We didn't really expect a concert in October when BTS announced that they were going to take a little break from group activities last June (the slash to the purple heart that will forever be known as the 2022 Festa dinner). We were expecting (hoping for) solo albums, singles, K-drama OSTs, more budol merch, and maybe an acting gig or something. But lo and behold, the global sensation was tasked to perform at the City of Busan's bid for the WORLD EXPO 2030. We expected nothing less than a mic-drop-worthy show, and we knew that the best was truly #YetToComeInBusan.
But it was definitely not your ordinary BTS concert (as if there is such a thing!) More than 50 million tuned into the free show, which was streamed online and attended by around 100,000 in and around the stadium. The roller coaster of emotions ensued even before the event and took breathtaking turns after.
Here are all the feels from ARMYs everywhere:
The pre-concert concerns
If you're not that into K-pop or BTS news, you probably missed how a lot of people questioned the funding of the concert and the logistics of it all. But the air was mostly cleared before the concert and then came the ticketing. Basically, official fan club members got first dibs on the ticket raffle and then everyone else can join the bardagulan free-for-all after.
Some ARMYs shared their experiences with the loooong queue—like this couple based in South Korea whose queue numbers were 76,800+ and 92,600+. The Pinay concluded, "Team labas kami" (since the concert will be broadcasted live outside the stadium).
Of course, there were some Filo ARMYs who successfully got tickets. And when we saw how Busan transformed into Borahaeland, my gosh, we (#teambahay) all died with envy for those who were there. As Facebook page Bangtan TV said, “Somebody teach me how to teleport to Busan, pls.”
All the concert kilig and kaloka moments
My husband (also an ARMY) and I went with a friend to a viewing party in a samgyupsal restaurant. I was just happy to watch the concert and stuff myself with Korean food. But when the concert started, I don't think I was alone when I felt goosebumps and got teary-eyed. Finally, they were back to performing on stage! As a cherry on top, the opening song was my ultimate Love Yourself era bias, "MIC Drop." And I really loved watching the concert with fellow ARMYs who couldn't contain their squeals. I bet a lot of the meat being grilled then got burned because we were all tuned in to the concert!
A lot of fans also shared their first impressions. Many thought the stage was heaven on earth. And others shared my overjoyed state like this Twitter user who said, "people died — (I am people)."
Of course, the entire setlist was built with epic songs—it legit had no chill! The "Run BTS" number definitely swept us off the floor. A lot would relate to this tweet: "I knew the 'Run BTS' choreo would go hard BUT THIS HARD??? I AM IN A HOSPITAL BED ON LIFE SUPPORT"
Then the mix of emotional and energetic songs just played with our hearts! Only a GIF can explain the feels.
Lag nation
Then came the lags. Again, let us just remind you that unlike BTS' previous online concerts, no one had to pay to watch. Around 50 million were streaming the concert around the world. Even those of us with the fastest internet suddenly suffered lagging screens from one platform to the next. And my gosh, it really dampened the mood everywhere. This TikTok user summed it up in five words: "forda lag ang mga fersons!"
@littlemissnoonamyjell forda lag ang mga fersons! ginamit ko muna Naver now #BTS #Army #Busan #Weverse #Navernow #worldexpo2030 #Concert #Yettocome ? Yet To Come - BTS
Initially, switching to other platforms worked. Until it didn't. Some blamed the streamers who kept spamming the comments section of the show. But eventually, we missed large bits of the performances already. At one point, we got VGA-camera quality resolutions. UGH!
@chaesvls im going to sleep. #chaesvls #btsconcert2022 ? ???????????? ???? - N
A lot of us eventually gave up, enjoyed what we can, and just hoped we get HD clips after the concert. We agree with this tweet, "A lovely ARMY was able to screen-record the ending of the BTS Busan Yet To Come concert! [I] still want that WeVerse upload of the full concert replay though!"
PSA: We asked, they listened. Just a few days after the concert, WeVerse announced that they would be holding a "delayed streaming" on October 23. Thank the heavens! Here's to hoping there would be no glitches then!
The lucky ones
Now, let's just backtrack a bit. While #teambahay was disappointed about the lags, only a few of us knew something was wrong for those *lucky*concertgoers, too. Those who had friends there or those internet sleuths would know that a number of people had bad experiences. This was mentioned in the group’s post-concert VLive "debriefing." Here's a tweet from someone who had to line up for hours before getting in the stadium: "Current situation: Been lining up for three hours for ticket verification. They really said...'Yet to come.'"
Some fans also got into the stadium late and missed amazing parts of the concert, as seen in this clip. The tweet shares, "This is so disappointing [because] BTS kept run BTS as the highlight of Busan concert and some ARMYs couldn't experience that."
Looking back and looking ahead
After the concert, most of us can't help but look back on the best and sob-inducing moments in the concert. One of the celebrity ARMYs, Lea Salonga, also shared similar awe for the performances. She tweeted a video of a performance and said, "I can't stop watching!!! This performance is lit and shows exactly how and why they've gone as far as they have!!! #CanWeSaySYNCHRONIZED #RaisingTheBarYetAgain"
There were even great clips of the pre-concert entertainment and after-party. Like this fan chant when the music video of "Blood Sweat & Tears" played in the Haeundae live play:
If there's one thing we could agree on, it's that despite all the hiccups, "Spring Day" saved the day. Try not to cry while watching the thousands of ARMYs singing the song together with BTS.
A lot of us saw the expressions of the members and couldn't help but think there must be something coming. Even before the concert, we expected that BTS will be announcing something big. During the ending ment, we were all at the edge of our seats. Then, the members started talking about "trust"—about how we need to trust them whatever happens.
Glassy-eyed J-hope said in Korean, "I'd like to talk about our future. (at ARMY's reaction) No, no... it's not anything big, not a big thing! But now I think this is the time we need trust. Our members and ARMYs...it's time to make our future together with our united trust."
What did they mean?! Of course, we didn't get an answer right away, so all we could do was, well, trust them. Like what this Twitter user said, "Whatever decision you guys come up with, we will all stand by you guys and support you forever."
It wasn't all cryptic, though! During the closing of the show, we also got some great news Jin, the oldest member of BTS. He announced that after J-hope's Jack in the Box, he will be next in the group to release a solo album! We know it's going to be epic, just like what a tweet said, "A masterpiece on the way."
#APOBANGPO
Then, Monday came. Two days after the concert, the world was shook with the news that the members of the biggest boyband in the world will be fulfilling their mandatory military enlistment soon, starting with Jin this year. The HYBE announcement said that they hope that BTS will resume their activities as a complete group by 2025. That means we'll need to wait about three years before hopes of a comeback.
We all knew it was going to happen—many of us secretly hoped they would be exempted but knew at the back of our minds that it was not likely. Whether we saw it coming or not, a lot of us got overwhelmed and just felt shocked and sad that day. Of course, we know that BTS just decided to write their own narrative, so we're proud of them and we’ll definitely support them. And we'll definitely live by "APOBANGPO" or “ARMY forever, BANGTAN forever.”
But as fans of BTS and BigHit Music would know, they wouldn't leave ARMY hanging for too long. So, within a day or two, they teased us about Jin's new song—a collab with none other than Coldplay. They also started promoting his solo album (single), Astronaut and opened pre-orders globally on October 19. It's Jin's gift to ARMY before he starts really preparing to enlist. Worldwide handsome to the rescue!
Astronaut and other BTS albums and merch are available for purchase from WeVerse Shop, the official e-commerce site for fans around the world. Meanwhile, you can access exclusive BTS content like VOD concerts and Run BTS! episodes on WeVerse.
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