Fans in Houston, TX have been waiting to see BANG YONGGUK (Yongguk) since his 2012 debut, and they were not left disappointed when he finally stopped in the city for his III US Tour. The Korean rapper and singer first debuted as the leader and main rapper of K-Pop group, B.A.P, before officially debuting as a soloist in 2019. This tour marks his second US tour as a soloist, though he skipped Houston on his last tour in favor of Austin and Dallas. With this performance, he showed Houston fans it was worth the wait.

Yongguk refused to let fans be bored for even a minute before his performance. The DJ that accompanied him throughout his entire show riled fans up with heart-pumping bass tracks to get them ready for the moment Yongguk got on stage to perform his first song, “Off.”

From start to finish, the show was full of high energy and interactive moments. While Yongguk was not fluent in English, having to use a translator during longer speeches, he did his best to communicate with the audience however he could. Throughout the show, he would regularly yell things like, “I love Houston!” and introduced his fourth song by shouting, “Houston, let’s fucking ‘RACE’!”

Beyond his charming demeanor that makes him stand out, he is also ridiculously talented. In his boyband days, he was largely considered to be one of the best “idol rappers” in the industry, and he has only gotten better. Every song showed off his deep voice and powerful flow, but it was especially noticeable in songs like “Movimento” and “Orange Drive.” Furthering this testament, his vocals were clear and stable, even in the more challenging tracks like “NUMB.”

Even if he hadn’t directly told fans that they re-energized him after weeks on tour, it was obvious by the way his momentum increased throughout the show. This was likely due to how energetic fans were, even going as far as to scream uninterrupted for a solid minute. Some fans proudly carried their “Matoki” (B.A.P’s mascot) lightsticks with them, giving the crowd a neon green glow.

One of the show’s highlights was Yongguk’s performance of “AM 4:44,” a song off his first record about his inner struggles. It’s unique in that its lyrics are mostly in Korean with few English lines, yet his performance perfectly portrayed every emotion the lyrics conveyed, making the audience resonate with it despite not fully understanding it. It was a stage that left fans holding their breath in the end as they took in the unforgettable experience.

The latter half of his show was full of up-tempo songs that paired well with his ever-growing confidence. It was clear he was working with what the crowd was giving him as he playfully introduced one of his songs by shushing fans, whispering, “Shhhh, shut the fuck up,” before doing an acapella intro for “Yamazaki.” This only amplified when he performed “BUSS IT DOWN,” finally taking off the hoodie that had been hanging off his shoulders throughout the show. Fans barked at the sight of his arms and he matched their energy, throwing water on the crowd and making sexual gestures during the song.

Unfortunately, every amazing show will eventually end, and Yongguk left fans wanting more when he announced that his next song “Green” would be his final song. The stage was lit a bright green as he sang his farewell to his fans.

Fans, however, were not about to let him leave without at least attempting to get him to stay for a little while longer. Their chants of “one more song” quickly turned into “three more songs” before finally settling on “Bang Yong-guk.” It was during the loud cheers of his name that the lights dimmed, and he returned to the stage for three more songs. The encore was filled with cute crowd interactions, including one where four fans in the front row handed him cowboy hats, and he took every one of them. In the end, when he left the stage for good, fans were able to go home knowing they got everything they asked for and more.

Have you seen Bang Yong-guk on tour? What was your highlight of the concert? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by reaching out on Instagram or X (Twitter)!

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Edited by Martina Yee

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