BIGBANG Celebrate 20 Years at MetLife Stadium Concert: Best Moments

While BIGBANG are no strangers to massive concerts in North America, with past arena dates in cities like Los Angeles, Mexico City, Las Vegas, Toronto, Newark, and Anaheim, the ‘XX : COSMOS’ tour includes their first stadium shows in the States. That meant they could deliver an explosive set from the opening notes of their 2012 K-pop classic “Fantastic Baby,” opening the concert with pyrotechnics shooting out fire spurts and fireworks into the sky as G-Dragon delivered his opening lines.

The flashy pyro kept going and growing throughout the show, making the concert feel even more like a celebration of the boundary-breaking group’s two decades.

“Lies” is one of BIGBANG’s generation-defining K-pop hits, but it also briefly described Daesung when the group first addressed the crowd at the start of the show. When the singer-drummer asked, “It’s our first time in New Jersey, right?” G-Dragon and Taeyang quickly corrected him, as the band’s history in the state goes back to their 2012 Alive Galaxy Tour, when they were the first male K-pop group to play a U.S. arena, wowing New Jersey at the Prudential Center.

Famous for his dad jokes, Daesung then asked if that makes the state “Old Jersey for us?” with Taeyang only responding with a deadpan, “I can’t laugh at that.” Daesung ultimately course-corrected by saying, “So, every time when I come to New Jersey, I feel something new, so that’s why I can say it’s my first time in New Jersey, that’s why.”

After opening the show with slamming songs like “Fantastic Baby” and “Hands Up,” the lighthearted banter reminded everyone that these are three down-to-earth guys enjoying themselves on stage.

In a 2012 concert review, Billboard noted the connection between BIGBANG fans (affectionately known as VIPs) and the group, writing, “One got a sense of the fans’ dedication when BIGBANG dropped out singing to let concertgoers take the chorus to their hit song ‘Haru Haru.’ The fact that such a large East Coast venue could be filled with the lyrics of a song called ‘Haru Haru’ by the concertgoers is truly remarkable in and of itself.”

Fourteen years later, we’re happy to report — again — both BIGBANG and VIPs’ voices delivered, filling MetLife Stadium with the ballad’s bittersweet lyrics.

Earlier this year, Daesang pulled off the near-unbelievable spectacle of hearing Korea’s traditional trot music at Coachella. This time, the vocalist filled MetLife Stadium by closing his solo set with “HANDO-CHOGUA” (his 2025 trot single with a music video co-starring Sana of TWICE) with the crowd singing and shouting support the whole song.

Once again, it was a sight to not only hear the energetic, folky music style sung by a stadium full of East Coasters, but also to see huge Korean characters spelling out the song lyrics, undoubtedly encouraging even more of the audience to sing along and opening their eyes to learn more about an aspect of Korean culture beyond K-pop.

For the opening number of his solo tracks, Taeyang delivered a physically and visually stunning performance of “BAD” off his album QUINTESSENCE released this past May.

Within the first 30 seconds of the song, Taeyang stage-dived from the riser he was singing on into a horde of backup dancers clad in spiky, pineapple-like masks. Not missing a beat, he kept singing as the dancers hoisted him, performing for an overhead camera and creating a visual on the LED screens that made Taeyang look like a rockstar crowd-surfing in a sea of fierce-looking supporters.

While his bandmates stuck to more traditional renditions of their solo hits, G-Dragon’s section saw him reimagining several of his past hits.

His 2024 comeback track “POWER” got a reggaeton remix (as the stage lit up with a neon jungle backdrop), while 2012 hit “Crayon” replaced its trap beat with heavy live percussion (as the stage was drenched with a red-and-black church motif recalling the cover of the song’s accompanying Billboard 200–charting One of a Kind album), all offering refreshing takes on his material that also showcased his diverse musical range.

Despite the song’s title, “SOBER” ended up being one of the wildest moments of the night as the BIGBANG trio’s true brotherhood came out in full chaos.

Making faces and pointing directly into the camera lens, the guys clearly enjoyed themselves throughout the song. When Daesung took a moment to stand center stage and belt the last of the bridge, G-Dragon took it as an opportunity to grab his band mate’s legs and crawl through them to deliver his next lines. The cameraman did not miss a beat, catching GD pushing through Daesung’s leather pants, eliciting a wide-mouthed shocked smile from the singer as if he was birthing a Baby G-Dragon before our very eyes, with GD crawling out to sing his lines and eventually getting back on his feet.

