Bang Yongguk’s III The US Tour 2024 brought a special experience to Marquee Theatre in April. The former B.A.P leader turned solo rapper and singer was out in support of his latest EP and curated a setlist that pulled from old favorites and plenty of new music.
Marquee Theatre converted into a seated venue for the evening but fans were still encouraged to stand up and dance in their designated areas. Lightsticks and flashlights appeared in abundance to wave in time to Yongguk’s beats as he had his DJ kick off the set with a mashup intro of hip hop classics.
Taking the stage in a haze of purple light, Yongguk had the crowd screaming along to “OFF” and “Xie Xie”. He then mixed in “IXLU” and “Numb” from the new EP and seemed pleasantly surprised at the enthusiastic response to the new music. Yongguk was soft-spoken between songs, speaking in both Korean and English to express his gratitude to the fans and get them hyped up for the rest of the show.
Songs like “Journey” and “Up” had everyone moving and swaying before the final section of the set arrived. With the triple kill of “Buss It Down”, “Movimiento” and “Bad”, the end of the night was the most energetic and the fans did not want Yongguk to exit that stage. He made sure to return after hearing the room’s cheering, concluding with an encore of “Green” and “Orange Drive”.
With more and more Korean acts making their way to the US and even a small fraction of those visiting Arizona, fans are delighted to catch more of their favorite acts so close to home. Bang Yongguk’s tour stop may have been lowkey, but it’s shows like these that pave the way for even more to come- we hope he makes another visit to Phoenix on his next tour.
