My First BTS Concert: Permission To Dance On Stage - LA; Here's My Experience!
By: Georgina Antwi-Boasiako
March 7, 2023
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I honestly don't remember where I was or what I was doing, but all I remember is my bestfriend, Paige, texting me urgently asking if I wanted the extra ticket to the concert on Saturday, November 27, 2021. I won't lie, I was a little hesitant, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I understand how difficult it is for many Armys to obtain BTS concert tickets, and the opportunity was just presented to me. After 3 minutes of deliberation, I said yes. I couldn't believe my very first concert would be with BTS. Like what?! I knew this was going to be one of those memories I would never forget.
Day 1: The Arrival Day, November 26, 2021
I won't bore you with the details of coordinating flight times (arrival and departure), finding a hotel, and renting a car. Because the concert was on Saturday, November 27, we decided to arrive a day early and leave two days later. We arrived a day early because we needed some merchandise, such as the Army bomb, before the concert. Now, let me tell you about that first day. It did not go according to plan. We arrived late to SoFi stadium (where the concert was taking place) due to a delay in receiving our rental car, and as a result, we were unable to get our merch as planned. I won't go into how aggravating it was that even as a VIP member, it took more than 2 hours to get our rental car! SMH.
Even though we weren't able to get our merchandise as planned on this day, we still had other plans. We went to our hotel to check in and drop off our luggage. We then went to Golden Lake Eatery for dinner before concluding our first day in Los Angeles with Karaoke (K-pop of course!).
The many Armys I met on my way to and in Los Angeles
The Day Of The Concert!- BTS Permission to Dance, November 27, 2021
When I say BTS took over the city, I mean TOOK OVER! In addition to the four day concerts, there was a schedule of BTS-related events and activities all over Los Angeles. BTS was everywhere we went! I was in heaven! Now back to getting our merch!
Official Merch Line - November 27, 2021 6:00 a.m.
Mind you, this was my first ever BTS concert and I was completely unprepared! Allow me to break it down for you.
This is true for all K-pop artists, not just BTS, but BTS does sell merchandise such as shirts, hoodies, accessories, blankets, hats, premium pictures, photocards, and many other items. If you don't arrive early to the merch line for a concert like this, where at least 50,000 people are expected to attend, there's a chance you won't get the items you wanted when it's your turn in line. Despite the fact that the booths did not open until 9:00 a.m., many Armys arrived early to stand in line. Now, unlike most Armys, my friends and I did not arrived at 2:00 a.m. (because we needed our sleep. We love BTS but we needed those extra hours!) but instead arrived at 6:00 a.m. to stand in line.
We brought snacks and water with us because we expected to be there for several hours (Thank God for twitter!). A lot happened in those 8 hours. Because there were four of us, we split up to stand in different booths selling the items we wanted, which were the Army bomb and the hoodie (pictured below). I certainly exceeded my 10,000 step goal. But after much running around and waiting in line, we were able to obtain the merchandise we desired! This is not something you experience every day.
The line for merches; was an experience
The merches we got
After finally receiving our merchandise (around 2 p.m.), we went to get some food, then to the hotel to rest up before the concert. We did our makeup, ate our meals, and got ready. Let me tell you something! SoFi Stadium was not fully prepared for Army! At all! It was the most disorganized in terms of checking people in for the concert. I'm not sure if they thought 50,000 people wouldn't show up or what, but it was extremely frustrating to say the least. We nearly missed the beginning of the concert, but we got to our seats just in time. As I sat in my seat, it became real to me, and I became emotional. I mean, my first time watching BTS was with my bestfriend, the person who got me into BTS a couple years ago simply because she thought I'd enjoy learning their "Fire" choreography. You know that feeling you get when you accomplish something important to you? That's exactly how I felt. I felt at ease and loved, truly loved.
I mean, I have no other concert to compare it to because this was my first ever concert, but it was the best concert ever! It felt surreal to go from watching them in music videos to seeing them in real life and breathing the same air as them. I was so engrossed in the concert that when it ended, I felt sad. The concert lasted 2.5 hours, but it felt much shorter. It was incredible, heavenly, and magical, and I will never forget it.
See below for some of the moments I captured during and after the concert!
My J-hope !- Fun fact: We have the same personality type! INFJ
The Army Bomb!
Best 2.5 hours of my life!
My Seven Saints!
Day After the Concert: November 28, 2021
People who know me well know that I am extremely organized, perhaps to a fault. When it comes to trips, I like to do research on the area way in advance. I want to know what I want to get out of the trip, whether it's to relax, explore nature, try new things, and so on. All I'm saying is that planning your trips (not just the plane ticket and hotel, but also what you'll do there) saves time and reduces stress. It is more efficient to research everything that is available to you in order to get the most out of it. Of course, things may change once you arrive, but having an idea of what you want to do while there is preferable to winging it. Again, that's just me, and it's why my personality type is INFJ.
We had a great time on this day, at least I did! We slept in because, after all, BTS had just blown our minds with their performance the night before, and it took forever to leave the parking lot. Anyway, we woke up just before noon, got ready for the day, and went out to lunch. We had lunch at Slurpin Ramen Bar, which was fantastic. I finished my entire bowl, that's how good it was. If you ever find yourself in that area, please stop by! After filling our bellies with such delicious food, we headed to Selfie WRLD Museum & Mall for our photoshoot (We took our own pictures lol). Selfie WRLD is another place I would recommend. Going to the various backdrops and taking pictures was a lot of fun.
After about 2 hours there, we went to Mumu Bakery Café for dessert (because why not?), which was the cutest café I'd ever seen. Of course, all of their desserts were adorable and delicious. We then headed to Griffith Observatory (#namjooing) after we got our deserts to show our appreciation to RM, BTS leader (side note: may want to keep an eye out for coyotes because we encountered one). We stayed for about 2 hours before heading out to eat at a Korean BBQ restaurant, Road to Seoul KBBQ Restaurant. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but this is a must-visit restaurant if you're ever in the area. After dinner, we got dessert (I'm not sure where we went exactly), but I'm sure it was delicious!
See below for some highlights from the day!
Mumu Bakery café
Selfie WRLD Los Angeles
Must visit! Ramen was delicious!
Last Day/Reflection: November 29, 2021
I hope you enjoyed reading about my first BTS concert. BTS has been such a bright light in my life since I first discovered them. Looking back at where they started and how grounded they remain is very inspiring. One thing BTS has taught me, and I'm sure it's true for my fellow Armys, is how to truly love myself; to know that I am valuable. Every time I listen to their music (which is quite frequently), it brings a smile to my face and inspires me to keep going. They may not know who I am, but they have had a significant impact on my life, and I am grateful to them. They put in a lot of effort in everything they do, and I admire them for it. I am extremely proud of everything they have accomplished, and I will continue to support them for as long as they allow me to.
Facts about BTS
BTS stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan meaning Bulletproof of Boys Scouts; the name signifies the group's desire to "to block out stereotypes, criticisms, and expectations that aim on adolescents like bullets".
BTS debuted in June 2013
BTS has 7 members (in order of oldest to youngest): Jin, Suga, J-hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung kook
BTS fan base is known as ARMY, which stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth
BTS has won 483 awards, out of 692 nominations from their debut in 2013
BTS leader is RM and he learned English by watching Friends (the show)
Jung Kook, the youngest member, became the first Asian artist to perform at the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar
As always, if you ever have questions or comments, please Contact Me. If you enjoyed reading this post, please share it and follow my Instagram page to get notified of future posts! Thank you very much and I'll see you in the next post!
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