RENOWNED for its “hip-hop poetry”, Korean rap group Epik High, with a career spanning 21 years, finally returned to Malaysia for a concert after two years. The Epik High The Pump Tour Asia 2024 Kuala Lumpur show at HGH Convention Centre recently attracted nearly a thousand attendees. The concert started with the song Pretty Much + Antihero, instantly sending fans into a frenzy.
Epik High, comprising Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz, delivered a non-stop performance featuring a set list of more than 20 songs. Alongside its hit tracks such as Fly, No Thanxxx, One, Kill This Love and New Beautiful, the trio also performed most songs from their latest album Pump, including Pretty Much, Antihero, Late Checkout, Group Chat Freestyle and K-Drama.
Its leader Tablo served as the concert’s translator, engaging with fans in English. He praised the enthusiastic Kuala Lumpur fans and highlighted the delicious food and friendly, beautiful people of Malaysia. Tablo also frequently showed his affection for the audience by making heart gestures.
The all-standing format kept fans dancing and jumping for two hours straight, creating a great atmosphere. During the 11th song Burj Khalifa, Tablo even sprayed water on the fans to “cool them down”.
A duet with Big Bang’s Taeyang on Eyes, Nose, Lips took the concert to another high. At one point, Tablo jumped into Mithra Jin’s arms, who spun him around on stage, causing Tablo to jokingly complain about dizziness. Mithra Jin teased him, calling it “K-Drama”. Tablo humorously shared how Mithra Jin had bruised him by hugging him too tightly during the Taipei concert, drawing laughter from the fans.
Tablo and Mithra Jin moved into the audience while performing Love Love Love, getting up close with fans. Tablo even climbed onto a chair in the media area, singing and taking selfies with fans’ phones.
Tablo further highlighted his easy rapport with fans by informing a fan about receiving urgent notifications from someone named David when recording with her phone, suggesting she check her messages.
He also shared a past incident, in which he recorded a song on a fan’s phone only to be told later he had not pressed the record button, which he found embarrassing.
After sharing the incident, Tablo then humorously reminded the same fan to check David’s messages, noting he had seen an angry emoji, making the moment unforgettable for her.
Epik High ended its performance by tossing signed white T-shirts into the crowd, promising to return soon to Malaysia, which the group described as its “new home”.
