BTS performing ‘Boy With Luv’ at Wembley Stadium, June 2019.
I was fortunate enough to attend both of the BTS (방탄소년단) Wembley Stadium shows last summer, as part of the ‘Love Yourself: Speak Yourself’ World Tour. I am forever grateful to my friends and to Bangtan for making that weekend the best weekend of my life.
(From left to right) BTS’ Vocalists: V, Jimin, Jungkook and Jin during ‘The Truth Untold’.
Before Speak Yourself at Wembley, the last time I saw BTS was during their ‘Love Yourself‘ Tour at the O2 Arena in October ‘18. There was only an 8-month wait to see them last year. Now, it’s nearly been a whole year and it just feels weird, I guess. As K-pop fans, we’re so used to having multiple comebacks a year and concerts taking place practically throughout the entire year, whereas Western artists tend to stagger their album releases and (most artists) don’t tour as often. BTS always have such a hectic schedule these days so, in a way, I’m glad that they’re finally getting to rest.
Jimin and RM Focus VCR, beginning of Act III.
I'm so bummed out about the ‘Map Of The Soul’ tour dates being postponed, due to the Coronavirus outbreak. I whole-heartedly agree with the decision that BigHit has made; the health and safety of BTS, their staff and ARMY is what’s most important right now. Hopefully, we will be able to see the boys again, soon. Until then, I will be spending my time, looking through past concert photos and videos and crying. Wanna reminisce and cry with me? Keep scrolling through.
Jin, V and Jimin during ‘So What’.
Buying tickets for the Wembley shows was an absolute nightmare. Tickets went on sale for the first date on March 1st and then for the second date, a week later. My sister and I spent hours upon hours, waiting in queues, getting excited when tickets came up but having to release them because they weren’t what we wanted and just generally losing our mind, searching frantically for tickets. We had decided that we wanted to get tickets in “Price Level 1”, which were the best seats as they allowed for a decent view of the main stage, as well as the extended stage. These tickets were, therefore, the most expensive. We nearly got Soundcheck tickets (with really good seats) but then the site crashed! We were fuming. In the end, we didn’t manage to get Soundcheck but the seats we had were amazing and I’m honestly still so grateful.
Jimin, during ‘Wings’ stage.
Our tickets were £175 each, for both dates, plus VAT and all that jazz. Pretty pricey but definitely worth it because if you think about it, you’re literally paying for a whole ass Broadway production or something. The shows consist of live vocals, insane choreography and let’s be honest, it’s also a comedy show because the boys are absolutely hilarious. Also, a lot of BTS choreography includes extra dancers, like in Mic Drop and Not Today. Could you even imagine Mic Drop without the dance break with all the body rolls?! I don’t think so, ma’am. These dancers need to be flown from country to country to perform, for our entertainment. The money we pay for our tickets basically contributes to the expenses for the amazing shows that BTS put on for us. Well, that’s how I see it, anyway.
Rapper, SUGA, during ‘Seesaw’ stage.
I’m so glad that I got into BTS when I was able to afford it for myself because I never got the chance to attend concerts, growing up. If you’re thinking of attending the Map Of The Soul tour, whenever that may be, and you haven’t seen BTS perform before, please do it!
Jungkook, flying over Wembley Stadium during ‘Euphoria’ stage.
I always see people on twitter, complaining about not even being able to afford an Army Bomb, let alone a concert ticket and that makes me so sad. If you haven’t got a savings account already and you struggle to save money, I’d recommend starting something like a ‘BTS Fund’. My friends like to use this, specifically for BTS-related things like concerts and merchandise. If you have a Monzo account, you can create a pot which is basically like a virtual piggy-bank. You can then customise the name (e.g. “BTS Fund”), add a wallpaper (e.g. MOTS Tour poster) and can lock it so you can’t access the funds unless you manually unlock it. There is also an option to ‘round up’ so every time you purchase something using your Monzo card, say if you spend 99p, the remaining penny will be added to your BTS Fund. Slowly, but surely, it will add up and you’ll end up saving money without even realising it. Wow, Monzo, please sponsor me. Try it out and see if it works for you or try to find an alternative way of saving your money, like by cutting costs somewhere. Do you really need VIP membership on BTS World, or could that £5 a month contribute to saving for BTS concerts and merchandise? Just some food for thought. Everyone deserves to see BTS live, at least once. If you’re reading this and you haven’t seen the boys yet, I hope you do, soon.
BTS (minus RM) during ‘Fake Love’ stage.
