It was a rainy day in Thailand when Epik High greeted fans at Chaengwattana Hall, an off-beat, medium-sized event space a little north of Bangkok. Tickets to the show were all seated, but that went wholly ignored as soon as Tablo yelled, “Everybody, get up!” a few beats into 'Prequel'; masks still on, the crowd complied and cheered loudly in response.

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“It’s great to be back!” Tablo had then gone on to say. It’s loaded with feelings following more than two years apart and considering Epik High almost didn't make it here. 

Prior to the show, he had tweeted about some trouble they encountered while preparing to depart Australia. Fans had reached out to help them out then and the issue was thankfully resolved. Now, fans on another side of the ocean were eager to discover what went on. 

 "So. Right before we got to Thailand, we were in Australia,” the story began. “Maybe about 6, 7, 8 hours before I had to get to the airport to fly over here, I discovered something…” a pregnant pause, “...and I will tell you a little later."

The collective groan across the hall was palpable but mixed with fond laughter. Fans had already spent years anticipating Epik High’s return on stage; waiting a few more songs for a story was nothing, and they more than gladly danced along as the trio performed ‘Here’.

A lasting connection 

Jo, a fan who flew in from the Philippines, mentioned having been a bit worried about travelling abroad again, but she knew she had to see them. "The last concert I attended before the world shut down was a solo trip to see the Epik High Sleepless tour in Singapore in 2019. So, it is only fitting that the first group I went to see as the world cautiously opens up again is Epik High."

It spoke a lot of Epik High's connection with their fans worldwide. Throughout the show, it was clear how good this relationship was, through the ease with which the back and forth between the group and the crowd played out, how openly the audience could laugh at the trio's antics, and how engrossed everyone was in the music. At some point during ‘Burj Khalifa’, the guys grabbed a handful of bottles and splashed the front rows with water – an indoor rain shower to match the weather outside. 

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Later, Tablo would raise the mic again and continue where he had left off: “And so I open my bag, getting ready, and oh my god. My passport!” Audible gasps resound from the crowd. “To be continued.” And another round of protest and laughter throughout the hall. “It’s a long story, to be continued. Episode two – done. Episode three, coming soon.” 

Keeping it real

We go to concerts because nothing beats a live music experience, but it’s always a welcome bonus when the artists’ MC time is just as fun. I found myself looking forward to the breaks as much as I did to every song. 

“I have a list called The Best Cities of the World,” Tukutz informed the audience from behind his deck during one of their spiels. “And Bangkok… is the best city in THE WORLD.” Tablo poked back: “So you have a list, and it just says ‘Bangkok’.” When it was Mithra’s turn to greet their fans, Tablo interpreted for him, and I could hear the Korean fans behind me laugh at the deliberate inaccuracy. 

It was obvious how much the rest of the audience thrilled in these MC breaks, too, not only in anticipation of the passport story but because of the perfect blend of humour and earnestness that Tablo, Mithra, and DJ Tukutz expressed. Whether you’ve been following them for a long time or have just gotten to know them recently, there was no denying how much the trio, too, loved engaging with their fans. Just as well, no experience with Epik High could compare to seeing with your own eyes the bond they have with each other. 

Episode three of Epik High’s Australia misadventure was all about how Tablo had informed the other two about his mishap and how they scrambled to contact the South Korean embassy and the airline to help solve the problem. But once again, he cut it off to shift to a more important story: The story of Jeongsik Kim, a little boy who was so unloved but went on to create K-Pop, and was there with us that day as an old, tired, and angry man… 

At this point, as ‘One’ played, DJ Tukutz himself took centre stage to dance as Tablo informed the audience, “This is true K-pop Dance!” 

Epik High will always be here 

During 'Fan', we were treated to the trio's full-scale K-Pop Dance performance, which became the perfect number to enter the final chapter of the story we'd all been dying to hear. 

“I thought, oh my god, we’re screwed. I have destroyed the tour,” Tablo exclaimed, recounting how they had gone back upstairs at the airport information booth, to check what else could be done. “And then, one of the people that were with me said, ‘Why don’t you ask her,’” he continued while gesturing, “So I went and asked ‘her’, and I’m like, ‘I lost a passport,’ and she’s like, ‘Brown wallet?’ and I’m like, ‘YES!’” 

And the crowd cheered loudly as they learned how Tablo and his passport were finally, finally reunited. “Shout out to April at Virgin Australia for saving the tour!”

Thank you, April, indeed. The last half hour of the show was a positively overwhelming rush of energy, from fans chanting along to 'High Technology' and jumping around as the trio makes it rain indoors once again. The hype did not die down once throughout the show, powered by the music, the laughter, and the bonds that brought everyone in that hall together. It made it no doubt that watching Epik High in concert was always going to be the time of your life.  

EPIK HIGH LIVE IN BANGKOK 2022 SETLIST:

'Here'

'Prequel'

'Fly'

'Face ID'

'Rosario'

'정당방위'

'BURJ KHALIFA'

'Super Rare'

'새벽에'

'Bleed'

'LOVE LOVE LOVE'

'ONE'

'FAN'

'High Technology'

'New Beautiful'

'Don’t Hate Me'

'No Thankxxx'

'Born hater'