BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Online Concert (Part 1)

(Warning: This post is long and photo-heavy.)

Okay, wow. So, BTS' Permission to Dance: On Stage online concert. Ended at around 8:00AM. Even if I wasn't already nocturnal, this was totally worth staying up for. (Or waking up for, if you're a morning person.) This is honestly just a photo dump of the first half of the concert. I treated it as if it was a regular concert, which means I took hundreds of photos. Except it was online, so they're pictures of BTS through my screen. Whatever, these photos are MEMORIES, okay?

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "ON"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "ON"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "ON"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "ON"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Fire"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Fire"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Fire"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Fire"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Dope"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Dope"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Dope"

Setlist for the first half of the concert:

1. ON
2. Fire (Remix)
3. Dope
4. DNA
5. Blue & Grey
6. Black Swan
7. Blood Sweat & Tears 
8. Fake Love
9. Life Goes On
10. Boy With Luv (Remix)

The concert started off with their most aggressive, hyped up, adrenaline-inducing songs. Pure power. Basically, the best songs to get ARMY pumped up. "ON" will forever be that title track that got screwed over by the pandemic. It would've been the opening song to their entire Map of the Soul Tour. The Map of the Soul: 7 comeback honestly should've been their most epic. It still makes me sad that it didn't get the opportunities that it deserves, so I can't imagine what BTS feels about it, after all that time and dedication and relentless practice. I really hope I'll be able to see them perform "ON" in person one day. That stage deserves a live audience.

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Blue & Grey"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Blue & Grey"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Black Swan"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Black Swan"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Black Swan"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Black Swan"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Black Swan"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Blood Sweat & Tears"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Fake Love"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Fake Love"

My biases (Jungkook and Jimin, in case I don't mention it enough) were dressed particularly... revealing for this part of the concert. With absolutely no complains from anyone, except maybe undress a little more... but it was beautifully distracting. I don't think they've dressed this revealing in recent years. Seriously, though, the highlight of this concert for me was this "dark" section that included "Black Swan," "Blood Sweat & Tears," and "Fake Love." Maybe because they're some of my favourite BTS songs, maybe because of the costumes, maybe because of the vibe, maybe because "Blood Sweat & Tears" made a comeback after YEARS, but this section was particularly sexy, moody, and elegant.

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Life Goes On"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Life Goes On"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Boy With Luv"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Boy With Luv"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Boy With Luv"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Dynamite"

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage — "Butter"

We then enter what I call the "Billboard #1" section of the concert. Basically, all the songs that officially made BTS a household name. The songs that all debuted at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Really glad they started off this section with "Life Goes On." Despite it being a #1 single last November, I feel like it disappears into the background compared to the English-language juggernauts that are "Dynamite" and "Butter." Despite these songs being the most overplayed (I'm sure even BTS is sick of them by this point), this section of the concert was necessary — it contains the songs that brought them the most attention, the most fame, and the most new fans. 

(In looking through all these screen photos I took, I realized that all the ones that ended up being clear are either OT7 or of the maknae line. I swear this is unintentional. The hyung line just doesn't like to stay in focus. Anyway, part 2 coming up.)