Not to be outdone by the younger members, Taeyang took the opportunity to twist himself on the concert stage floor to deliver his chorus while melodramatically reaching for the camera and sticking out his tongue for his final chorus lines before the performance ended with canons of confetti and a full-stage kickline from the trio and their troupe of dancers.

Unhinged? Yes. Extremely fun? Extremely yes.

With a massive Coachella set, the new single “BiiiG” and this tour, BIGBANG’s 20th anniversary celebration has been in full swing throughout most of 2026. But in his final words to the MetLife Stadium audience, G-Dragon gave some big hints that more was on the way.

“This might sound a little personal, but since my solo comeback a couple years ago, I’ve been very careful, step by step, where I kept trying to figure out a master plan to bring our golden days back,” he shared. “Not just for me, but for all of us, and this is what it’s all about — finally, BIGBANG is so back. So, so back. Through the biggest world tour we’ve ever had, and tonight in New Jersey, we’re all here, together, again. It’s been 11 years; we only got one single out so far, and the show gotta keep going on and on, right?”

He closed his speech with a message of gratitude, saying, “No matter what happens, some things never change, like us. So, VIPs, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much. We love you so much; thank you for everything.”

With the MetLife Stadium show marking BIGBANG’s first show in the tri-state area in over a decade, and taking place on the historically significant 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, there were multiple moments showing love for New York City.

For the finale section of the concert, G-Dragon returned to the stage in a classic “I <3 NY” T-shirt, which he initially paired with a giant green mushroom before replacing it with one of the tour’s official trucker hats. Then, in the final moments of the show, fans gifted Taeyang a Statue of Liberty costume crown and torch, which the star touted proudly — and hilariously — as the band said goodbye to fans, standing there holding the torch like Lady Liberty herself.

Whether intentional or not, the lighthearted tributes to New York were well-received by the audience, who could see the two beams of light shining in tribute to the World Trade Center even in Jersey.

While BIGBANG spent a large part of the concert at MetLife Stadium thanking fans for sticking with them all these years, the guys also spent considerable time with fans during their performances of “Sunset Glow” and “Last Farewell” in the finale. The two ’00s singles saw the members head into the crowd to meet fans directly, take selfies, accept fan gifts, and have more fun interactions.

Twenty years into their careers, BIGBANG clearly feels comfortable enough to spend quality time with fans and doesn’t need to rush their interactions, as is sometimes typical in K-pop shows. Even those watching from the rafters had fun seeing all the ways BIGBANG and VIPs were meeting in person.

One of the most endearing moments came when Daesung shared a surprising comment about his health.

“I feel like I’m in the best shape ever — physically and mentally,” he said, with the mention of his mental health earning an extra whoop of support. He continued, “I think I’m in the best place I’ve ever been and you are a big part of that. Thank you, I love you. You’re so amazing, you’re unbeatable.”

While it’s more common for artists in and out of the K-pop scene to speak more openly about their mental health today, BIGBANG has traditionally not been as candid about such experiences during their overseas concerts. Seeing Daesung not only in prime health but also wanting to share that with the MetLife Stadium audience was another moment worth celebrating.

While BIGBANG’s membership has downsized from five to three in the last decade for various reasons, the final song of the night was “Still Life,” which the group introduced as “the story of BIGBANG.” It was also the last song the group recorded with member T.O.P before his exit, and his rap section was still included in the performance, eliciting a sizable cheer from the audience.

Earlier this year, T.O.P shared his feelings about the group today with Billboard, saying, “The members of BIGBANG and I make very different kinds of music now, but I’ll always support and respect their music.” With seemingly no bad blood between them professionally, including T.O.P for “Still Life” as the concert’s final song felt like a true tribute to the group’s 20-year history and a way for fans to say goodbye to the group’s former rapper in a meaningful way.

In many cultures around the world, a bow is a sign of respect, with the deeper the bow traditionally representing a deeper sense of regard and gratitude. While nearly every Korean performer will end their show with at least one bow to their audience, BIGBANG gave the MetLife Stadium crowd some of the highest forms of respect.

While closing out the concert after the setlist’s final song, “Still Life,” Daesung took his final moment in the center of the runway stage in the middle of the audience to deliver 90-degree bows to his right, to his left and to the center to show his gratitude to every person in the stadium. Taeyang and G-Dragon took things a step further with both getting on their knees and bringing their heads to the floor in the kind of deep bow that’s rarely seen in overseas shows, likely due to the cultural differences.

By showing true gratitude and humility for such superstars, BIGBANG’s deep bows being the final visuals for the concert show how important it was to leave fans with the highest sign of respect and thanks.