‘ACT III: M.O.T.T.E’: Superstar G-Dragon and Kwon Ji Yong’s Self Presentation

Four years after his last solo concert in Jakarta, rapper and singer-songwriter G-Dragon has once again performed for Indonesian V.I.Ps, this time through the “G-DRAGON 2017 WORLD TOUR ACT III: M.O.T.T.E IN JAKARTA” show at Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) BSD City, Tangerang on September 3.

That night, the star who was mainly dressed in bright chili red color presented the show in three parts, namely the Act I, Act II and Act III. During the first act, he performed songs from his earlier days of career, such as Heartbreaker, Breathe, A Boy, But I Love You, and Obsession. In the second part, the BIGBANG leader did solo performances of songs from mini album One of a Kind and second album COUP D’ETAT. Among the songs were MichiGO, One of a Kind, R.O.D, That XX, Black (feat. Sky Ferreira version), Missing You, WHO YOU?, I Love It, Today and Crayon. The R.O.D stage had particularly attracted the audience for featuring G-Dragon’s labelmate CL.

In the last part of the show, G-Dragon performed all songs from his latest album Kwon Ji Yong. Fan projects were also carried during this segment of the show.

Through “M.O.T.T.E” Jakarta, G-Dragon has once again showcased his prowess as a performer with more than 10 years of experience. Despite from having to perform on a very simple stage that was comprised of only five huge LED screens-partly stage lift and basic concert effects, G-Dragon was still able to hype up a constantly jumping, screaming crowd together with his dancers and accompanying live band for almost two hours.

Another notable thing from the show was how the rapper tried to convey both the superstar persona G-Dragon and his private self Kwon Ji Yong to the audience. In a monologue VCR, the star plaintively said that he was not sure about how to introduce himself. “The person you see on the screen right now is, to someone, a son, a friend, a love, or maybe a favorite star, celebrity. But the important thing is I’m not even sure who I really am,” he said.

“I am always trying to look good when I dress up as ‘GD’ like this. But the reality is sometimes it feels too heavy on me. Still, I’m kind of afraid to take it off,” he also stated.

The difference between his celebrity persona and private self was also addressed in a special VCR by family and closest relations, namely bandmate Taeyang and Daesung, labelmates Sandara Park, CL, PSY, Se7en, entertainer Jung Hyung Don, Vogue Editor Suzy Menkes and artist Verbal among many. Verbal expressed that G-Dragon’s private life is “more human as opposed to the superstar image”. “That’s probably why the duality of the different character is what’s attractive. When you meet him, he’s just super cool,” he said.

The “M.O.T.T.E” world tour may be G-Dragon’s last tour before enlisting in the military next year. In one of his last ment sessions, G-Dragon expressed his wish to visit Indonesia again with his BIGBANG bandmates, although he still didn’t know when. “I hope it will be soon,” he said.

Big thanks to IME Indonesia for making it possible for us to witness the show!

Photo credit: IME Indonesia
Written by: Masajeng Rahmiasri