For Day 1 at Wembley, we were seated in Block 143, which was the first block to the left of the main stage. The view of the main stage was pretty good but sometimes there were objects on the stage that restricted our view during certain performances. However, our seats were perfect for when the members came to the sides of the main stage, underneath the screens. Being on the side, it did mean that the members had their backs turned to us a lot of the time, like when they were on the extended stage, which was a shame. For Day 2, we were on the same side of the Stadium but this time, we were seated on the floor! We were in section AA1 which gave us a perfect view of, both, the main stage AND the extended stage! I wish I could relive that day over and over again.
The set-list consisted of new songs from their newest album at the time, Map Of The Soul: Persona, as well as a lot of their past discography. When I saw BTS at the O2 Arena, they started the show off with the title track from their Love Yourself: Answer album, IDOL. If you’ve ever been to a BTS show, is it just me or does it become difficult to listen to the songs they start their shows with? For months after seeing them at the O2, every time I heard IDOL, I felt like I was going to literally piss my pants. Maybe it was because I didn’t get the chance to go to the toilet before the show and had to hold my pee in for 5. WHOLE. HOURS. Maybe I made an association between the song and the desperate need to pee, I don’t know. But when I listen to Dionysus now, which was first on the set-list for the Speak Yourself tour, I feel that same exact way. Adrenaline, I suppose.
I started listening to BTS’ music after the release of Love Yourself: Her and became an actual fan when Love Yourself: Tear was released. So, I’ve been around since the beginning of the Love Yourself era but will forever beat myself up for not being here during the HYYH (화양연화, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life) and Wings era. Thankfully, the set-list for the Speak Yourself tour consisted of songs from these eras which I thought I’d never be able to hear, live. Let me tell you, the iconic Baepsae choreography hits real different in real life. And we got to see them perform Wings! I never thought we’d be able to hear that song again, considering that BTS have an unbelievable amount of songs. Wings is perfect for a summer concert, I was so happy.
They remixed a few of the songs, with what sounded like a live band and I was LIVING FOR IT. I’m telling you, BigHit needs to drop the IDOL Festival Remix, or whatever the hell that was, right bloody now. Also, they performed Fake Love with the ‘Rocking Vibe Remix’ track, which I absolutely love! What a vibe, literally.
With the solos, I had already seen them perform these at the O2 but I didn’t get the chance to see Jungkook dance because of his injured foot. Remember when k-armys said “the UK cursed JK”? Damn, I really felt that. Anyway, we finally got to see a multi-talented, king-of-vocal-runs, hip-thrusting, trapeze-artist Jungkook! Seeing him smile as he flew around the stadium on a zip-wire, singing Euphoria, honestly made my entire life.
There were a few changes to the other stages as well, such as Jimin’s bubble during Serendipity (which, of course, didn’t pop on Day 1 because the k-armys were right and the UK is actually cursed) and also the use of AR technology in RM’s performance of Love. For Anpanman, there was an actual bouncy castle on the stage! So cute. All the stages were beautiful, BTS really outdone themselves.
Day 2 at Wembley will always be the most memorable concert for me because of Young Forever. You must’ve seen this online, but BigHit planned a surprise for the members, which they asked us to participate in by putting up a message on the screens. The surprise was that during the encore, before the final song, Mikrokosmos, we sang the chorus of Young Forever for BTS. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced, I’ve never been so happy and sad at the same time. I was recording the members’ reactions to it and Jimin literally could not stop crying so then I couldn’t stop crying and was just singing and sobbing; a hot mess. Now, I can’t watch my video of it, or even listen to Young Forever, without crying. The song means a lot to them as it has helped them through some tough times and hearing 90,000 fans singing it to them made them really emotional. This was another song I thought I’d never get to see the boys perform, but the boys even started singing along with us. Okay, I’ve got that lump you get in your throat when you’re about to cry so let’s just stop talking about it now. It was such a beautiful moment and if you haven’t seen it already and want to cry, search it up on YouTube.
BTS are so incredibly talented, funny and loving. I’m so proud to be a fan and I wish them good health and even more success in the future. If you’ve made it to the end, thanks for reading! I hope reminiscing about BTS concerts has given you some sort of comfort, as it has for me. I hope you are staying safe and doing well during these difficult times. If you’re not doing so well and feel like you need someone to talk to, message me on instagram. We can chat about things and send each other BTS memes!
꿈, 희망, 전진, 전진
(dreams, hopes, forward, forward)
– young forever, BTS.
Love,
JK ♡
SUGA and Jin Focus VCR, beginning of Act V.
All members of BTS, during final ment at Wembley Stadium, Day 1.
Jin during ‘Epiphany’ solo performance.
(From left) Rappers, SUGA and J-Hope.