BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) are making history. What was once a K-pop group formed on June 13, 2013, by the small company Big Hit Entertainment, is now a huge international phenomenon selling out stadiums as big as the Prudential Center. I’ve been a fan since 2015 and the I Need U era, so watching them grow and become outstandingly more popular has made me incredibly happy. This past Friday, I went to see them in concert with two of my friends. We were there at 8 a.m. in order to find a good place in line for the sound check, but found ourselves behind a mass of other fans that had been there at least 3 hours before us. It was both an aggravating and awe-inducing moment; these seven boys from Korea had managed to attract such a dedicated fanbase who were willing to spend the night camping if it meant being closer to them. We knew that many fans were waiting for sound check, which would begin at around 3:40 p.m., so we sat down and braced ourselves for the morning cold and wind.
To be honest, it was a brutal experience. The weather was around 30 degrees when we arrived, and with the wind, my hands and face dried up almost immediately. I was shivering under my friend’s blanket while her father went to buy some coffee to warm us up. It was much appreciated as the weather continued to assault the miserable fans, and the only respite we had was when the sun decided to peek out from the clouds. We were in a good mood because of the sun’s warmth. Until it started to rain.
But that didn’t kill our buzz. No, we were joking and still hanging onto that pre-concert excitement, and during the rain, some marching bands from different high schools began to show up. Apparently, the concert was on the same day as Newark’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Fans got to enjoy a little free performance of drummers and goofy dancers. One boy in particular was really excited he had an audience and blew his whistle constantly while getting down. This diversion entertained us until we received our wristbands. Now this is where I start to get salty.
Here’s the thing: the Prudential Center is horribly disorganized. There were two types of wristbands the fans needed to get: one to mark which seating section you were in, and one to give sound check people a section in line when the sound check ended. They ran out of the latter wristbands when I went up but didn’t say anything. Not knowing this, I walked off without the little yellow piece of paper, and ended up not having a place in line at all. Before I went into sound check, my friends pointed out I only had one band, so I went and tried to get one from a worker. He said, however, I would not be in the same place in line as my friends because I got mine later than theirs, which effectively ticked me off. But I didn’t let my frustration show. Ruining the concert for both me and my friends with a bad mood was the last thing I wanted. So I said thank you and got back in line for sound check, fuming silently.
Sound check’s line was disorganized. We were made to wrap around the staircase so we didn’t get in the way of the other fans, but no one knew which direction they wanted us to face and no one knew where the line began or ended. Lots of other fans were getting very angry, and it showed. Thankfully, we didn’t wait as long as expected before sound check. It was a little disappointing because they didn’t interact with the fans as much as I would have liked, but I was still thankful regardless, as I was able to see them perform twice in one day. Then, we went out to join the dreaded line for the actual concert.
The lines we tried to form were crowded and messy, much to the impatient ushers annoyance. A few people decided not to follow the section rules like others, causing a lot disarray. Thankfully, I was able to get into the concert venue without too much irritation, and I raced to the P1 section. I wanted to cry; we were so close to the stage! We had been worried about other fans pushing to get closer to the performance, but the people around me were very sweet and understanding. I’m quite short, so two people offered to move out of the way so I could see. During the concert itself, I had terrible stomach pains, and one girl was even kind enough to watch over me as I sat amidst the standing crowd. Forever grateful to her, by the way.
When BTS came out, it was truly exhilarating. Their stage presence was unbelievable; it was hard to focus on my favorites when the others were just as amazing at dancing and singing. J-Hope caught my eye the most, however. His bright, big smile was always beaming at his fans (I like to think he smiled at me when he was looking at my general direction), and his dancing was absolutely gorgeous live. He was energetic and made each performance look effortless. His solo, Mama, made my heart hurt. Watching how his face changed as he sang and rapped about his gratitude for his mother while his pictures from birth until present played in the background was the highlight of the concert for me. To see such genuine emotions from such a famous idol was a gift. He made me want to go home and hug my own mom as soon as I saw her!
Seeing J-Hope and the wonderful other members was just as exciting as I thought it would be. Yes, the Prudential Center’s lines and how the event was set up in general was very aggravating, but being able to experience such a blood-pumping concert with these boys made the wait well-worth the suffering. I am grateful to have been able to see BTS, and I hope that in the future, I’ll be able to see them in person again.
Until then, I hope BTS remain healthy and happy and keep doing what they love, because they bring joy and excitement internationally.
