My favorite part about the MAMAs (Mnet Asian Music Awards) is the video footage that comes from the event. Fans around the world get to see high quality live performances from many of their favorite artists. While weekly shows like M!Countdown and Music Bank provide coverage for new hits, the MAMAs offer even more. Most of the heavy hitters in the K-pop world are present, performing various past and present top songs. Where else can you see the likes of Rain, Lee Sung-gi, EXO, and 2ne1 all on one stage?

I throughly enjoyed the Big Bang segment of the show. It shouldn’t surprise you that I love Big Bang. I think the members are super talented and each person brings something unique to the group. 2013 has been a year of solo promotions for the band and their MAMA performance highlighted this fact.

T.O.P- Doom Dada

This was T.O.P’s first performance of Doom Dada to be broadcast on TV. Since falling in love with his music video, I was anxious and eager to see the live version. He certainly didn’t disappoint!

I loved the different tributes to the music video. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The giant bow, giant microphone, and giant baby are elements that should accompany any Doom Dada rendition.

A very important question was answered for me during this performance. Yes, TOP CAN ACTUALLY RAP THAT FAST. I was slightly concerned that the live performance might affect TOP’s ability to rap as well as in the recorded version. No worries, TOP was on top of this game!

And yes, of course TOP looked wonderful. Dancing was kept to a minimum, but that is completely understandable since TOP needed to focus on his outstanding rapping.

Taeyang- Ringa Linga

Taeyang was up next with his performance of Ringa Linga. He also kept his performance in line with his video, wearing the familiar hat, braids, and fake tattoos.

His dancing was spot on, but unfortunately the sound system wasn’t working so well. Taeyang’s mic had a hard time picking up his voice and I felt so bad seeing him struggle. You’d think the MAMAs would have that problem sorted out.

Maybe TOP’s giant microphone would have worked better…

Suengri- Strong Baby & Let’s Talk About Love

Suengri performed a combination of two numbers, Strong Baby and Let’s Talk About Love. I’m a little surprised by the choice of songs. Let’s Talk About Love is my least favorite song from his new mini album. I would have much preferred to see Gotta Talk to U at the MAMAS.

Regardless, he looked good and delivered a pretty solid performance.

G-Dragon- Crooked

Crooked is such a fun song and G-Dragon is such a fun performer! There’s a good reason why GD pretty much won EVERYTHING this year at the MAMAs- he’s an amazing artist!

It looked like everyone was having a great time up on stage! GD was his playful self, expertly engaging the audience.

Anyone else see these girls lose it when GD stepped off the stage?

GD’s hair tonight was… interesting. Let’s just say I think he’s had better looks.

It all became OK though when GD posted on twitter the following image:

As long as he is aware that his head looks like sushi, I’m fine with the style!

Big Bang- Fantastic Baby

Now for the highlight of Big Bang’s MAMA performances- Fantastic Baby!

GD starts the song while still lying down from the ending of Crooked. The a cappella call and response between GD and the audience shows the crowd’s huge love for Big Bang and this song in particular.

The  members begin to appear on stage and take turns singing their various parts of the song.

Poor Daesung. Not only did he have to wear a pink suit, he was also the only one to not get his own solo stage. While he released a Japanese album earlier in the year, I guess he didn’t make the cut for his own performance. We have to remember that this is still the MAMAs, not a Big Bang concert. Better luck next time Daesung!

The camera work was fun and fit well with the nature of the song. I especially love the expressions from GD and TOP. Eyebrow raises and winks are my weakness.

Just look that this cuteness: Suengri and GD drumming along to the song.

It seems like fun was to be had by all! Big Bang spent a good portion of the song in the artist seating section.

This certainly made for a unique performance.

In conclusion

This was a series of great performances by Big Bang. They brought their A-game and impressed viewers around the world. Each video I watch of Big Bang makes me love them even more!

My one point of contention is with the audio. The sound wasn’t the greatest quality, and for the most part, the entire song would just play in the background. The performance was more about dancing than showcasing how well Big Bang can sing. For a live broadcast performance I can understand the need for a safety net, but I would have liked to see more vocals. We all know they can do it!

You can watch the full video that was recaped above here:

What did you think of MAMAs 2013? EXO, Rain, and Infinite were some of my other favorites!

Check out the full 6-hour event here:

Oh! The Crayon Pop/Ylvis collaboration also deserves a mention. Such a remarkably strange combination!

Thanks for reading!

Rachel