BTS Celebrates Eight Years With Out-of-This-World Concert
Music

BTS Celebrates Eight Years With Out-of-This-World Concert

It's been eight years since BTS began their journey into international superstardom. From 2013 to 2021, the RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook have come such a long way in terms of their music, performance and reach. And to celebrate this huge milestone, they held one of their most visually stunning concerts to date.

Like their past few concerts, 2021 MUSTER SOWOOZOO — which was named after the Korean title of their song "Mikrokosmos" — had to be an online-only event due to the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting much of the world. But it's clear that BTS and their streaming partners have mastered the art of the socially distant show.

"BTS constantly pushes the envelope when it comes to delivering engaging and innovative shows and the virtual stage has given them a new platform to showcase their talents," VenewLive CEO John Lee told PAPER in a statement.

The space-themed concept made for amazing intermission videos that translated well IRL, too. The whole thing began with the boys in an RV of sorts, driving on the surface of another planet. From there, they went from the screen to the massive infinity symbol-shaped stage, riding on their space vehicle. This time around, everything was set outdoors, which is something they haven't been able to do for their previous concerts in the past year.

"Artists and fans are now aware of the benefits of live streaming and we believe it will continue to play an integral role in the future of music and entertainment," Lee told PAPER. "We expect to see many adopt a flexible hybrid model in which artists can perform in a physical venue while also streaming to fans all over the globe."

Select members of the ARMY were shown on small screens with glowing ARMY bombs atop, laid out where audiences would have stood during an actual physical concert, in the moshpit and orchestra areas. The boys even went down from the stage to dance, sing and greet the faces of their fans. But what was most exciting for BTS themselves were the voice recordings of ARMY singing along to their songs.

And because SOWOOZOO is meant to be a celebration of their eighth birthday as a band, the setlist was made up of some of their greatest hits. The first day included oldies but goodies like their 2016 bop "Fire," and also their Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "Dynamite" and "Butter." The highlight was the group's performance of Suga's single "Daechwita."

The song is typically something that Suga — also known by his rap name Agust D — performs solo, though the music video features cameos from Jin and Jungkook. But for this performance, he brought the whole group in, each of them making the original artist proud with their delivery of his verses.

BTS' MUSTER SOWOOZOO show is a two-day event streaming on June 13 and June 14 at 5:30 AM EST. Encores will be available for viewing at 9:00 PM on June 18 and 19.

Photo courtesy of Kiswe