we also took the chance to purchase our light-sticks.

Fast forward to the next day, and after plenty of spazzing out and some minor alcohol consumption , we made our way to the venue again and began the painfully long queuing process; I act like we were there forever, but we only queued about four/five hours (we spent a few hours before that just hanging about and chatting to our friends that we met outside and visiting the Samsung marquee where they gave us free flashing Big Bang bangles and a badge with our photo on) - there were tons of people there before us, but we still got pretty close to the front once we were inside. It was just painfully cold out there, so I feel entitled to whinge about it. It was still totally worth verging on frostbite for. When we got inside everyone in the standing area was sat on the floor. Big Bang MVs were playing on the big screens and the fans were all singing along, usual stuff. It was only then that it really hit me that I was about to see Big Bang and T.O.P - through the whole queue I kept asking Leon if it was really real.
It was really real and I thought I was going to be sick if I'm perfectly honest.

Being about two rows behind the barrier, we got a pretty good view as the opened up with a video short in which Big Bang fall to earth in their capsule things, and then they opened up, the curtain dropped and Big Bang themselves crossed onto the stage. I don't think I've ever heard so much noise, the room just exploded and lit up with all the yellow light-sticks. If you're a kpop fan, one of the more emotional things is when you look back on pictures of the concert and it's a yellow ocean, and being able to see images of that yellow ocean all over the world (yellow for Big Bang anyway).

For fear of making this post a million scrolls long, I shall shorten this to "Every single song was god damn amazing and my heart nearly burst in everyone's faces". Although I must say, one song that touched me in particular was Haru Haru (I'm sure that many people who attended would agree that the sentimentality of this song was incredible) - after the song intro, Taeyang invited the fans to join in - "Come on, you all know the words"- and the fans all joined in entirely with the acoustic version of the song. At one point they pretty much ceased singing while the fans carried the song and Taeyang made "oooh" sounds to get it out of his system. I could have cried an ocean. Actually, I did cry. The moment T.O.P ventured before me on stage I just exploded into tears *no shame*. He has that effect on me.
T.O.P ...

Seungri was the comic of the entire show, with his stereotypical renditions of an old English person.
"YOU ALRIGHT?!"
He also forgot what he was saying half way through...
"The best group... Oh, sorry".
It was pretty endearing how proud he looked of himself for making lame jokes. He did have everyone laughing their tits off though, so he can have that - he can also be happy about his solo performance of "strong baby". He just reeks of sex appeal, it's not even funny. Seungri and Taeyang definitely gave the best fan-service - they were having all the fun in the world being utter fools and it was great. GD and T.O.P got out their segways for "knockout", and Taeyang had to make do with a lame bicycle, but he clearly knew when he was outdone because he soon gave up. He made up for it though by doing a sexy hey performance of "Wedding dress", meanwhile tearing his shirt off and throwing himself into a back-flip. One thing I found completely hilarious is that...well, I've always known GD has a really nasally voice when he talks (I've waited so long to hear that peg nose and it was boss hurr hurr - I think it's one of his charms) but I didn't realize just how strong it was in person. The second thing was that Taeyang was exactly the same: In reality though, I don't know if it had something to do with the fact he was a bit ill and had a bloody nose rag jammed up his nostril the night before. Kudos to him for that though, really.

Throughout the concert, I felt that GD didn't do much in the way of trying to make himself stand out, but he didn't even have to try - his stage presence is just something else. He could have been doing the smallest thing in the corner and all eyes are on him. He did speak to the crowd during one interval and the odd piece of banter, but nothing on the amount Seungri was throwing out - he also told everyone to move back, since it was rather riotous in the standing area (I only just sweated more than I cried, it was suffocating in there and rammed like a sardine tin) and he sounded either high or like he had prince syndrome, bless his cottons. Daesung's solo was an example of him in his forte - he sang his solo "Wings", and dear lord those high notes. How can such a small guy make so much sound? I don't even understand. I got the feeling somewhat that T.O.P was really tired and that he was struggling to show as much energy as the others, but that didn't stop it from being utterly amazing to see him perform, or him from performing flawlessly - we even got to see a little sample of his chooming.

Towards the end of the show, they went backstage and seriously, I must have been the only person who didn't think they were coming out again because I just slumped in shock and despair and an overwhelming sense of pure joy all at once thinking the show was completely over. I turned around to motion to Leon that it was time to leave. The fans were still chanting away, but I was just thought `they always do that, nothing's gonna happen` but then it did and dear god am I happy I didn't leave. Big Bang ran back out asking if we wanted some more. And thus with a final flourish and the biggest explosion of streamers and confetti I've ever seen (it was so thick, I was blinded by silver) they performed the encore and bade everyone farewell as they left the stage to the cacophony of thousands of screaming fans. It actually felt like I'd woken up from the perfect dream - I was speechless and totally emotional.

I didn't get many photos because the light-sticks and shoving made it a little difficult, but my friend Gigi got some.