Talkie Tuesday: Love Yourself in Seoul

"You, the epitome of hope.
We, empowered by your love.
Together, our history is forged.
You, our worlds unite as one.
See you there.
2012, when we first met."

Hello everyone!

Tonight's post is going to be slightly different to my usual ones.

Or maybe not so much, as I think I've done reviews on concert movies before, or dance movies if nothing else, because I distinctly remember doing Lord of the Dance at some point or other.

In any event, however, this one is WILDLY different, either way.

Why?

Well because, for starters, I'm not even what you'd call a fan. And before someone rises up and starts spouting and shrieking, let me say that you don't have to be a fan to watch certain things. How this came about will be explained a little bit, but first ...

First, let me say I had about zero expectations, going in.

How do you have expectations for something you have no clue about?

You don't, it's that simple, and so at the end of the day, you go, and you sit back, and then watch what's unfolding on screen.

For the BTS World Tour movie, Love Yourself in Seoul, it was no different.

Now before I say anything else, the quote up above is directly from the movie's opening sequence. Yep, I loved it so much when I saw it that I searched Youtube to see if I could grab it from someone who probably put it on there, or if it were online somewhere, and I was happy enough to actually find it.

It resonates, like the quote given out at the entrance to the movie theatre before we went in, but that's another story.

How did I even end up watching this, you ask, and what IS this?

Well, for most of you out there, you probably know that "this" is the BTS concert movie, probably the most wildly-anticipated movie to hit cinemas around the globe. What's more, it only hit one time, on one particular day, around the world, and only in select cinemas. How do I know this? Because my sister told me. She of the BTS fandom fame explained the shenanigans behind this, and of course, finding out that it would be playing one town over, it was fairly obvious what she'd be doing January 26th.

Me, well, I figured I'd drop her off, go shopping for two hours, then take her home again.

Fate has a funny way of laughing at you though, because the friend who was supposed to go with my sister had to cancel, and she suddenly found herself with an extra ticket, and a desperate desire not to go alone. So, lo and behold, this was how I ended up at the movies on Saturday afternoon, five o'clock to be precise, waiting for the movie to start.

And watching as the theatre filled up with fangirls (I don't think I saw a boy anywhere in there but I could be wrong) and the level, pitch and volume of shrieks rose progressively higher.

I'm not kidding.

For me as an outsider, someone who doesn't listen to BTS (by the way, just in case it isn't obvious yet or you don't have a clue, BTS is probably the biggest k-pop boyband that South Korea has or ever will produce, taking the world by apparent storm and allowing us into their lives through basically a reality show in a way, because I swear EVERYTHING seems to be filmed), this was an interesting experience.

One, I understood about zero of what they were saying and singing, because, naturally, I don't speak Korean. They did sing in English in between, because that's what k-pop is, it's a mix of things, but even then, it's hard to understand if you haven't been listening to that particular brand of English for a while.

Two, I have no clue who these guys are. Okay, that's not true, I constantly amaze my sister when I randomly toss up details about them when she's not expecting it, but in general, all I know is these are seven guys, all younger than me, who at quick glance look the same. This isn't me being racist, by the way - I do know they aren't clones and they DON'T look the same. But my, and in general a lot of people's, exposure to people from Asia has been limited enough that if you just give it a passing glance, it's a mirror image. I'm sure Asians feel the same way about Europeans, honestly.

Three, I grew up on pop music, but not necessarily on k-pop. My pop was the sort that Backstreet Boys made, Westlife, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, so the NATURE of the music is known to me. You can't rediscover America with the pop vibe, after all.

Four, I'd had a similar experience while the world was in its RBD phase, which was ... gosh, has it been ten years already? Now I feel extra old. But when RBD were hugely popular and doing their wolrd tours, I remember seeing a similar kind of euphoria and frenzy, particularly with young girls, much like it is with BTS now, except I think it's gone a couple levels higher with BTS.

So alright. I knew a bit more about this going in than I was going to say out loud, particularly to someone who's actively a fan. But that being said, I still didn't know what to expect, so I sat back to watch what it was all about.

I won't be talking in detail about how the concert itself went - you can find the set list online, and I'm pretty sure about a third of the world's seen it, anyway. Suffice to say it was a mixture of fast songs, old favourites, biggest hits, ballads, and solo acts accompanying the synchronised movements of the seven guys on stage who need to move and breathe as a unit to sell their stuff. 

