November 27 was the first of four show dates of BTS’s Permission to Dance On Stage concerts. Fans, known as ARMYs, were ecstatic by this unexpected news, and were filled with joy as the Map of the Soul Tour, which was supposed to take place in 2020, was officially canceled a few weeks prior. Due to their large popularity, getting tickets can be quite a challenge to say the least, so those who had originally gotten tickets to the Map of the Soul Tour were given a pre-sale code to get first access to tickets. Unfortunately, due to such a high demand for these pre-sale tickets, a general sale was not offered, but some who signed up for the Verified Fan pre-sale were given the opportunity starting a few days before the concert to get a ticket. 

After purchasing the tickets and impatiently waiting for almost two months, the day of the concert finally came! As my friends and I entered the venue, we were in shock by its large size and the number of people that were truly there. Before the lines started at 5:30, there were a variety of things people could do, such as take photos at photo stations, buy merchandise, and eat food. The first thing we saw when we arrived there was a group of people dancing to various K-pop songs such as “The Feels” by Twice and “Given-Taken” by Enhypen. When people heard a song they knew the dance to, they immediately ran into the crowd and confidently danced with everyone else. 

After taking in everything that was there, we began to make our way into the lines. It was filled with so many people, and we got to speed up the time by talking with each other and with fans around us. As the line was moving slowly, the show was about to start in half an hour, and people were worried that they would miss the opening song. The security staff recognized how overwhelmed everyone was and let fans in without checking their bags and/or vaccination cards. This was very unsafe, as people could have entered without a ticket.  Fortunately, everything still went alright despite the chaos and the only thing that happened was the show starting a little late.

As we entered the inside of the venue, we had to go through various escalators, but we were easily able to find our seats with plenty of time before the show started. To keep us anticipating for the moment they would get on stage, they played various music videos, and finally an introduction video, and the crowd got louder and louder as they knew the concert was about to start.

 The show started big with their song “On” with the iconic dance break that sent the stadium bursting in screams and cheering. The crowd was so energetic, and the light sticks fans brought synchronized in various patterns among the audience in a beautiful display of lights.

The concert was not only filled with performances but also many surprises. One of them was videos after every few songs, which sent the audience laughing and cheering as the next performance came. Another one, which was one of the most memorable parts of the concert for me, was the heartwarming speeches the members gave about how happy they were to be performing in front of fans. They mentioned how thankful they are for our existence, how happy they were, and how they realized how precious some things really are. One last thing was the inclusion of many complex transitions. One of them was a transition from the deep and sad song “Blue and Grey” to the song “Black Swan,” where feathers were released into the audience, portraying a delicate and graceful scene.

Though every unique song they performed was done perfectly, here are a few songs they performed that were my favorite. One is “Answer: Love Myself,” which explains how loving yourself can be harder than loving others, but over time it can be learned. “So What” was another favorite of mine, saying that we have a whole life to live and should not let things worry us too much. During this song, streamers flew everywhere, and it perfectly matched with the song. Another one was of course “Butter,” which was filled with phenomenal choreography and a catchy beat that was enjoyed by the whole audience who all sang along.

Among the many upbeat songs that brought a lot of energy towards the audience, there were also some songs that made fans emotional for how in-depth and meaningful the lyrics are. A perfect example of this is “Life Goes On,” which brings nostalgia to the times before the pandemic, and makes people yearn for a time of normalcy while reminding people that one day this will all fade away and the world will pick up again as if nothing ever happened. “Blue and Grey” was another one, which goes down deep into how each of the members realistically felt when the pandemic began and their tour that they worked so hard for was canceled. This song sympathizes with many who go through or have gone through struggles, pondering in their mind how their situation isn’t getting better and how they struggle finding even the smallest bit of joy in their lives. When they performed “We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal,” many fans were moved by the lyrics, which explain how they started off as only 7 and didn’t have much with the small company they started in, but now they have us and are forever grateful for that. 

Hence the name, the concert ended with the song “Permission to Dance,” and fans felt this bittersweet moment as the concert was about to inevitably end. People sang and danced along with BTS, enjoying every last precious moment of the concert. As people began to leave the stadium, they still had the same energy as during the concert and were still excited and talking with many others. Norah Li (11), a student at YLHS who went to the concert, shares her wonderful experience, saying “my favorite part was when the members talked about how much they missed the stage and their fans. The experience was really fun and touching because the members were so sweet. My favorite song was ‘Life Goes On’ because it is a really beautiful song and I liked how they performed it.” Through all of the emotions I felt throughout the show and memories I made, it will be an experience I will remember for the rest of my life.