Shining in the night with hues of purple, BTS lit up Busan with their outstanding final performance “Yet to Come” on Oct. 15. In an effort to promote Busan in hosting the World Expo in 2030, the Korean group hosted a concert free-of-charge to those eager to attend. Filing in a whopping 50,000 BTS’ fans — better known as ARMY — into the arena were eager to get a good look at the group performing as seven for the last time in the foreseeable future.
As announced by BTS’s label BIGHIT MUSIC on their official Twitter page, the members will prepare to enlist in Korea’s mandatory military service one by one. This makes the Busan concert the only performance BTS will have with all seven members since their previously announced hiatus until 2025. This meant that leaving a memorable lasting taste for this stage was far more critical than ever. Putting on a truly meaningful show for their fans, BTS’s setlist contained an array of songs from their past nine years that their entertainment company Hybe Corporation (HYBE) described in a statement as “songs that best represent the band and anyone — beyond ARMY — can easily sing along [to].”
Not only did they welcome fans to witness such a performance in person, but BTS and HYBE also made the performance accessible to its worldwide viewers. BTS’ concert garnered an approximate viewing of over 49 million views through a live stream hosted by Korean web platform Weverse. However, this does not take into consideration the 12,000 fans who took their excitement outside and watched the live footage in both Busan Port and Haeundae.
The concert opened with the crowd roaring in harmony with one another and cheering for their beloved idols on stage. As ARMYs jumped around with their lightsticks — also known as ARMY Bombs — in hand, each fan gave it their all to support BTS. Bringing their charisma to 100%, BTS got their crowd amped with “Mic Drop” and their signature synchronized dancing. “Run BTS” followed shortly after, followed by songs like “Run,” “Save Me,” “00:00 (Zero O’Clock)” and numerous tracks pulled from their albums over the years.
As the live stream often pans to the crowd, the viewers of the stream could see just how prominent of a figure BTS stands for in South Korea. Especially after being surrounded by an endless ocean of purple lights and excitement, it explains why the country would present the boy group as their method of attraction and displaying what they are capable of as a nation.
In order to create a mosaic of their heritage within their stages, the band performed “Ma City” while showcasing graphic images as HYBE described to be, “Busan’s beautiful landmarks and scenery.” Additionally, they included traditional visuals while performing “IDOL” with the complimentary performance of Bukcheong saja noreum — a Korean traditional game that involves dancing with lion masks.
As the concert came to a bittersweet end with their latest track “Yet To Come,” the seven members wore purple hoodies and bid their farewells to the crowd. With members such as Suga and RM yelling “Sorijilleo! (Make some noise!),” they created a reverb of yells and calls from ARMYs throughout the arena and Busan.
Despite the melancholic undertone of BTS’ future, they delivered no less than perfection when setting their stage passionately ablaze. With plans to be the first to temporarily leave the group , Weverse announced Jin will release a solo project that will make its live debut on Oct. 28 in Buenos Aires, Argentina at Coldplay’s concert. Co-written by Jin and Coldplay, the song will give fans something positive to hold onto as each member departs onto their own paths in the meantime. After Jin’s individual promotions conclude for his upcoming solo, he will begin his process of enlistment for South Korea and do so with honor.
After the emotional concert, ARMYs are left to ponder what each member of BTS will do before their reunion as seven. The sentimental close to their concert has fans wondering what is “Yet to Come” for BTS in the future and for ARMYs to wait for their homecoming after serving for South Korea.
Lexis Pham is an Arts & Entertainment Intern for the fall 2022 quarter. She can be reached at lexisp@uci.edu.