On December 16, Epik High played day 1 of their 20th anniversary concert at the SK Olympic Handball Stadium.
(From left to right) Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz of Epik High | NME
The fully packed venue showed Epik High’s unbeatable longevity as artists, as old and new fans gathered together to cheer for their 20-year-long journey.
| @duroong_/Twitter
But in the middle of such a milestone event, the trio got flipped off by the audience members, and more than once! However, it wasn’t that their fans had any malicious intent. They had no other option to cheer for them but to make use of the middle finger, well, the middle-finger-shaped light stick, to be precise.
While almost every newer K-Pop artist has a specific design of light stick for fans to buy and bring to events to show their support, it was less common for the older generation of artists. Despite being a 20-year-old group, it was only this October that Epik High launched their first ever lightstick. And like most Epik High things, this, too, comes with a hilarious backstory.
According to Epik High member Tablo, when the group was under YG Entertainment, the company wanted them to have an official lightstick. But the trio asked for one that looked like the middle finger, and in response, their agency scrapped the whole idea altogether.
True story: when Epik High was at YG, they offered to make us a lightstick and we asked for one that looks like a middle finger. And that, my friends, is why we don’t have one.
— tablo (@blobyblo) April 30, 2023
With Epik High’s career seeing a new phase of growth, they decided to bring their brainchild to life and cheekily named it the Pak Gyu Bong.
One small step for lightsticks, one giant leap for K-pop #에픽하이콘서트 #EpikHigh pic.twitter.com/93S0AhIuCU
— tablo (@blobyblo) October 16, 2023
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that fans had the time of their lives with these next-level light sticks at the concert.
| @grrkakakak/Twitter | @eundoatoz /Twitter
The design is featured on their other concert merchandise as well, including a hat (Pak Gyu Mo) and keychains (Pak Gyu Ring).
As wild as it might sound, but this merchandise line is not the only crazy thing about Epik High’s 20th-anniversary concert. Read more about it here.
