Note: I decided to split this post into parts because I had a lot more to say than I originally thought haha. Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this and please stay tuned for part 2!
“Ayo ladies and gentlemen, 준비가 됐다면 부를게 [If you’re ready, I’ll start] yeah!”
-Lyrics from Dope by BTS
Despite the pandemic-stricken state of the world, BTS fans (also known as ARMY) were able to enjoy live performances from the South Korean septet. And yes, I was one of the ARMY that attended BANG BANG CON: The Live.
What is BANG BANG CON: The Live?
“BANG BANG CON” is an online BTS concert series (with BANG BANG referring to the band’s Korean name, Bangtan Sonyeondan) that was launched after the postponement of their 2020 Map of the Soul world tour. On June 14, 2020, the live instalment of the series took place and was streamed on Kiswe (BTS’ label, Big Hit Entertainment recently partnered with this American video technology start-up for the live streaming for future events). Kiswe’s technology facilitated audience engagement through live commenting and multi-views.
Live commenting is not new to the BTS ARMY community as it is used on other platforms such as V Live and YouTube. However, what really made this virtual concert unique was the multi-view function; which allowed users to switch camera views to their liking (or view all of them at once).
My screenshot from the event, featuring the multi-view function and chatbox.
Getting my “Ticket”
Tickets for the event were sold on Weverse, which is the official online store for Big Hit Entertainment artists and those under affiliated labels (i.e. GFriend, Seventeen, and TXT). As an official ARMY membership holder, I was able to purchase my ticket for at a discounted price of $26.09 USD (non-members pay $35.10 USD).
Ticket to BANG BANG CON: The Live included:
- Admission to the live event
- Streaming on up to 2 devices
- Virtual personalized ticket (emailed after the concert)
- Video On Demand streaming of the concert (so you can rewatch it again and again!)
After purchasing my ticket, I had to log in to the event website with my Weverse account to choose a nickname for the live chat box.
Event homepage featured a countdown to the event and a link to purchase admission.
My First Virtual BTS Concert Experience!
The concert was scheduled to begin at 6 AM KST, which meant that I had to wake up at 5 AM to catch the event (since I’m in Canada). Nonetheless, it was totally worth the lack of sleep as the boys put on a phenomenal show!
After scrambling to find batteries for my ARMY Bomb light stick, I turned on my laptop and logged into the event website. I was immediately blown away by the diversity of my fellow ARMYs as they all commented their country and their excitement for the show in the event chatbox. At the bottom of the screen was a button to connect the light stick to my computer via Bluetooth so that it synced with the songs. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to connect my light stick (the button wasn’t working for me for some reason). With only 5 minutes left until the concert begins, I gave up on connecting my light stick and wake my sister (Whew, almost forgot!) so she can set up her laptop too (admission allows streaming on up to two devices!).
With my oversized Koya pillow by my side and ARMY Bomb in hand, I was finally ready for BANG BANG CON: The Live!
Did you attend BANG BANG CON: The Live? Let me know in the comments!
Please stay tuned for part 2!
-LaarniJane♡
SimplyLJ 