BTS’ Permission to Dance On Stage in Los Angeles Was a Triumphant Evening with the Biggest Act in the World
The post BTS’ Permission to Dance On Stage in Los Angeles Was a Triumphant Evening with the Biggest Act in the World appeared first on Consequence.
While recently accepting the award for Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards, BTS’ leader RM (also known as Kim Namjoon to those familiar with the rapper and writer) had the following to say: “No one would have bet that we would be here tonight to receive this award — except for our ARMY.”
He’s not wrong. On paper, or even on video, 2013 BTS is a collection of definite underdogs. Eight years later, despite xenophobia, detractors, minimizers, and a global pandemic, the group has arrived a the top of the world, thanks to some really great music and an authentic commitment to kindness.
Few would have put money on BTS of yesteryear being where they are now. Some things just have to be seen to be believed.
That winding journey has now brought them here, to a four-night run of sold out shows at Los Angeles’ mammoth SoFi Stadium. The evening of December 1st kicked off the latter half of the brief residency which wraps tonight, December 2nd. This set of shows may be coming to an end, but it’s clear that BTS has only just begun their triumphant return to live performances.
This writer’s road to SoFi Stadium began in an airport parking lot 2,000 miles away at 4:45 a.m. These four dates offer BTS’ only live performances of 2021, and people are flocking from across the country — and even parts of the globe — for the chance to catch the act in person for the first time in nearly two years. From the parking lot to the airport gate to the lobby of the hotel in Los Angeles, a purple pilgrimage was underway.
BTS, Photo courtesy of BIGHIT MUSIC
It was reminiscent of a festival and the sort of crowds that descend on a city for events like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo, where a quick glance is enough to confirm someone’s purpose in the city. What’s remarkable here is that one act managed to pull that kind of audience on its own.
RM made sure to mention the significance of the number three in South Korea, referring to it as a lucky number, while introducing the third show in this run. The set ran through stadium-ready bangers previously shelved by the pandemic (like the thunderous “ON” or the ‘90s-drenched “Dis-ease”) through the group’s foray into all-English tracks (smashes “Dynamite” and “Butter”) and a generous inclusion of some of their classics and greatest hits.
A fact both sad and admirable is that where many artists drop remixes they will never perform, BTS performs remixes they will never drop. HYBE, do us all a favor and share the revamped version of 2016’s “Fire.”
With a setlist of nearly 30 songs, picking standouts was a difficult task. There was a breathtaking moment early in the show, though, when the tender “Blue & Grey” cascaded into the symphonic “Black Swan.” The latter is a gut-wrenching track unpacking the perils of artistry (co-written by RM), and it’s Jimin, with his exceptional ballet and contemporary background, who consistently elevates performances of the track. Watching him embody the titular black swan while flanked by feathered background dancers was surreal.
Elsewhere, “Black Swan” was one of many moments that might help someone less familiar with BTS understand what makes this group so different. The song is risky in its moodiness,and was presented on stage closer to a piece of theater than a segment in a pop concert.
BTS, Photo courtesy of BIGHIT MUSIC
By the way, when BTS wants to go pop, they do it more than well. A live band supported the group for the middle third of the show, bringing a fresh sheen to well-loved tracks like “Boy With Luv.” Halsey, who featured on “Boy With Luv,” was in attendance at the December 1st show. Though Halsey did not join the group for a performance, after the camera caught the singer cheering along with a light stick in hand like the rest of the fans, their thoughts were summarized in a tweet after the show: “BTS are the coolest band in the world.”
PERMISSION TO DANCE: ON STAGE is different from BTS’ past tours in that all seven members were onstage for all the tracks. Historically, the group would include solo songs and sub-units (songs that only involve a few of the members) in the interest of giving the individual members a second to catch their breath. It seems like what was most important here, whether for the tender “Answer: Love Myself” or boisterous “Silver Spoon,” was having the chance to all be together onstage before their fans again.
It’s hard to explain some of the magic that happens over the course of three hours among 70,000 strangers, like just how good V’s rich baritone sounds live, or the fluid way J-Hope and Jimin can shimmy across the stage without batting an eye.
Clips can be shared all day of Suga’s dizzying, rapid-fire flow in “Save Me” or “IDOL,” but there’s nothing to replace the real thing. The same goes for moments like one that occurred on December 1st, when Jungkook seemingly became mesmerized by Jin (relatable!) and floated into frame on the gargantuan screen to get a closer look at his face.
Although it’s the task at hand, it’s hard to convey RM’s commanding stage presence and the way he oscillates between the persona of BTS Leader Kim Namjoon and a thoughtful 27-year old rambling about trees, the seasons, and the passage of time.
Most of all, though, it’s hard to describe the feeling of connection present at this show — not just between the seven young men who regard one another as family, but between the artists and the audience, too. It’s one thing to love performing; it’s another for it to genuinely be an artist’s lifeblood, the way it seems to be for Jungkook, who was clearly, simply, born to sing.
When it comes to BTS on stage, some things really do just have to be seen to be believed. We can only hope that 2022 brings the chance for so many more to see it for themselves.
Set List:
ON
Burning Up (FIRE)
DOPE
DNA
Blue & Grey
Black Swan
Blood Sweat & Tears
Fake Love
Life Goes On
Boy With Luv
Dynamite
Butter
Airplane pt. 2
Silver Spoon
Dis-ease
Telepathy
Stay
So What
I NEED U
Save Me
IDOL
Spring Day
EPILOGUE: We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal
Answer: Love Myself
Permission to Dance
Editor’s note: Limited tickets remain for tonight’s show via Ticketmaster.
BTS’ Permission to Dance On Stage in Los Angeles Was a Triumphant Evening with the Biggest Act in the World
Mary Siroky
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