By Jae-Ha Kim
Variety
May 13, 2019
In 2014, the members of BTS literally walked around Los Angeles trying to drum up people to attend their free concert — about 200 showed up. Last week, the group kicked off its “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” world tour with a pair of sold-out shows at the Rose Bowl Stadium near L.A., and on a chilly Saturday night it performed the first of two sold-out concerts at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
The two-and-a-half-hour show proved that the group has grown into the bigger stages. RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook made a theatrical entrance, flanked by a pair of giant black panthers. Their opening song, “Dionysus,” from their chart-topping latest album “Map of the Soul: Persona,” even nodded to that progression: “If we pop up anywhere in the world/ It’s a stadium party,” Suga rapped. “Born as a K-pop idol/Reborn as an artist… What does it matter if I’m an idol or an artist?”
They followed with 2017’s “Not Today,” which starts out with a rallying shout out to dark horses: “All the underdogs in the world/ A day may come when we lose/ But it is not today/ Today we fight!” Despite the group’s popularity, even that song is a statement on their careers: Sure, their popularity is due to their songs and their look — but it’s also because their most powerful numbers are about loss, inequality and the unrelenting pressures that young people face. “Our generation has had it hard,” they sing in “Baepsae.”
The songs also include elements familiar to Koreans from older generations. “Idol” – which sounded even more anthemic live with a stadium full of fans singing along – has its roots in pansori, a genre of Korean folk music that was originally played by and for commoners, before becoming favored by the elite. Layered with African beats and trap elements, the song has a rich, global sound that is both modern and traditional.
Even their current hit “Boy With Luv” – a catchy pop song with rap verses – has deeper meaning. It’s a tip of the hat to their 2014 song “Boy in Luv,” which deconstructs their younger adolescent mindset. The lyrics include the line, “I’m flying high in the sky with the two wings you gave me,” with the wings being a metaphor for their fans, while also referencing the title of their second album.
Many of BTS’ ballads evoke a feeling of “han,” which has no direct English translation. In Korean, it’s a wistful combination of longing and sorrow. This is evident in ballads like “The Truth Untold” and “Epiphany,” which started off quietly with Jin accompanying himself on piano before the song crescendos into a series of high notes that left some attendees in tears.
Each member had a chance to shine in solos. Jungkook floated above the crowd on guide wires as he sang “Euphoria.” Jimin appeared inside a transparent bubble for “Serendipity,” before showing off choreography that would fit right in place with a modern dance troupe. V performed the most smoldering song of the evening with the soul-fused “Singularity.” Rappers J-Hope, RM and Suga showed off their skills with “Trivia: Just Dance,” “Trivia: Love” and “Trivia: Seesaw,” respectively.
The group has also figured out the most challenging aspect of stadium shows: how to make them feel intimate. Their boy-next-door charm, lively banter (in both English and Korean) and constant engagement with their fans projected a warmth that reached the upper bleachers of Soldier Field. And even a language barrier doesn’t distract from the storytelling aspects of their songs: Most of the fans in the stadium tonight have long since translated the lyrics.
And although there was plenty of screaming from the largely but not entirely young audience, it was less of a frenzied shriek than an emphatic roar of approval. Fans hollered with delight when the individual members’ faces were shown on the video screens and cheered when Jimin and Jungkook flashed a bit of their abs. But they saved their loudest applause for the songs.
It also probably helped to keep them warm on this damp and unseasonably chilly night — RM joked that this was the group’s first winter concert. Still, V promised that BTS will be back next year — a remark that made the fireworks display that followed almost anticlimactic.
Soldier Field Setlist:
1. “Dionysus”
2. “Not Today”
3. “Outro: Wings”
4. “Trivia: Just Dance” (J-Hope solo)
5. “Euphoria” (Jungkook solo)
6. “Best of Me”
7. “Serendipity” (Jimin solo)
8. “Trivia: Love” (RM solo)
9. “Boy With Luv”
10. “Dope”
11. “Baepsae”
12. “Fire”
13. “Idol”
14. “Singularity” (V solo)
15. “Fake Love”
16. “Trivia: Seesaw” (Suga solo)
17. “Epiphany” (Jin solo)
18. “The Truth Untold”
19. “Outro: Tear”
20. “Mic Drop”
Encore:
21. “Anpanman”
22. “So What”
23. “Make It Right”
24. “Mikrokosmos”
Concert Review: #BTS Warm up a Chilly Chicago Night With Sold-Out Stadium Show @bts_twt https://t.co/73R1vd2wGf
— Variety (@Variety) May 12, 2019
I was there last night. I’ve been to many BTS concerts. Although, I enjoyed it every single time. Last night, the vibe was different. I had the best time last night. It was cold as hell. I couldn’t feel my fingers or hands. But they made the night so much better and definitely warmer. 😂 I wish I could do night two but duty calls. So ima wait til their next tour!
