By: Ariel B. | 10, February, 2023
If you haven’t heard of BTS yet, then you need to get from under the rock you’ve been living under. For a limited time, from Feb. 1 through Feb. 4., fans could see the group’s special “Yet To Come” Busan concert near them. Then, a few days later, theaters added more dates, Feb. 9th through Feb. 12th. due to the "phenomenal demand." It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass it up considering that BTS performed new songs and BTS always performs like rent is due.
The group’s activities are on pause until 2025 and although it may not seem like a long time, BTS has given their fans tons of content each year. There is a void that I will expect to hit me, especially when more than one person is serving military duty. Anyway, I had a great time seeing BTS on the big screen and contemplated seeing the film another time.
BTS’s free in-person concert, Yet to Come: The City in Busan took place on Saturday, October 15, 2022, at 6 pm KST. The highly anticipated concert was streamed on WeVerse across the world. My app crashed at 3:02 AM CST—I only saw one commercial.
This concert was part of South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. The World Expo would bring millions of people to South Korea and Busan, spreading cultural awareness and economic benefits. BTS were selected as ambassadors.
The movie presents the show in Busan where the members perform some of their hits and new songs from their last album Proof like “Run BTS,” “For Youth,” and “Yet To Come.”
The movie felt like I was back at Permission To Dance – Las Vegas. The moment the previews stopped and the HYBE Labels logo and concert intro clip played, my friend and I stopped talking immediately. Then, the lady in front of us activated her ARMY Bomb. The first song, “Mic Drop” was a perfect opener, followed by “RUN BTS,” “RUN,” and “Save Me.” Seeing “RUN BTS” made me beyond happy—I was trying to dance along with (I took a dance cover class) them and so were other audience members.
Fans of all ages and races attended. Some people wore merch from previous concerts. Meanwhile, some (including myself) wore the group’s official color: purple. People danced along and interacted just like the live audience. I also heard from BTS Texas ARMY Facebook groups that attendees received freebies similar to being at an actual BTS concert.
As always, the members introduced themselves starting with leader RM, followed by V, SUGA, Jin, Jungkook, Jimin, and J-hope. What made Busan special was that it was Jimin’s hometown. The other members explained that they were overjoyed to be back performing since they hadn’t in a long time.
Next up, the vocal line (Jimin, V, Jin, and Jungkook), sung “00:00 Zero O’Clock” and the prologue remix version of “Butterfly.” During “00:00 Zero O’Clock,” visuals of the moon were displayed on the screen while members sat or interacted with stage pieces that represented their previous songs and eras. I was curious how Jin was on that bus so quickly.
During “Butterfly – the Prologue Mix,” butterflies flew on screen and the lights were purple and fuchsia pink. Before singing the outro, Jungkook snuck in “Everyone, I miss you,” showing how they are dedicated to performing and live music.
It was sentimental and mellow. I personally loved V’s harmonies with the other members, Jin’s warm, stable notes (and his eye contact with the camera; he is truly Worldwide Handsome), Jimin’s high notes, and Jungkook’s agility and runs.
Now, the transition between the vocal line and rap line (RM, SUGA, and J-hope) caught me off guard while trying to figure out what to order for the theater’s waitress while tearing up. I put my order on pause for two more songs. I don’t think I’d be able to handle that swift shift from a mellow, chill, a little sad vibe to straight-up hype and energetic vibe in person. The rap line shut it down. They said, “Rent is due, and we got everyone covered.”
The intro to “UGH” blasted, ARMY bombs turned red from the movie’s audience, and dancers came out with banners with the members' names on them. I personally was waiting for J-hope’s verse. I appreciated RM’s ad-libs, SUGA’s delivery and flow, and J-hope’s energy. I also noticed SUGA finally getting to playfully push the members through the bridge since in most of the performances of “UGH,” RM and J-hope got their turns. (He’s my bias, okay?) But RM’s “Everybody, let’s bounce” got everyone extra hyped.
The rap line also performed “Cypher PT.3: Killer” where the audience’s ARMY Bombs turned to green. I also noticed during J-hope’s verse the visuals were from his latest album, “Jack in the Box.” Similar to RM, with his notes about “Persona” and during SUGA’s reference to his single, “Daechwita.”
Next, the transition turned into bubbly fun with “Dynamite,” “Boy with Luv,” and “Butter.” This part of the show was fun watching as the group enjoyed being on stage and having fun just dancing around.
BTS also performed “Ma City,” an older song from 2015 - an ode to each member’s hometown. I found myself smiling throughout, especially when Jimin sang about Busan’s seaside.
Next, the boys also performed the iconic hits, “Dope,” “Burning Up (FIRE),” and “IDOL.”
Before performing “Forever Young,” the boys gave a sentimental speech, cueing the show was near an end. They tried to not show their sadness and RM encouraged everyone to focus on hope. The boys also sang “Happy Birthday” to Jimin with the crowd.
My favorite transition was from “Epilogue: Young Forever” to “For Youth” with the boys singing to ARMY. The visuals showed photos of the group. While V sang the outro, the words, “Rest of My Life” appeared behind them. Throughout the performances, a sea of purple ARMY bombs waved on the screen.
To close, the group began the performance of “Spring Day” in the train cart, a replica of the one in the same song’s music video. They looked out of the windows before singing and seeing that nearly brought tears to my eyes.
The concert closed with “Yet To Come.” I see it becoming the song that the boys use to interact with their audience in future concerts. Members V and Jin walked up to the crowd during this time. V even walked up to a fan and took the sign they gave him, and he held it up throughout the remainder of the show.
The boys bowed and thanked ARMY, waving and doing arm hearts.
I wished the movie added the shoutouts to the musicians and kept the boys saying goodbye and waving to ARMY since they do it in each corner of the stage to make sure everyone is included. I’ve seen fancams of them like this one. It would have been great to see that too during the end credits.
Overall, one of my favorite things about BTS is their intentional inclusion of all fans. The bond the boys have with their fandom is one that is being studied, but also one that no one else (I think) can replicate. BTS’ respect for ARMY is one that many artists should take note of. They understand that ARMY gave them their platform and that they have and will never take advantage of that.
The only negative experience I had with my movie showing is that my cheese fries got cold because I was mesmerized by the concert on screen. It also went by so fast just like how their concerts are. I absolutely loved it.
Even though you can subtly feel the boys’ nervousness about the future, I hope they realize that when they perform another sold-out tour in 2025 ARMY will be there.
In the meantime, I will cherish the memories, lessons, endless BTS Run episodes, community, and music that these seven young men have given us.
Watch the trailer here:
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