OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) -- Helen Lee and Jina Lee drove six-plus hours from Los Angeles to the Bay Area on the morning of BIGBANG's Saturday night show at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. To celebrate its momentous 20th anniversary, BIGBANG is back on its first world tour in nearly a decade. How ever, when the tour was announced in June, there were surprisingly only two U.S. cities on the schedule: two shows in Oakland and one at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Helen and Jina were definitely not the only ones to travel for either Friday or Saturday's shows. Some even traveled from Canada. Oakland being the exclusive West Coast stop made Saturday a can't-miss evening for VIPs, BIGBANG's official fandom name. This weekend is also the group's first concert in the Bay Area. The now-trio group of G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung is even bigger than before. The members came out to the Oakland outdoor stadium stage in aura-farming-esque white outfits as bona fide global music stars. (L-R) G-Dragon, Daesung and Taeyang of BIGBANG perform at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Oakland is one of two U.S. stops on the K-pop group's comeback tour. (KRON4 Photo) BIGBANG started with a bang, performing its 2012 hit "Fantastic Baby," around 8:13 p.m. A few songs later, they played "Loser," marking the first time members got off the stage to interact with the barricaded crowd. Towards the end of the first act, the trio compared Saturday's crowd to Friday's (a date added later due to overwhelming demand for Saturday). "Absolutely better than yesterday, right?" Taeyang asked his agreeing bandmates as the crowd cheered in the background. How Oakland venue became the Bay Area’s unofficial home for K-pop Taeyang then commented on how the evening in Oakland gets chilly -- all to set up a joke for his screaming fans. "It's our first time in Oakland, so like I told you yesterday, the night in Oakland was pretty cold. So I almost caught a cold," he said. "But fortunately, VIP make this place hot, so I was okay." After Act I, each member had a solo set, starting with Daesung. His three-song set included "Universe," a high-energy rock anthem that showcased the singer's powerful vocals. Daesung tends to be overlooked in comparison to his more famous bandmates, so that showcase of vocal range caught some by surprise. Taeyang was up next and sang two songs off his 2026 album "Quintessence," "Bad" and "Live Fast Die Slow," with the latter getting heavy crowd involvement for its English-filled hook. He also threw it back with 2014's "Ringa Linga." G-Dragon was the last of the solo sets, living up to the billing as the rapper of BIGBANG. He was dressed in opulence: a big furry Chanel hat, leopard-print jacket and designer handbag across his shoulder. The "King of K-pop" performed "Power," "Crayon" and "Crooked. Then comes Act III, which appears to reveal that the entire crowd had already peeped at the setlist and knew what song was coming next. "Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh." The crowd began to chant to kill the silence inside the stadium as it waited for BIGBANG to come out. They were right. "Bang Bang Bang" was indeed next. Later, BIGBANG performed its newest song "Biiig," the group's first release in four years, with "Home Sweet Home" right after to end the final act. Before the encore of the roughly two-and-a-half-hour show, the members took some time to reflect on 20 years of BIGBANG. Despite the departure of two original members, T.O.P and Seungri, G-Dragon believes BIGBANG is back and bigger than ever. "BIGBANG is truly back, through the biggest world tour we've ever had," the 38-year-old icon said to the crowd. "No matter what happens, some things never change, like us. To all my VIPs, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much." G-Dragon added that he is figuring out a "master plan to bring our golden days back." BIGBANG was previously on tour in the United States more than 10 years ago but only then selling out indoor arenas half the size. In part due to the massive success of G-Dragon's and Taeyang's respective solo careers, the group has captured a new generation of fans. When will BIGBANG be back in the Bay Area/California? Some fans treated Saturday night as potentially the final time they will see BIGBANG live on tour. "I feel like not a lot of groups last this long as long as BIGBANG did," Helen said. "I'm going to celebrate as if it's their last hurrah." Setlist Fantastic Baby Hands Up Blue Loser If You Bad Boy Bae Bae Haru Haru Lies Daesung solo Universe Wings Hando Chogua Taeyang solo s G-Dragon solo Power Crayon Crooked Bang Bang Bang Stupid Liar Sober We Like 2 Party Biig Home Sweet Home Encore My Heaven Sunset Glow Red Sunset Last Farewell Feeling Flower Road Still Life ...read more read less