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BTS' Permission to Dance On Stage: Into the ‘Magic Shop’
One day after BTS’ online concert Permission to Dance On Stage, my sisters and I, like the rest of the ARMYs, are still on a post-PTDOS high.
We’ve been KPOP fans for more than a decade and yes, we’ve seen countless live concerts of different K-pop groups, but what makes yesterday’s event different? Well, it’s our first time to watch the South Korean septet perform “live.”
BTS has been around for eight years, and I’ve liked their songs since 2014's “Danger.” But I’ve never watched any of their in-person concerts (big mistake). I’ve also avoided watching their variety shows because once you get to “know” them, falling into the K-pop trap is inevitable — and can be pretty tough on the wallet too, if you know what I mean.
‘Pandemic ARMYs’
And then 2020 arrived and dragged our family through a long stretch of challenges and worries.
At that time, BTS released their first English song “Dynamite,” and the lyrics just hit differently. It was something of a final straw. After a string of thought-provoking “fight songs,” it made me cave into the BTS magic.
One of my producers, Rochelle Senaida, also found her lifeline through the group: “Last December 2020, I officially entered the ‘Magic Shop’ (in ARMY speak, it’s how you start stanning them) after accidentally hearing the song ‘Zero O’Clock’. Now they are the seven boys from South Korea who bring joy and a sense of healing. Their songs convey a different kind of comfort. Language barriers will never be a hindrance as they taught me how to love myself,” she said.
The pandemic also highlighted BTS’ achievements, the most notable of which are their nomination in the Grammy’s and their speech and performance in the U.N. General Assembly.
To truly appreciate the group, though, one has to go way back to their humble beginnings.
Their zero-to-hero story has attracted and turned many non-K-pop fans into K-pop stans like Madel Zaide. A big music fan, Madel wasn't exactly into K-pop. "So I was surprised that the boys got my attention with ‘Dynamite’.” Madel shared.
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As she got more and more into BTS, she realized just how beautiful their music was. “Their songs are about self-love, their own personal journey and some even tackled social issues. I didn’t mind that I had to google for the translation of their songs. BTS songs comforted me during the lowest time of my pandemic life. You could say they saved me from quarantine fatigue. Their variety shows and reality content are doses of medicine and vitamins I didn’t know I needed,” Madel added.
BTS Online: A Family Affair
Online shows like Permission to Dance On Stage became a family event for ARMYs like Vanny Bernardo-Agawin: “My parents got curious why I am so into this fandom, so I invited them to watch it in our house. True enough, I enjoyed the concert more because I saw that my whole family was having fun!"
It also became an opportunity for the judge to bond with her sons, who "know how busy I am with my work."
"They try to express their love for and support to me by playing BTS songs, watching their music videos, and learning their dance steps. My sons became ARMYs because of me and during this pandemic, they also found healing and comfort through BTS’ songs,” she continued.
Online versus Offline
For Permission to Dance On Stage, viewers have to pay extra for the nearly 15-minute soundcheck. A first for us, we didn’t expect it to end after three songs: ‘Life Goes On’, ‘Telepathy’, and ‘Dis-ease’. While the soundcheck continued to pump us up for the main act, nothing can compare to the real thing.
An ARMY since 2017, Laine Flaviano-Lorenzo recalled the three times she's seen BTS perform live. “The experience was surreal, almost dreamlike," she began. "Apart from their professionalism and exceptional talent which make their performance absolutely breathtaking, BTS is capable of touching the heart and soul of every ARMY watching. And they do it with utmost sincerity."
Laine explained the difference between preparing for online and offline events: “For online concerts, there’s no need to plan and prepare much. For live concerts, we make sure our outfits and other concert paraphernalia are well-thought-out and ready. We have to know how and where we’re going to eat on the day itself. We also have to plan what time and for how long we need to line up for tour merch, to make sure we’ll line up just when they’re letting people in. And then the PCD (post-concert depression) hits the moment the concert ends.”
She also added: “Watching an online concert is just not as good as watching them live. You don't get to feel the same energy; you literally don't get to breathe the same air. You don't get to scream your heart out and dance with thousands of your fellow ARMYs. You don't even get to experience falling in line and feeling the anticipation hours and minutes before the concert. It is just not the same, and it saddens both ARMY and BTS.”
Permission to Unli-Fangirling allowed
But while the “feels” are so much different from watching an offline event, the two and a half online concert at the Seoul Olympic Stadium remained impressive with its attempt to simulate a live concert, complete with live band, superb stage design, LED screens, confetti, and of course, fireworks! The only thing missing were cutaways of a live audience.
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— BTS_official (@bts_bighit) October 24, 2021
“They consecutively performed their banger songs and you wouldn’t see a tinge of tiredness in their faces. I especially loved the Dynamite-Butter transition dance break, Black Swan with Jimin at the helm of the performance and a snippet of Blood, Sweat and Tears 2021,” Madel said.
It’s also interesting to note that there were no solo performances, which BTS member Kim Taehyung, more popularly known as ‘V’, addressed during their closing speech: “Some people noticed in this concert that there were no individual stages. It’s our first time to try this. We wanted to showcase all seven of us, which is why there were no solo acts. But in the tour, you won’t be missing any seven of us.”
V had to sit through the dance performances because of pain in his calf muscles. BIG HIT MUSIC announced the decision a few hours before the show started and it inadvertently affected V’s fans like Marisse Joson.
“I was one with BigHit in prioritizing the artist's health, but to see him downcast at the start of the concert, affected me deeply," she said. "It really hurts knowing how much the Tannies always exert effort for their performances, and seeing how he looked so forlorn because he couldn't join his brothers broke my heart. He did lighten up midway though because the members kept trying to make him smile,” she noticed.
Despite online shows being much cheaper than live concerts, many still opt to watch via free streaming. Still, many ARMYs like Marisse don't mind shelling out their hard-earned money. "I understand that paying for the albums, merch and online performances helps not just BTS but also all the BigHit staff and all those involved in the production. I love BTS as a brand, so giving back to the boys is my personal way of saying thank you because their chosen career paths helped me smile during difficult days.”
Another beauty in online concerts is its convenience, which helps fans enjoy the performances even on a normal work day: “I never thought I would enjoy a concert at home! The WFH setup allows me to enjoy my fangirling life. I can continue working while watching the concert on the side. It gives off a “sit back and relax” type of feeling, I didn’t worry about missing work duty and a BTS performance at the same time,” Rochelle said.
We’re in this together
After the concert, BIG HIT announced the online streaming of BTS’ Permission to Dance On Stage in LA on December 2 and 3. The announcement came as a very pleasant surprise for ARMYs who can’t go to the U.S. to catch the group's first live concert in two years.
“BTS’ observations are true, the online concert felt incomplete because it didn’t have a live audience, but when they did their famous body wave and then they kept on saying they ‘heard us’ even if we’re not physically there, I felt that,” my sister, Sophie, said.
After watching the BTS online concert, I realized that I’m happily stanning BTS as much as I find joy with the other K-pop groups I admire.
And with all the bad things going on, we can all just choose to help each other stay afloat and be happy.
After all, we’re all in this together through good music and positive vibes. — LA, GMA News
