Last night, BTS took the stage of the Allstate Arena, here in Chicago. Performing in front of an entirely sold-out arena, BTS delighted fans from around the world, with a 2+ hour performance that will undoubtedly live on in the memories of those in attendance for years to come.
Gaah! Do you have any idea how many articles I’ve written that started just like this one!?! I’ve honestly lost count but that’s not the point. The point is, last night I got to attend BTS’s concert and the level of emotions I’m feeling, even today, are just so intense, there’s no way I could write anything about last night in an objective manner. So I’m won’t. Instead, I’m just going to list some of my favorite moments of the evening; in part because I need to re-live them at least a billion times more and also, I just don’t think I can force myself to write an emotionless play-by-play of the evening. At least not when it comes to BTS and certainly not when I went to the concert as nothing more than my spazzy fangirl self. Objectivity can wait for more official pieces, today the fangirl is taking over. So here they are, some of my favorite moments during last night’s concert listed in no particular order (because order is something you do at a restaurant, not when you spazz over biases)…
1. Seeing “Not Today” Performed Live
I should have known the boys would open up the evening with the song that’s become my new anthem. It’s an amazing song and the perfect way to opening up the evening, so it makes sense for them to use it to open BUT I WASN’T READY FOR IT TO DROP WHEN IT DID! If I were a good fangirl, I’d have memorized the entire set list before the show but I don’t like spoilers of any kind so I didn’t bother to look it up. I didn’t watch any fancams from previous shows. I went into this concert with no preconceived ideas of what might happen or what to expect. Instead I went in completely ready to be blown away by whatever amazingness the boys had planned and boy, did they deliver! I was on such a high after that first song, they could have spent the next two hours just standing on stage and I would have been perfectly content.
2. Hearing Suga Introduce Himself as Yoongi
I’m sure some out there will think I’m crazy, declaring this moment as one of my favorites but whatever. I love Suga. He’s my Jihoo. (Though it pains me to admit that.) My love for this boy borders on ridiculous so hearing him say anything is enough to send me into fits. I could honestly listen to this boy talk for the rest of forever and be perfectly happy, even if I had no idea what it was he was actually saying. I just love his voice and being able to hear it in person, like with my own two ears, is pretty much the best thing ever. That being said, when he introduced himself last night, I was expecting the typical, “Hi, I’m Suga” that he’s used so many times before. But that’s not what he did. Nope! Instead, he introduced himself as Yoongi, and hearing him use his real name in that unexpectedly adorable, playful voice, literally knocked me off my feet. Thank goodness I had my friends around me to catch me!
3. Sobbing My Way Through Jimin’s “Lie”
When Jungkook took the stage early in the show, to perform “Begin,” I knew the other boys’ solos would soon follow so I tried to steel myself for Jimin’s performance because I knew that seeing that boy dance and sing his way through “Lie” would pretty much be the death of me. Needless to say, all of my attempts to ready myself for this performance failed miserably. As soon as those first few notes wafted through the air, my heart stopped, my spirit left my body, and I collapsed into a sobbing mess of utter fangirl bliss. My poor friend ended up holding me as I completely fell apart but I got to do the same for her during V’s solo so it was all good. I have no words to describe what it was like, watching Jimin perform “Lie.” All I can say is that it was everything I’d ever dreamed it would be and more.
4. Bawling My Way Through Suga’s “First Love”
If a simple introduction was enough to make me fall over, you know there’s no way I’d ever survive seeing a performance of “First Love” in person. Except it wasn’t just a performance. It was more personal than that. It was Suga, pouring his heart out as he told us of his life, the trials he’s faced, the struggles he’s had to overcome and every word he spoke resonated within my soul. The tears were real, my friends. The tears were real. I suppose I should have known I’d react this way when Suga first took the stage. His lyric writing and my relating to them are why he has such a hold on me. It’s like everything he pens is an exact representation of my life and I can feel his emotions because they mirror my own so very, very well. This is why I call him my Jihoo, because it feels like our souls have connected in a way that he may never realize but I will never forget. Needless to say, I was a total mess as Suga bared his soul and seeing him bask in the love poured out by the thousands surrounding him only hastened my undoing. *sniffles* Dang it! I can’t even think about this moment without tearing up!
