Going to a BTS concert is like heading to a massive family reunion – you've got ARMYs (fans of BTS) you started your Borahae journey with, your Twitter moots, ARMYs from across the globe you just met and are now friends with because you have the exact same RJ keychain, ARMYs dressed like BTS from THAT Run BTS episode, and then there are actual families full of ARMYs. Writer G.E. takes us through her PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE - LAS VEGAS experience with her own ARMY family, and sharing BTS' music across languages and generations.
"THE SHOW MIGHT BE OVER, BUT OUR LIGHT WILL STAY GOING FOREVER." BTS MAKE A PROMISE TO ARMY AS THEIR PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE CONCERT TOUR ENDS IN LAS VEGAS
On Friday, 8 April, BTS performed their first show at Las Vegas’ newly built Allegiant Stadium, with a crowd of 50,000 fans. All four concert dates sold out immediately, making the record-breaking act the first K-pop group in history to perform at the state-of-art venue, as well as the only act so far to stage multiple consecutive dates. It is evident that the Korean group’s fanbase has grown exponentially throughout the years and with concert season slowly assimilating back into the scene, fans (both in America and around the world) were eager to finally witness BTS live in concert after a long time spent watching shows online.
BORAHAEGAS
From delivering that smooth and stunning performance of 'Butter' at the GRAMMYs to hanging out with fellow artists such as Jon Batiste and Anderson. Paak, checking out the iconic Fountains at Bellagio (dancing to BTS hits) to practising their golf game, plus catching their friends Silk Sonic at their Vegas residency, BTS embraced the essence of Las Vegas, ready to give ARMYs an experience of a lifetime.
BANDWAGON TV
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In turn, Las Vegas also welcomed BTS and ARMY with its full-on Borahaefication and turned into Borahaegas for the time being. The Las Vegas strip lit up in signature BTS purple and PTD orange, with signs of Bangtan found in every corner of the city – even the control tower at the airport glowed purple.
Though watching the show was the main priority of fans, the event was also a gathering space for ARMYs to come together and dive into the world of BTS’ spirit. There were many happenings surrounding the venue before the concert: a Behind The Stage: Permission To Dance exhibit, the aroma of freshly cooked goodies from street vendors, groups of friends posing for pictures, ARMYs meeting each other for the first time and handing out handmade freebies, or merch lines extending as far as the eye could see. The entire atmosphere felt like a massive festival, and sparked even more excitement for the fans and what was to come in the next few hours.
WE DON'T NEED PERMISSION
BTS opened the show with the theme PERMISSION TO DANCE represented throughout the opening stage. The scene was set with a single large box emphasizing the words, “WE DON’T NEED PERMISSION” in a large "handwritten" scrawl. Slowly, the box was lifted, revealing RM, Jin, SUGA, J-hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, plus their special guest dancers from THE LAB. The energy from the crowd synchronized with that of the group and BTS took over the stage with 'ON' Lifting the box alluded to the seven members finally being set free and no longer restricted from reaching ARMYs, allowing us to sing and dance together like there was no tomorrow. From the red and white outfits to the fireworks spewing out from the stage, everything about this performance screamed POWER.
The introductions were fresh and full of welcoming remarks, especially with Taehyung’s reference to “T.G.I.F'' indicating that it would be “the best Friday” of our lives. Needless to say, the screams emitting from all corners of the venue expressed BTS’ long-awaited arrival following their live concerts at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul. Even more noteworthy and impressive, a LIVE PLAY of the concert was being held simultaneously at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, which also housed thousands of ARMYs.
For each set of songs, the lighting and costume changes fit the mood depending on the feel of the performance. Flames and pyrotechnics accompanied the explosive tracks like 'Fire' and 'Dope,' while pastel hues dominated pop bops like 'Boy With Luv,' 'Dynamite,' and 'Butter'.
One can see BTS’ growth and maturity in its performances of ‘Black Swan’ – with its artistic notion of expressing personal inner fears and growing creativity through the medium of modern dance. In dramatic black attire, the group entered the stage alongside their backup dancers in the formation of the shape of a swan. I could only remember holding an expression of awe while the swan manoeuvred its way through each member to encapsulate the essence of a beautiful feeling of melancholy. In graceful movements and poignant lyrics, BTS momentarily brought us into a world of theatrics and sentiment.