And also it was seven guys just having the time of their live. Initially it didn't seem like it, but as the concert progressed you could see it in the way they loosened up when they weren't moving in a group, and it was lovely to see. The music industry makes it into such a production that it's difficult to remember sometimes these guys are living their dream. They wouldn't be here if they didn't specifically want to be, not with the amount of blood, sweat and tears going into the entire circus.

Filling up the olympic stadium in Seoul, the first thing that struck me was that the concert actually began before dark, which I found slightly odd. Don't concerts usually happen in the evenings? Or is that just me?

Just me, ok, no problem.

But yes, they did fill up the stadium. And Koreans being the well-mannered bunch that they are, were even given seats in the centre, which I found so completely bizarre. Generally speaking, the areas closest to the stage would be PACKED with bodies, teeming and jumping, but it looks like Asians have much nicer behaviour than we do.

The guys had several outfit changes throughout the concert, to the degree that when they came out in jeans and T-shirts, I honestly thought I was looking at pre-show footage, the rest were generally so elaborate.

Also, however, I should note that the costumes were ... interesting. 

Not bad, but just, I didn't know what to make of them. I guess that's k-pop though.

I should also point out it took me a while to figure out the squealing and shrieking wasn't coming from the speakers as part of the concert experience, but from the movie theatre itself. My sister had a good laugh about THAT. But the kids were certainly going wild!

And interestingly enough, I asked my sister about who seems to be a fan favourite of the seven (can you imagine seven to pick from?) because during the showing we went to, two members REALLY got the crowd going, even if it was just a movie, namely Tae-hyung and Jimin. Jimin, especially. Poor guy needs to watch out if he ever visits Slovenia, because DANG my ears are still ringing.

A further interesting observation for me was that I consciously thought Jimin was the best dancer of the group, the one it came naturally to. I was corrected and told that title went to Hobi, but then I thought it was fairly odd that, the one time Hobi had his solo performance, it looked like he couldn't bother with the dancing and just sort of weaved around. It's an interesting thing to note because I'm a virtual outsider, and if I hadn't been told specifically he's the best, I'd have said he probably hates dancing.

Side-note: I call them solo performances, but I have it on reliable information they're officially called solo stages. This doesn't mean each member actually gets their own physical stage to perform on, just that they're on there alone without the rest of the band. End note.

All in all, however, the performance was something I hadn't seen in a while. I know a lot of people, particularly BTS fans, are going to argue that it's never been seen before, but I'd like to point out that's not strictly true. Just look back to where I mentioned RBD, and look at some of their old performances. It's there, and they, too, filled up stadiums around the world.

The difference is that this group is Asian by ethnicity, which brings a whole set of things along with it, namely their work ethic, the way they look at things, and also the suh-weet pyrotechniques throughout the concert. But that's Koreans for you - they excel at this stuff.

But yes, I do agree, it hasn't been seen at least in a while, because when BTS forego being lovely young hop-scotches up on the stage and link together into their seven-man unit (can I call them The Magnificent Seven?), they can definitely move. And it's mesmerizing to watch because there's something powerful about a group moving together as one, probably why flashmobs are so popular and so eye-catching.

No, before anyone says it, I am NOT linking BTS with flashmobs. Come on. I'm trying to explain what's so eye-catching about things. It's always something else to watch a group of people move than it is watching one person.

All in all, it was an interesting experience. Do I understand some of the BTS mania going around the world right now? Yes, absolutely. I can see the appeal. I don't necessarily agree it's something we've never seen before, because we have, just not coming out of the East, and that's what makes the difference.

Still, I'm happy for them. They're winning awards left, right and centre, and after years of hard work it's starting to show and pay off. That's what life's all about - at some point, it gives back.

So if you're a fan, and you've seen the movie, I'm thoroughly sure you enjoyed it (my poor ears agree since, the SCREAMING). If you're a fan but haven't seen it, don't worry, there'll be a DVD coming out soon, so I'm sure you'll be able to watch it then. And if you're like me, and not a fan but curious, you either went to see it this weekend for the one-time event, or you'll find another way to watch it later just to sate your curiosity.

I recommend it. It's a lovely experience, and it's good music even when you don't understand a word they're saying.

But it's music, and they're spreading a message of love; and that, in the end, is the most important thing.

xx

*images and video not mine