The month of June has become a special time of celebration for the famed Korean boy group BTS and their fans around the world. It includes two major events, FESTA – BTS’ debut anniversary celebration and MUSTER – a fan event that mustered BTS’ troops known as the ARMY.
On June 14, Big Hit Entertainment hosted “Bang Bang Con: The Live,” a streamed concert that reportedly drew 756,000 paid viewers in 107 countries and territories. This is said to be equivalent to 15 stadiums’ worth of audience, thus, making it the largest paid online music event in history.
The concept of the concert followed the meaning of the Korean word “방” (bang) which is “room.” The seven-member group performed in various spaces, navigating through six rooms and two stages stylized in different moods. The online concert was presented through six multi-view screens playing simultaneously, and ARMY were able to choose from close-ups to full shots that encapsulated the group’s highly synchronized choreography.
Despite the difficulties the world is currently going through due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BTS made sure to make the concert a memorable one especially since meeting their fans in person is far removed from reality, at least for now. For 100 minutes, BTS made viewers forget about the hard times with warmth and intimacy. RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook eased their way through a 14-song setlist that paid homage to their seven years of being together as a group.
Bang Bang Con kicked off with their 2015 hit title “Dope,” followed by songs from their previous hit albums such as “Boyz with Fun,” “Like,” and “Just One Day.” The boys showcased songs from their latest album titled “Map of the Soul: 7” with “Jamais Vu” led by trio Jin, J-Hope, and Jungkook; old school-style “Respect” performed by rapper duo RM and Suga in retro outfits; and “Friends” that served as theme song of ‘95 liners Jimin and V in their high school uniform. They also gave sneak peek performances of “Ugh!” and “Zero O’ Clock” before dancing into the mysterious-esque “Black Swan” and the LED umbrella-themed “Boy With Luv.” The celebration escalated to the upbeat songs “Go Go” and “Anpanman.” The boys also put in fun activities in between such as their ASMR breaks asking ARMYs to patiently wait during commercials that feature BTS themselves, and the staring game between the members and the fans as viewers.
In one of their speeches, Jimin told fans: “Though we may not be able to see each other at this time, we’ve been constantly striving to grow as a group. We are coping with it pretty well, so hope that you too can overcome this time by finding the small joy within. Hope we can meet each other again with smiles on our faces.”
“To tell you the truth, we wanted to perform [on the tour] so much,” Suga said. “It was so strange to not have you all cheering us on in person. Though we can’t physically see each other, we should trust in the fact that we’ll meet soon.”
“I looked at a lot of videos of our concerts with you… I missed all that so much,” Jungkook told the audience. “Though ARMYs aren’t physically here with us, from all over the world, you gave us strength to perform. We’re counting the moments ’till we meet you all again.”
After a group hug – which, of course, left one big space for ARMY – the members closed out the show with fan favorite “Spring Day,” whose lyrics have been a comfort to many during uncertain times.
“The morning will come again, because no darkness or season can last forever,” they sang. “If you wait a little bit, if you spend just a few sleepless nights, I’ll come to meet you.”
At the end of the concert, these were flashed on the screens of ARMY around the world, as if reminding us to continue to stay at home for safety during this crisis:
“만나러 갈게, 좀 더 마물러줘. We’ll go see you, Stay there.”
Days leading up to the event, the members actively posted on their official Twitter account @BTS_twt and Weverse, Big Hit’s own social media platform specifically created for artist-to-fan interactions. They have also interacted with fans through numerous streams on VLive, where they played video games, tried out a recipe of dalgona coffee, and made friendship bracelets for each other, among others. They have been sharing the process of creating their upcoming album in a series of recorded meetings posted on their YouTube channel, BANGTANTV. This latest Bang Bang Con: The Live was actually a follow-up from a weekend streaming event in April, where ARMY watched the group’s previous concerts through their YouTube channel.
On June 1, the group kicked off 2020 BTS Festa with the Opening Ceremony, which featured a fun-filled video of the members dancing to “Airplane pt.2.” For about two weeks, BTS and Big Hit has released new pictures, songs, videos, written profiles, and other special contents to celebrate the big occasion.
In a statement, Big Hit said, “Despite the difficulties the concert industry is going through due to COVID-19, BTS is being evaluated as opening new possibilities through its online concert.” With the restrictions the pandemic has caused, the group and its company still managed to adapt to the current crisis and used the power of technology through Bang Bang Con, to connect and interact beyond social media posts.
Aside from expressing gratitude towards the fans, BTS leader RM also shared his thoughts regarding this new concert experience:
“Honestly, I’m afraid that this might be the new form of a concert. I have fears. But still, we are the people who can only achieve things with your support and live by giving you hope and happiness. Starting from this concert, we will do as much as we can do. It was great to perform with my friends (bandmates) after so long.”
We are all facing a period of unprecedented isolation, and yet, the connection between BTS and ARMY got stronger than ever. Amplifying their campaign of self-love and hope, they continued to remind the fans that they are always there, ready to provide comfort especially during trying times.
In return, ARMYs showed their appreciation on the efforts of BTS through the social media:
https://twitter.com/juneolivar/status/1272119133157462016
https://twitter.com/chimnmeri/status/1272120565684264963
Thanks to Bang Bang Con, BTS and ARMYs we’re able to close the gaps of distance, and fill the night with warmth, healing, and hope for the better days to come.
Words by KREW members Junelyn Olivar, Merx Carrasco, and Mary Joy Padilla
Photos from BTS Official Facebook
Reference:
Hong, D.Y. (2020, June 16). “BTS’ Bang Bang Con The Live: Nothing short of real-life intimacy”. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved June 24, 2020 from https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/06/16/bts-bang-bang-con-the-live-nothing-short-of-real-life-intimacy.html
THE KREW | MNL 
Reblogged this on maryloveskorea 🙂.
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