PERMISSION TO CRYDANCE
Throughout the duration of the show, BTS took us through a whirlwind of emotions as they made us laugh, dance, and almost cry (with joy) with every song. The live stage doesn't just highlight the group's talents, it also showcases their individual charms and colours – RM's commanding stage presence and natural leadership, Jin's efforts and determination to not let his injury deter him from performing his best, SUGA's unwavering confidence as soon as he steps on stage, J-hope's precision and exuberant attitude, Jimin's playful and energetic vibe, V's smooth and suave concert persona, and Jungkook giving it his all as usual, despite only recovering from COVID-19 days prior to the show. In every performance and ment, BTS also share a piece of themselves with fans.
In the ocean of ARMY bombs (lightsticks), there was a wide range of concert-goers that spanned from ‘No More Dream’ ARMYs to ‘Boy With Luv’ ARMYs to ‘Dynamite’ ARMYs. No matter which era these individuals joined from, they made sure to give back love and energy with cheers and screams as BTS performed selected songs from their impressive discography.
FANDOM & FAMILY
Energetic, sentimental, and easy to love, BTS songs have a way of resonating with different kinds of people, in many different ways. This was especially convenient in the fact that I had gone to see the concert with my family that night. My parents, who began diving into the BTS effect during the ‘Dynamite’ era, took videos of nearly every single performance (and sent them to their respective group chats). Both my younger sister and I were ecstatic about them accompanying us, being that it would be a great opportunity for them to experience a concert from one of the biggest artists of OUR generation. In fact, this was a recurring observation I noticed when entering the venue as many parents were accompanying their children and vice versa. Simply said, the PERMISSION TO DANCE stage was fit for all sorts of fans – from officemates sharing a new shared love to cousins reuniting across states, couples cheering for each others' biases to grandparents and grandkids dancing their way through the night.
Introducing my parents to BTS was an unusual, yet gratifying experience. As a child, my dad had already expressed his appreciation for music; listening to early Madonna in the car or singing along to ‘With a Smile’ by the Eraserheads, a Filipino band he has grown up listening to. Even now I add my dad’s suggestions to my Spotify playlists because of my love for finding new musicians. I had some hesitation in presenting him with an unfamiliar genre due to its new feel and surprising complexities because as a K-pop fan, it’s difficult to introduce a new group without providing even a glimpse of the industry as a whole. I found myself in a situation where generational gaps came into play and I could not pick and choose what to show first.
Eventually, I followed in the footsteps of my dad. I simply connected my phone to Bluetooth and played songs I hoped would possibly catch his attention including ‘HOME’ and ‘Love Maze’. It took a few car rides (and several trips to the Line Store in LA to get some BT21 friends) for my dad to actually ask who exactly this group was and due to BTS’ increasing global popularity, he had already understood some parts of the Hallyu wave. It was definitely a progression from naming them one by one to showing some of their most memorable live stages on YouTube. Though he still hasn't added them to his playlist, as I had done, I knew he felt joy in knowing that I expressed how much love I had for their music. Even taking him to the PERMISSION TO DANCE concert felt surreal to me.
"NEVER FORGET IT!"
There are many ways one could define a great concert and it could be just as simple as gathering around a musician's stage and singing along with friends. For BTS, it's exactly that, but amplified to match the global superstars that they are. With massive LED screens, a legion of dancers, plus powerful choreography and vocals, slick production and set design, a BTS concert is something one should experience at least once in their lifetime. Not only an unforgettable show for myself, it was also a concert I could be proud of sharing with the people I love.
BTS bring generations together at PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE - LAS VEGAS concert – gig reporthttps://t.co/dkaEemcUY0 #BTS #BTSARMY #PTD_On_Stage_LV pic.twitter.com/LKMhBxGiuK
— Bandwagon (@BandwagonAsia) April 18, 2022
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PTD ON STAGE - LAS VEGAS DAY 1 Setlist:
INTRO + ON
Burning Up (FIRE)
DOPE
DNA
Blue & Grey
INTRO + Black Swan
Blood Sweat & Tears + FAKE LOVE + OUTRO
Life Goes On
Boy With Luv
Dynamite
INTRO + Butter
INTRO + Telepathy + OUTRO
Outro: Wings
Talk
Stay + So What
IDOL
HOME
Anpanman + Go Go
Permission to Dance + OUTRO
BTS' PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE - LAS VEGAS continues on 15 and 16 April at the Allegiant Stadium. The final show of the Las Vegas leg will be available to stream via VenewLive. Find out more here.
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