I was there too. It’s was the MOST COLD concert I’ve ever been to. But i forgot about it once I was dance and singing along. Also, it helped so much that the boys were so sweet and thanked us for toughing out the cold to see them. I wish I could have gone to day 2 as well, but ah… work
Very well written article on the true fan experience of a BTS concert. Ms. Kim, as always writes thoughtfully and thoroughly
took my 2 daughters and we had our best bonding ever!! my early mothers day celeb too!! so happy to see them happier!! thanks for the well written article about our boys..
Really cool article! I feel like you captured the concert v well 🙂 Wish I could have gone !
This review is such a great piece. Thank you for incorporating so much into a short space. It is a great overview of what it is like to be at a BTS concert.
I agree!! Ms. Kim, did you write a review for any of the dailies in Chicago as well? They so rarely cover anything about Korean artists. Their bias is clear. And I don’t mean bias in a good way!
No the Tribune sent someone to write a pretty good piece that was about things going on in Chicago BTS related but she made some errors. The Sun Times sent some nugu who had never written for a newspaper before and his inexperience showed. There were so many mistakes that it was cringeworthy. Maybe the Sun Times doesn’t have any editors left there because someone should have fixed it before letting it run.
I didn’t think his review was so bad. It was kind of like a fanboy wrote it but at least he tried. It was a fun read even if there were some mistakes.
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Thank you for sharing it, it was a good read. Maybe for those who don’t want spoilers on the set list, i would say to avoid it for now. The comments were also nice, it really sucks that the weather wasn’t great but it’s wholesome seeing people going with their families a bond, get closer, and have a good time together. At this point i think i can say that their concerts are like healing concerts. Hopefully today people go better prepared for the weather.
I took my younger sister to the show last night, just to be a good big brother. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Honestly I thought it’d be two hours of torture. But I was pleasantly surprised, and more. The group seems to genuinely love and appreciate their fans, and they come off as very transparent and humble. I came away from the show thoroughly impressed to be honest. Really impressed. Great show.
Brother of the year award right here
I haven’t been able to attend any BTS concerts yet but felt like I was there readin gthis. Thank you for the unique review. It’s the only one I’ve read so far that goes into why their music is so special.
Thank you for a wonderful article that was well researched about BTS and the ARMY. Why we love each other so much. With BTS , there is no boundaries of age, race, gender when it comes to true love for ARMY and visa versa. Love for their music and the message is given but more importantly, positive messages of BTS music is not just a lyric but living. All of us are comforted in one way or another and we are encouraged to share that love with others. Isn’t this the world that we want to leave in? Thank you again for good detailed article.
At 43 years old, attending this concert I can say BTS does not disappoint. Despite the cold and rain they performed impeccably as the pros they are. I happily travel to see them perform live. They are wonderful humble young men with so much depth. I loved sharing this experience with my daughter.
I just got home from their rainy concert and wouldn’t have traded it for the world. I’ve been to concerts on sunny days that didn’t feel as warm because that’s how good BTS is. They make fans feel like it’s a beautiful summer day. I am disappointed the none of the Chicago newspapers thought it might be a good idea to hire you to write their reviews. The Chicago Sun Times has no idea what he was talking about. He got Boy With Luv wrong. He got the album title wrong lmao. He called it Personal. He had fun and that’s good but the review sounded like a child wrote it. The Chicago Tribune was better than that and she tried hard but she got some things wrong too like how many songs were in the encore. Variety scored big to get you to review it and that’s the review that counts. Thank you for making the review more than just a list of what they did.
My husband took our 12 year old daughter to the Saturday concert at Soldier Field. To quote my daughter, “It was the best night of my life.” to quote my husband, “It was the worst night of my life.”
“Our generation has had it hard,”
Bwahahahaha!
@Eddie Willers… why am I positive that you are listening to that statement by a young Korean, and judging based on your opinion of young Americans?
The world exists.
Korean society is very different from American society.
Open your mind before your mouth 🙂
Jae-Ha, your description of “Han” 🍭 on Jin’s high notes in Epiphany explains why my soul gets touched whenever I listen to that song. Thank you so much for that. 😊
Wow. I think this is one of the most well-researched articles about BTS among its kind.
At my age of 44, the reason I got to become a huge fan of them is that they truly have something specials not only in their musical talents, but also another level of greatness in terms of truthfulness.
I mean in the era of fake, I firmly believe they are genuinely real.
Most of all, through their songs, I get so comfortable and feel happy that no other artists have ever done to me.
I will support them until the end.
Great article on BTS. They, so far, have not disappointed me in presenting a fresh,and unrivaled performance.
OMG. An actual, factual, real life, researched, and heartfelt article! I hope this is a sign of the future. Thanks for the hard work!!💜