Big Bang celebrates 20th anniversary with cathartic Goyang concert, teases more music

GOYANG, Gyeonggi — K-pop legend Big Bang celebrated its 20th debut anniversary with a concert series over the weekend after fans waited months in anticipation for the milestone, teasing more new music following its latest release, “BiiiG.”

The “XX: Cosmos” world tour kickoff took place at Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi from Friday to Sunday — Big Bang’s first tour as a group in nine years since the “Last Dance” tour. The three-night run drew more than 100,000 people.

“We started in 2006, and now here we are in 2026,” G-Dragon said about 40 minutes into Sunday’s concert, drawing deafening cheers from the crowd.

The group also teased more music following its latest release, “BiiiG,” which dropped Wednesday, the date of its Aug. 19 anniversary. The song topped several streaming charts, including Melon’s Top 100, and drew the largest number of first-hour listeners of any song released on the Korean platform this year.

“If we were to call it a day after ‘BiiiG,’ that wouldn’t even be big — it would be small,” Taeyang said near the end of the show, hinting that more releases may be on the way.

The concert's 32-song setlist began with “Fantastic Baby,” the group’s 2016 electronic dance hit, and spanned classic tracks such as “Lies” (2007) and “Haru Haru” (2008), as well as solo and subunit releases, including Daesung's "Universe" (2025).

The concert featured a live band session led by music producer Wow Jones, who previously worked with U.S. pop stars such as Usher, Rihanna and Post Malone.

Big Bang debuted under YG Entertainment with the single “Bigbang” on Aug. 19, 2006. The band initially consisted of G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri.

Seungri left the group in 2019 after authorities discovered that he had been involved in the "Burning Sun" scandal, for which he was later convicted on charges related to gambling and prostitution.

After years of hiatus, Big Bang returned as a four-member act in April 2022 with “Still Life,” its first group release in about four years. T.O.P then left the group in 2023, leaving Big Bang with its current three-member lineup: G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung.

Following the Goyang concerts, Big Bang will embark on a large-scale world tour spanning 33 shows across 19 cities in North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia.

Update, Aug. 23: Added comments from Big Bang members during the concert, update the headline

BY SHIN HA-NEE [[email protected]]