<<Epik High Invades North America With Impressive Tour>>
<Korea Daily Attends Los Angeles Concert For Group’s First North American Tour in Six Years>
by Mandy Day (Photos by Hien Le)
Korean hip-hop is finally beginning to gain the foothold in the United States and Canada that K-Pop has long held. Epik High’s well-deserved popularity has paid off for stateside fans who were finally granted a tour spanning major metropolitan areas across the continent. From Dallas to Vancouver, and Toronto to Atlanta, Epik High’s 2015 Tour expanded on the trail normally paved by Korean musicians who tour in North America.
Near the western edge of Koreatown in Los Angeles lies The Wiltern Theater, host of Epik High’s second stop on the tour. Hours before the concert doors opened, fans were lined up around the block, awaiting a performance showcasing most of the group’s hit songs, and a few lesser known tracks like “High Technology” which left many fans unfamiliar with the lyrics.
The show was electrifying from the first note to the very last. Dumbfoundead, a Korean American rapper native to LA’s Koreatown, pumped up an already exuberant crowd of several thousand. As Epik High proceeded to the stage, fans were ecstatic that their long wait for a live performance was about to end. Comical moments with DJ Tukutz’s dancing and Tablo teasing Mithra about his single life broke up a long list of hits.
Fans and media in the front sections spent almost the entirety of the show avoiding the destructive forces of water flung from the stage. Though this writer is still stinging from the interruption of the song “It’s Cold” halfway through for more upbeat songs (a trick technical difficulty used throughout the tour), the group redeemed itself by closing out the show with “Don’t Hate Me” during the encore.
Overall, the concert was a smashing success. After speaking with a few fans, only one question for Epik High remains. When will they come back?
Photo 1: EPIK HIGH
Photo 2: Rapper Tablo (foreground), Mithra (back)
Photo 3: Rapper/Singer Tablo (aka Haru’s dad)
About writer: Mandy Day is a native San Diegan and Korean Culture writer for Korea Daily. She organizes the San Diego Korean Language Exchange and hopes to move to Korea to teach English in the coming months. Someday, she hopes to utilize her education in Public Policy and East Asian Studies toward a rewarding career in public service with ample opportunities to travel.
