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Big Bang draws 87,000 fans on N. American tour
SEOUL (Yonhap) — Tens of thousands of K-pop fans flocked to watch South Korean boy band Big Bang on their North American tour earlier this month, the group’s management agency said Wednesday.
The North American leg of the world tour “Made,” named after the word spelled by four singles released in succession earlier this year — “M,” “A,” “D” and “E” — drew a total of 87,000 people, YG Entertainment said in a statement.
Commenced in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Oct. 2, the tour held two shows each in the U.S. states of California and New Jersey before wrapping up in the Canadian city of Toronto on Tuesday.
In Toronto, the quintet opened with “Bang Bang Bang,” followed by “If You,” “Loser” and “Sober,” three tracks from the latest album, “Made.” Some other hits performed were “Blue,” “Haru Haru” and “Fantastic Baby,” the agency said.
“A night with BigBang is a loud reminder that American exceptionalism is waning,” wrote The New York Times on Monday after a show in Newark, New Jersey.
Billboard also praised the show as having “created a powerful statement that positions (Big Bang) not as the boy band of the future anymore, but as five individuals that are separately complex, but together an undeniable supergroup.”
Big Bang is next scheduled to hold concerts in two Australian cities — Saturday and Sunday in Sydney and next Wednesday in Melbourne.