5. Realizing Hobie’s Smile is What Inspires the Sun to Rise Each Morning
Mock if you like, but after last night’s concert, I’ve come to realize the only reason the sun rises every morning is because it want’s to see J-Hope’s smile. Yup. It’s true. Don’t believe me? Then clearly, you’ve never seen that boy’s smile in person. I kid you not, Hobie’s smile is the most beautiful thing on the face of the planet. It’s life and sunshine and everything good and wonderful in the world. It makes you feel warm and wonderful and happy and seriously, that boy couldn’t have chosen a more perfect name for himself. He is hope. He is sunshine and being in the same room as him makes you think you can take on anything, so long as he’s around to cheer you on with his amazing smile. Good gracious, I wish there were a way to bottle up that sunshine so I could keep it with me always. I’d never have a dark day again.
6. Cypher. 4. Live.
Need I say more?
I suppose I could marvel at the boys and the mysterious powers of swag that they possess. I don’t know how these boys do it but they can throw on a bathrobe and make it look good. Literally. GAH! I wish I had just a fraction of their swag. I’d be the coolest mom to ever attend a parent-teacher conference! And while I’m at it, can I just ask, how the heck can Rap Mon just stand still and be so darn cool? I mean seriously! All he has to do is stand there and I die. And when he walks??? WHAT THE HECK!?! And I can’t even start on what he’s like when he’s actually rapping. The Rap Mon, Hobie, Suga trio is just too much AAAUUUUGGGGHHHH! to handle at once. Every “Cypher” I’ve ever seen performed live has been beyond amazing and “Cypher 4” was no different. I’m just wondering how I’m still alive because honestly, my heart stopped so many times during this song alone, I should actually be dead.
7. Boy Meets Evil
I told my friends that if Hobie did “Boy Meets Evil” I would die. Well, he did, so did I. Watching J-Hope dance is one of my most favorite things in the world. His grace and charm, combined with more talent than I will ever possess in my entire lifetime always leaves me breathless, so to see him dancing in person was just… I don’t have words. I think I just stood there, clutching my heart, unable to breathe or blink. I couldn’t allow myself to miss a single moment so I just stood there, in awe, happier than I’ve ever been in my whole life. It was beautiful, he is beautiful, I was in heaven.
8. Hearing Rap Mon Call Jimin ChimChim
I don’t know why this moment sticks out so well in my mind, it just does. I think it’s just because in that moment, it felt like the boys were just being themselves, rather than the perfectly groomed performers they have to be on-stage. Hearing Rap Mon use Jimin’s nickname, rather than his actual name, was just so cute! I smiled so much in that one moment that my cheeks started aching.
9. Listening to the Boys Speak Korean
Along those same lines, I really loved it when a few of the boys gave up on speaking English so they could better convey what it was they wanted to say. I simply love it when artists revert back to their native tongue at a concert. To me, it means that they’re feeling so much more than they can express, the only way they can say what they really want is to say it in the language they know best. Everything feels so much more personal when artists do that, so to hear these boys express their love in Korean just made everything they were saying so much more meaningful. It felt like they actually meant the words they were saying, rather than them delivering lines off a script, and that always makes me happy.
10. The Rainbow Ocean
After seeing all the photos of the rainbow from the NY concerts, this is the one part of the concert I knew about beforehand and I admit, I was really excited to see it in person. I just had no idea that when that moment came, I’d feel so warm and happy and squishy inside. But I did and it was wonderful! I can’t speak for the boys on this, I have no idea how seeing that rainbow sea made them feel, but if they felt anything even remotely close to what I felt, being a part of it, they have to know that they’re loved so very, very much and that had to have felt so good!
There are so many more amazing moments I could write about, so many wonderful memories I could share… Moments like Seeing Jungkook as an actually bunny and how giddy it made me, or how amazing V looks when he rocks a Hwarang-esque headband, or how utterly sonnet worthy Rap Mon’s hair was, or how perfect Jin’s solo was and how it made me wanna cry, or how hilarious it was to see Hobie appear on-stage sporting that silly shark hat he tweeted about earlier today, or how amazing it was to take that quick, remixed trip down memory lane and get to experience some of my favorite BTS songs from the past… Sadly, I just don’t have the time. Every moment of the entire concert was a moment worth remembering, every second, a moment to treasure. If I could write about them all, I would but no matter how many words one uses, there are just some experiences you can never fully relate. Honestly, some moments just need to be experienced for yourself. All I can say is, last night was unforgettable and being able to share this evening, and all its glorious moments, with friends from far and near made it even moreso. It really was a night to remember and so I shall, forever and always.