BTS's 'Map of the Soul: ON:E' concert captivated millions of audiences worldwide
Fans of BTS did not disappoint their favorite K-pop boy group as their recently concluded two-day concert titled “Map of the Soul ON:E” has reportedly drawn over 100 million audiences worldwide.
According to Reuters, the online concert attracted a total of 114 million ARMYs on the first day who watched the performances from the comfort of their own home as the septet sang and danced their pop hits.
“Map of the Soul ON:E” followed the K-pop group's last virtual live show “Bang Bang Con: The Live” which broke major records by amassing 756,000 viewers from 107 different countries and territories, totaling to $19.7 million in ticket sales.
Because of COVID-19, the band's tour was canceled and the boys haven't been able to see their fans. Hence, the emphasis for the two-day concert was to show their appreciation for ARMY, given their support for their latest track “Dynamite” that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
During the concert, aside from the live chatroom, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook were able to read and see the fans' faces during their sets as well as their ARMY Bomb light sticks.
“You're not here but I feel you here as if I can hear your chants. Next time, let's really be here together," said V to their fans.
The two-hour concerts also showed the dynamic range of the band as they performed their hits like “Boy With Luv,” “Dynamite,” “No More Dream,” and “Run.” Each member also got to shine in their own solo performances.
According to a press release, the show's production cost eight times larger than “Bang Bang Con: The Live” given that there are four different stages, a carousel set-up, cool laser lights, a boxing ring, and a 360-degree screen. The show even included an augmented reality technology that showed fans surrounding the group members during their encore performances.
Both concerts ended with a tender note as each member shared their individual messages to fans.
On the first day, Jimin broke down in tears as he spoke about his frustration of not being able to see fans because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, leader RM emphasized on remaining strong and “finding a way” despite the many challenges.
On the second day, RM said he is grateful for being able to have a concert through the pandemic because the technology was able to make it happen.
“You know what? I'm happy. I'm so happy. I'm literally so happy. I have no religion but I thank God that we're living in 2020. I thank God that we have this technology so that we can be connected with no latency, see each other's faces like it literally feels like you're here and I hope you guys feel the same way, too.
“I thank God that we can do this, at least we can do this. At this kind of stage, it is no one's fault. And we're the people.
“We're humans. We're just doing our best. We're just doing our best.”