Unlike some of my fellow fangirls, I haven’t yet been fortunate enough to attend a live BTS concert. . . BUT, when the opportunity to see their 5th Muster live (via Vlive) popped up, I made a very impulsive late night decision to watch.  And I’m SO glad I did!!  If you can’t be there in person, I’m totally convinced beginning a concert at midnight from the comfort of your couch, gleefully snapping screen shots, is a close second.  Come join me, as I chat about my very first BTS Muster experience.

I’m a relative newbie to the BTS Army – I’ve only been a part of the fandom for a little over a year.  But I’ve been doing my best to get schooled in all their prior works, performances, etc. (Honestly, they have produced so much content over the last six years, it’s a bit overwhelming when you first dive in!) They have done Musters yearly, as an anniversary gift to their fans, to celebrate their debut.  And what a fantastic gift it is!

On the final night of this show, BTS not only performed in front of a packed Seoul Olympic arena, but also to approximately 15,000 Army watching live from the lawn outside.  AND countless others, like myself, watching breathlessly from around the world.

BTS has had some impressive stages over the years, but I loved that for this concert, they performed from the center, giving the audience an un-obstructed 360-degree view!  Sets were simple, allowing us to focus on the music and dancing.  And the carousel-style mirrors, during Love Maze, had us seeing double – total win!

I’d heard chatter from Army wondering why the song Home wasn’t included in the most recent Speak Yourself stadium tour. . .  I think they were saving it for ‘home’.  It was so moving to see them perform this song as the concert opened.  

Following their first set of songs, they settled down for a cozy tea time, led by Jin, serving ‘cha’ with his patented dad-joke humor.  Then ‘DJ Suga’ stepped in and played song requests from each of the members.  Some newer, some older – I loved that Jimin picked one of my favorites, Love Yourself.

Between music sets, there were clips from a pre-recorded video story.  Following the theme of this Muster, JK embarks on a journey to seek ‘Magical Healing Therapy’ at Jimin’s Magic Shop.  The remaining five members act as counselors, offering up various forms of therapy to JK, with hilarious results.  

BTS also took time to answer anonymous mail from Army.  Again, in the theme of their concert, they offered advice from the ‘Magic Shop’.  They gave examples of overcoming worries, as well as magical moments in their career as BTS.  I really loved the intimate feeling of this part of the concert – their music is always amazing, but their relationship with Army is what puts them ahead of all the performers out there.

I was excited to hear and watch BTS perform favorite songs of mine: We Are Bulletproof pt. 2, Dimple, Boy with Luv – just to name a few!  But the best thing about watching BTS perform, as a new Army, is that I’m constantly discovering songs that are unfamiliar to me.  (I feel the need to point out here, that I have over 60 of their tracks on my carefully cultivated BTS playlist, so I’m not slacking!) During this concert, I was introduced to Whalien, Spine Breaker, Pied Piper, Ddaeng, and Ma City.  

I totally had to track down Ddaeng, as it was special release distributed via the BTS SoundCloud account.  (I’m actually listening as I write.)  For the concert performance, V and JK joined the rap-line and it was absolutely fantastic!! 

And then there was Spine Breaker.  So much fun! They re-enacted their home-made MV from 2017 for this song, complete with jackets, crazy sunglasses and goofy dance moves.

I think, my favorite ‘new’ song though, was Pied Piper – Jin’s soaring vocals totally won me over!

BTS also shared an amazing Korean cultural version of Idol, complete with period costumed dancers, drummers and flag wavers, accompanying them on stage.  It was just another beautiful way of showing respect to their heritage.

The three hours seriously passed by in the blink of on eye.  And I was reminded once again, of the amazing power of BTS to entertain, engage and share something magical every time they perform.  Don’t mind me as I fall even deeper under the spell of BTS – I’m just happy to be one of the countless Army.

While I wait for the VOD of the 5th Muster to load on Vlive, so I can watch it all over again, help the new girl out and share in the comments your favorite songs, performances, or clips of BTS! 

Since I can never get enough, I leave you with one more picture. . .

화이팅!

MiataMama

Dramas With a Side of Kimchi