Epik High have certainly had a remarkable 2022 thus far – from the release of the finale of their stand-out album Epik High Is Here, to their glorious return to the Coachella stage – and they aren’t showing signs of slowing down any time soon. The trio kicked off the Asia-Pacific leg of their EPIK HIGH IS HERE tour at the Sands Grand Ballroom at Marina Bay Sands last Saturday with a roaring start – and I mean both literally and metaphorically. 

Given that the show marked one of the first few live concerts to take place since the start of the pandemic and Epik High’s return to the country after their last show in 2019, the crowd was ever-ready to welcome them, chanting along to the pre-concert playlist before the show had even started. 

Despite having gotten lost whilst walking around the city earlier in the day, Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz took the stage promptly at 7.02 pm, opening with ‘Here’ and ‘Prequel’ to the raucous cheers of the crowd. They then eased into their set with the spirited ‘Fly’, further rousing an already-energetic crowd. 

After a brief opening ment where the group expressed their joy at finally being back to perform live in the country, they quickly delved into critically-acclaimed hits ‘Face ID’, ‘Rosario’, and ‘In Self-Defense’. Not wanting to put a damper on the mood with the downbeat tones of the tracks, the trio then staged an eclectic performance of ‘Burj Khalifa’.

An Epik High concert isn’t complete without comedy, typically in the form of unrelenting, witty dad jokes (initiated by Tablo) and humorous interactions amongst the group members (also initiated by Tablo). The second ment saw Tablo teasing his bandmates and deliberately mistranslating their words – which didn’t go unnoticed by the audience – and smoothly delivering a multitude of dad jokes that left the crowd in fits and led into the next set of songs: ‘Super Rare’, ‘Eternal Sunshine’, ‘Bleed’ and ‘Love Love Love’.

The jokes didn’t stop there, however. Stopping to take a breather, Tablo announced that the show hadn’t even hit its peak: A display of DJ Tukutz’s dance skills. “I don’t know how much you paid for your ticket, but I know that twenty percent of that was to see (DJ) Tukutz dance. And tonight, just for Singapore, he will dance five times as hard (cue DJ Tukutz’s confused “what?” in the background) so that your ticket is basically free– no, he will dance ten times as hard, so you will walk out of here (dramatic pause) actually having been paid.”, Tablo jested before continuing the show with fan-favourites ‘One’ and ‘Fan’. 

By now, the concert venue – despite its formal, elegant appearance – had already been turned into a proper rave, and it only got more thrilling as the trio traversed through a holy trinity of their upbeat, poppy commercially-acclaimed hits ‘High Technology’, ‘New Beautiful’, and ‘Don’t Hate Me’ after bidding their farewells to the crowd (in true comedic Epik High fashion, of course).

Had the concert ended there and then, it would’ve been on a high but a little amiss, seeing as there was still the encore left. The 1 hour 30 minute show ended on a high with a short encore consisting of ‘NO THANXXX’ and ‘Born Hater’, toning down the mood considerably but still leaving fans chiming in and singing along to notable lines.  

First show is Saturday & we’re still making changes to the setlist. We wanna make sure you have the greatest time ever. #EpikHighIsHereTour

— tablo (@blobyblo) July 7, 2022

Just two days before the show was set to take place, Tablo tweeted that the group was still making changes to the setlist to ensure that fans would have “the greatest time ever”. And hell, did they deliver – deftly taking the audience through their best-selling hits spanning the course of their career thus far. My only gripe is that I wish the concert had been just a bit longer, probably due to the lack of live concerts over the past three years, but more so to see them do their thing on stage even longer. 

SINGAPORE x EPIK HIGH FAMILY PORTRAIT ❤️❤️❤️ You are our family now!!! pic.twitter.com/93tainjIac

— tablo (@blobyblo) July 9, 2022

Epik High remains one of, if not the best, that Korean Hip-Hop has to offer, and this concert (as well as the stunning year they’ve had so far) is a testament to that; Whether it was flawlessly spitting bars despite not being able to hear themselves, or entertaining the crowd in between sets, the trio’s years of experience shone. Twenty percent of the ticket price paid might have gone to seeing DJ Tukutz dance, but the remaining eighty percent was definitely to bear witness to the unmatched talent of Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz, both as individuals and a collective, and I eagerly await the next opportunity we get to see it again, be it through a new album or tour.

Setlist:

1. Here 
2. Prequel
3. Fly
4. Face ID
5. Rosario
6. In Self-Defense
7. Burj Khalifa 
8. Super Rare
9. Eternal Sunshine
10. Bleed
11. Love Love Love
12. One
13. Fan
14. High Technology
15. New Beautiful
16. Don’t Hate Me

Encore:

1. NO THANXXX
2. Born Hater

Special thanks to CK Star Entertainment for the invite.