They are a seven-member, K-Pop boy band from South Korean, which means they perform in a mix of rap and song, Korean and English, with very complicated dance routines and coordinated outfits. They have been together for 7+ years and are popular the world over but are only now making a relatively big splash in the US. They have their own lingo--fans are called ARMY, their are specific chants for each song, fans have preferences of favored members which are called "bias" or "stans" (I'm sure I don't have that quite right.) Still, most people I know don't know them, despite topping several Billboard charts, winning at the Video Music Awards, selling out stadium concert venues, and appearing on "Good Morning America" and "Tonight Show" this week.
Bud loves their music and their dance routines, knowing all the lyrics (which he sings in Korean and English, having read the phonetics and the translations!) and the moves. When we heard they were coming to the Prudential Center in NJ, Mama managed to get tickets in the upper balcony. (For reference, they sold out the 42,000+ Citi Field in 10 minutes, with some seats going for $5K or more. And that's not the scalpers' price.) And so, on Saturday, the three of us (Sis stayed home to do horse things) trekked down to Newark, of which we'd only visited the airport before, early. See, BTS fans are rabid--they known for screaming and dancing and buying up merchandise. Even though we got to the venue about 6 hours early, we couldn't buy t-shirts or hats or hoodies or bandanas; they were all sold out. (Oddly, they sell the concert merch outside the venue not inside and don't restrict it to ticket holders; they could've sold so much more stuff if they'd had it.) Bud was bummed, so I snagged him a bootleg shirt from a guy with a full backpack. He got the official light bomb, which officials programmed to his seat location so it can blink and flash based on the show, with colors and patterns determined by the house. He also managed to get the last poster of the band! Our cashier rushed to the table and grabbed it before the other cashier making a beeline for it could take it away; when they posted "sold out" on the sign, there were a hundred audible groans behind us! Craziness.
We spent the rest of the afternoon milling with the other ARMY. Mainly, Bud danced. See, each song has a specific choreography which people learn. So, some of the fan club people had brought a speaker and music and were playing the songs or just the choruses. If you knew the song, you rushed into the open space with others and danced while everyone sang. It was a beautiful flash mob! And Bud danced his heart out. He's got great moves, especially being one of the youngest there.
See, I thought there would be more young teens, but it was a lot of women in their early to mid-20s instead, some from as far away as Germany and Australia! And of all races, not just Korean. I saw Orthodox Jewish women, Muslim women in hijab, African Americans, Latinas, SE Asians (eg India, Pakistan), Caucasians, etc etc etc. There was even a palpable lesbian presence (though not a discernible gay male one, which surprised me, given the relative androgyny, even femininity, by US standards, of the group.) BTS has a very wide appeal--they aren't vulgar or overly sexualized or violent or aggressive; their music speaks of emotions(albeit some hard ones)--the arc of three albums is entitled "Love Yourself," a major theme of their recent speech to the United Nations--and they are beautiful, talented young men (all between about 21-25.)
The talent was definitely on show on Saturday night. They danced and sang for three solid hours (with no opening act, beyond their own videos, which the audience used for karaoke), taking turns with solos, in an elaborately produced show. As far as I know, they sing live, not recorded, and they have vocal chops, which is not always noticeable on the heavily-produced recordings. And they can all move! Then, at the very end, they took 10 minutes to thank fans and express their gratitude, excitement, etc. Yep, I was very impressed. And had a great time. I don't know the lyrics or the fan chants, much less the dance moves, but it doesn't really matter. I loved watching Bud have such a great time. I think he screamed and sang the whole time, but it was so loud that, even though I was next to him, I couldn't hear him! I'm glad he has some worthy Asian, male, celebrity role models, which Mama definitely didn't have growing up. They have talent and work hard, talk about feelings and challenges, and work with UNICEF. It makes a difference to see people who look like you succeed and be popular. (Even as a white girl, I knew this at a very early age--I preferred Snow White and later Princess Leia because they were the rare heroines with dark hair! )
And they're just fun. I'd go to their concerts again. Yep, I'm a proud ARMY mom!
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Setlist:
"Idol"
"Save Me"
"I'm Fine"
"Magic Shop"
"Trivia: Just Dance"
"Euphoria"
"I Need U"
"Run"
"Serendipity"
"Trivia: Love"
"DNA"
Medley: "Boyz With Fun / "Attack on Bangtan" / "Fire" / "Bapsae" / "Dope"
"Airplane Pt. 2"
"Singularity"
"Fake Love"
"Trivia: Seesaw"
"Epiphany"
"The Truth Untold"
"Outro: Tear"
"Mic Drop"
Encore:
"So What"
"Anpanman"
"Answer: Love"
