Arirang

I recently went to a BTS concert! Part of their "Arirang" world tour, BTS showed up on a Tuesday night and had some open tickets, so MJ and I joined 60,000+ diehard BTS fans to go despite rain in the forecast, and it became a core memory for me, the first and probably only time I'll see BTS, which wasn't included in the original version of the Rolling Stones top 500 albums, but now has gotten recognition in 2026 with its Arirang album. The concert was much more structured than I expected, with 3 distinct segments and 2 mini-breaks for the 7 dudes to go and change, take a break. I don't know if all stadiums do this, but on the especially energetic songs the audience jumping around caused the bleachers (nosebleed seats for us) to shake, giving an uneasy feeling and leading to some positive thinking about the structural integrity of the stadium we were at. Oh and it was hard to leave the stadium, as 60,000 fans trickle into the stadium at staggered times depending on their level of fandom but everyone tries to leave at the same time. Other than those minor gripes, everything was positive! It's amazing how well-oiled the 7 singers are (Jin, SUGA, Jung-kook, V, Jimin, RM, and J-hope) coordinating their dance moves and singing (making sure no one sings over each other), trying to engage the audience, keeping a positive attitude. I guess you need those attributes to attract the attention of young ladies in America, oh and being good looking doesn't hurt neither). Maybe I've been living at home with baby in a sort of sensory deprivation environment, but I was really engaged with the music, letting both the familiar songs (Butter, Swim, Dynamite) wave over me like warm nostalgia but also observing some of their new album. It didn't hurt that it was probably a PERFECT night for an outdoor music concert, probably one of the top feelings in the world for music lovers, being outside in late summer on a clear night with concert starting around sunset and lasting deep into the night. I wonder what it's like to be a worldwide superstar act, known for only positive attention of just being a world class entertainer, no one can argue with that, it's not like politicans where half of all people will disagree with you no matter what, or sports stars with bad reputations who anger other teams' fan bases.....music is a universal uniter, anyone can listen to BTS and understand why people love it and can lose themselves to the music. I'm sure like everything I'd get tired of doing the same routine over and over again every night, but when you get to mega-superstar status like BTS they only have to do 2 shows per week, they spent the rest of the week preparing and visiting some of the local restaurants in the area, and they just move onto the next city on their private jet afterwards, including Mexico, Canada, London.......having fun looking good, making enormous wealth and generating billions of fans across the world; maybe in the next lifetime for me. I will say I respect BTS for staying loyal to each other (same 7 guys, haven't broken up yet over 10 years of success), no scandals or drug use, working hard for the fans and having a positive attitude (despite varying levels of English proficiency)...if I did ever become a rock star in another life, that's the kind I'd want to be.