By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
May 2, 2018
☆☆☆☆
“I don’t know why we get so much love and support. But we feel a great sense of responsibility.” –Jimin
Having your music cut out mid-song can be a living nightmare for most musicians. But if you have the wherewithal to go with the flow with the good and the bad, those moments also can become a highlight of the evening.
During a concert in Osaka last year, J-Hope was faced with exactly this dilemma. He describes it as the worst thing that can happen at a show. But he handled it with aplomb.
Unlike Ashlee Simpson — who infamously scampered off the “Saturday Night Live” stage when the wrong vocal track was played; and it became clear that she wasn’t prepared to sing live — J-Hope handled it like a pro. When the instrumentals cut out, he kept on singing acapella and sounded good. The audience did its part, singing along with him. It was actually a lovely moment, highlighting the symbiotic relationship the band has with its fans.
It also proved that the group sings live.
Perfection is never something I look for when I review concerts. Yes, it’s interesting to hear songs performed exactly the way it sounds on recordings. But it’s more engaging as an attendee to hear some of the blemishes that distinguish it from a pristine recording.
“It was a little embarrassing,” J-Hope said. “But I love the thrill of singing on stage. … [The way I handled it] made me proud that I’m a singer.”
BTS performed 13 shows on the Japanese leg of their tour, culminating at the Kyocera Dome Osaka. The group described it as seating 30,000 to 40,000 fans. But the arena’s website cites its capacity as closer to 51,000.
I thought about these huge crowds when Suga said he feels anxious performing in front of large audiences.
I thought about how teenage Suga must’ve feared not making the cut at his Big Hit audition.
“When what you expect doesn’t happen, it’s difficult to take,” Suga says.
But he also must’ve worried about what could happen if he ever became famous.
Every band I’ve interviewed that has toured in Japan has told me the same thing that BTS says in this docu-series: The Japanese fans love music, but they are comparatively calm and respectful. That’s their style.
“It’s entirely upon us to get the fans out of their seats to dance,” Suga says.
He says he remembers when they played for 2,000 fans and that in some ways, it was more of a thrill to do that than to play for tens of thousands of concertgoers. Does he find less meaning in what they do now? No.
I understand what he is saying. What you miss may be different from what you have … but different isn’t bad.
Watching them prep for live shows, I was drawn to how they train like athletes. J-Hope’s legs were taped up like NBA players do before a big basketball game. He makes his movements look so effortless that we forget the strain it must put on his body to perform like that every night.
Near the end of this seventh episode, the interviewer asked the guys what they wanted to do once the tour was over. V wanted to travel and take photos, while Jin wanted to go fishing with his father. RM simply wanted to organize all the collectibles he had in his studio. (Yes! I love nothing more than organizing when I’m stressed out.)
But it was J-Hope and Suga who made me laugh out loud. Asked if they would hang out, J-Hope joked that they already spend too much time together. Suga moved his seat away from him and said, “Let’s have some time apart.”
I get why YouTube Red released this as an eight-part docu-series. There’s certainly fan interest in a project such as this. But as I said in my review of the first two episodes, I would love to see a tautly-edited version of this made into a 90-minute documentary. It could be just as compelling as Madonna’s “Truth or Dare.”
I think back to a professional video we had made of my son’s life. (At the time, he was almost four years old.) I had so much footage of him that I didn’t know how to pare it down, because I felt emotionally invested to every. single. minute. of those videos. Once I handed the footage over to a talented editor — who condensed the videos down to 7-1/2 minutes of pure joy — I felt liberated not only in what I was willing to let go of, but with what I wanted to remember.
A relative died last week. I had to travel for work and was separated from my family for a few days. Knowing that I was sad and alone, my son left a message for me that touched my heart. He told me that the Chicago Cubs had won. And he told me to watch our favorite episode of “Run BTS,” so I could be happy and laugh.
Because I already am so familiar with BTS’ music and stage shows, the segments that always hold my interest the most are when the group members sit around the dinner table enjoying a meal, joking and relaxing. For me, that camaraderie — the jung that they have for each other — is the most compelling part of this series.
Long after the young men in BTS have moved onto the next phase of their lives, it’s that friendship that will be burned into my memory when I hear their music. And I know that no matter how old I am when I hear their songs, there will always be a part of me that will be thinking, “보고 싶다.”
Airdates: The eight-episode series premiered on March 28. The finale will air on May 9, 2018, on YouTube Red. Read more of my reviews of “BTS: Burn the Stage” here: Episode 1 & 2. Episode 3. Episode 4. Episode 5. Episode 6. Episode 8. My review of “Burn the Stage: The Movie” is here.
Long after @BTS_twt has moved onto the next phase of their lives, the 정 they share’ll be burned into my memory. I know a part of me will always be thinking, “보고 싶다,” when I hear their music. My #BurnTheStageEp7 review⏯https://t.co/Bein6ohZfL📌 pic.twitter.com/4knIPX00UO
— Jae-Ha Kim 김재하 (@GoAwayWithJae) May 2, 2018
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