The experiences of this past week may never come again, but the memories made will remain forever in the hearts and minds of the ARMY fandom. BTS’ most recent concert may have been in support of South Korea’s bid for the World Expo 2030, but for the millions of fans who tuned in to the livestreams or attended the actual concert at Busan’s Asiad Main Stadium, it was a gift of the highest order. To have the seven members back on stage, performing in front of their beloved fans amidst the cheers, fan chants, and singing is an occasion to be celebrated — a bittersweet experience that will linger long after the stage lights have faded to black.
This was a festival like no other. A free BTS concert is a rare sight indeed, so it’s not surprising that ARMYs from all over the world wholeheartedly embraced the chance to secure a ticket to the event. Not having a concert ticket didn’t deter ARMYs from still traveling to Busan just to enjoy the festivities and be as close as possible to the septet. While an estimated 52,000 fans enjoyed the concert firsthand, many more were outside the stadium gates, watching the livestreams on their devices, while also listening to the concert just beyond the walls.
The free concert was also available as a livestream through three online portals (Weverse, Naver, Zepeto), and aired on JTBC Television as well. Busan also hosted a Liveplay event where an additional 10,000 or so viewers gathered. The combined viewership is a force to be reckoned with and a challenge for any hosting site; it's still difficult to not be shocked by the 49 million people who logged into Weverse to watch the concert.
The concert wasn’t without its glitches though. Fans were still lining up to enter the stadium when “Run BTS” (the second song on the setlist) played. According to the BTS members, this song was intended as a concert highlight considering it was the first choreographed performance of the song. Understandably there was some disappointment expressed during the post-concert livestream by j-hope, V, Jimin, and Jung Kook that many ARMYs missed seeing the live performance. Intentions for the BTS members to move closer to the fans during a couple of the songs were also canceled at the last minute, and it’s thought that safety played a key factor in those decisions: safety for the members and for the fans. Despite those moments though, the energy levels within the stadium soared as high as the firework displays, and even with the failed internet connections, the positives of the concert greatly outweighed the few blemishes that may have tainted the experience for some.
Busan stood majestic in its borahae glory and while BTS may not hold the monopoly over the color purple – as the Korean Intellectual Property Office rightly pointed out – the term borahae is attributed to its creator, Kim Taehyung (aka V). For BTS and ARMY, borahae is the gift that keeps on giving, such is the power of its meaning. Throughout the world, cities have decked themselves out in purple in honor of BTS’ presence and while we now have the technology for entire purple light performances, there was a time when fans wrapped their lightsticks in purple coverings to achieve the same effect. From humble beginnings, something amazing and timeless emerged.
The concert may be over, but the festivities will continue throughout the remaining months of 2022, especially now that the inevitable news of Jin’s enlistment has been confirmed. As the members have shared on many occasions (and despite media reports to the contrary) fulfilling their military duties is something that each of them willingly accepts. However, now that BIGHIT MUSIC has officially announced 2025 as the next time that the BTS members will all be together again, fans appear to be more relieved than upset by the news. Finally, the speculations can be put to rest, and BTS and ARMY can get on with enjoying one another's company and continuing to love and support each other, til the very end.
Credit: BTS Twitter
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Written By: Shelley
Edited By: Aury
Checked By: Juju
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