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A month ago today, I had the pleasure of seeing BTS perform in The O2 Arena in London for the very first time. After nearly three years of being a part of BTS’ ARMY, I was extremely excited – and, admittedly, stressed – when they announced that they would be visiting London for their Love Yourself World Tour. When tickets went on sale, I was lucky enough to purchase a ticket for myself and for the friend who introduced me to their uplifting music.
Fast forward five months, and it was the night before I was due to go to the airport, get on a plane and fly to London. Beside myself with excitement, I stayed up most of the night actively enjoying their discography; whisper-screaming along to the words I have been listening to for months on end. It was finally happening! I was going to be able to hear the music and see the individuals that have helped me through so much and be in an environment with people who felt similarly to myself.
This year I have had the privilege of attending two other KPOP concerts, and one of my favourite aspects of these concerts is the willingness of the other attendees in engaging with other fans. Due to the fandoms of this genre of music being incredibly internet-based, every one you meet will engage enthusiastically about the reason you are there. This time, I was repeatedly brought into conversations regarding our favourite songs and why they meant so much to us, who my ‘favourite’ member was and how long I had been a fan of BTS’ music.
Despite hours of waiting in line, be that for merchandise or the much anticipated BTS Studio, the people in attendance never once lost their excited smiles and waves of laughter. A particularly memorable moment for me, hours before the concert was even due to begin, was seeing a fan walk out of one of the studios; proudly showing off her photograph with the filtered-Jungkook, hands in the air and a bright smile on her face as those around her cheered loudly.
Excitement and pre-concert jitters were evident as the crowd sang along, and perfectly executed the well-rehearsed fan chants, to the past music videos displayed onscreen. In my opinion, nothing can compare to hearing an arena full of people singing along to music discussing societal issues and self-love. Language is not a barrier, and the thousands of people in attendance are proof of that.
When the concert began, the fan to my left immediately started crying. They travelled all the way from Switzerland and it was clear just how much the group – and their music – meant to her. It is not uncommon to meet fellow fans from all over the world: to my right was my friend from Northern Ireland, and to her right were two fans who flew 15 hours from Taiwan. Regardless of our native languages, how we live and what we look like, we were all there for the same reason: to hear the words and music that continuously work to unite us from all over the world.
An incredibly moving moment came at the end of the concert, where RM said “Good things happen, bad things happen, unexpected things happen but it’s not your fault” in response to the youngest member, Jungkook, not being able to perform due to injury. However, despite who these words were aimed at, it is an important message for all, especially in regards to their ongoing messages of self-love and acceptance.
Without having previously stepped foot in the U.K, BTS had over 20,000 people singing along to songs about self-love. Regardless of your thoughts and opinions on BTS, and KPOP as a genre, their messages are helping generations across the world. And that is special.