Even the clouds knew what to do for BTS’ Seoul concert. The gray skies erupted into a downpour that abated into a drizzle as the clock ticked toward 6:30 p.m., when the highly anticipated BTS’ concert in Seoul for “Love Yourself” kicked off at Olympic Stadium in Seoul. The ground was still wet, but more than 45,000 concertgoers hurried their steps to their seats to greet the boy band who has rewritten the history of K-pop.

Amid ear-shattering screams and feverish chanting, BTS kicked off the set with “Idol,” its brand new single from the recently released “Love Yourself: Answer,” clad in black marching band-style jackets and pants. 

“Hi everyone, I know many of you have already seen our performances yesterday, but are you ready to rock this again?” shouted RM to fans waving their color-changing light sticks.

As if bridging the past and present, BTS went on to perform “Save Me” and “I’m Fine,” a previous hit and a new song from the “Answer” album, respectively. Fans already aware of the connection between the two -- “Save Me” could be read as “I’m Fine” when flipped upside-down in promotional materials -- responded by raising their voices even higher.

“It’s always so touching to see our fans of Army in front of us,” said RM, using the band’s pet name for its followers, while Jungkook also expressed his excitement, adding, “We are making this season together.”

 

The nearly three-hour concert was a culmination of everything the group has achieved and fans walked down memory lane with BTS with beloved hits like “Magic Shop,” “Euphoria,” “I Need You,” “Run,” “Serendipity,” “DNA” and “Fake Love.”

The crowd reached a deafening crescendo as rappers J-hope, Suga and RM showed their distinctive charms and solo talent with “Trivia: Just Dance,” “Trivia: Seesaw” and “Trivia: Love,” respectively. BTS also didn’t fail to quench the thirst of die-hard fans by presenting a compilation of “Boyz with Fun,” “The Rise of Bangtan,” “Fire,” “Crow Tit” and “Dope,” songs that best represent the group’s infectious stage presence. Smoothing the mood was Jin’s solo performance of “Epiphany” during which he played the piano and crooned the emotional melodies and lyrics.

After the rapper trio’s hip-hop laden “Tear” and a remix of “Mic Drop,” which included a jaw-dropping dance break, the band disappeared from the stage for the expected encore. With fans avidly chanting the individual members’ names for an encore, BTS jumped back up to the stage to perform “So What” and “Anpanman,” during which the stage became colorful rainbow hues. 

“This is our first time performing at the Olympic Stadium, and I missed you so bad. Actually, I couldn’t concentrate on the stage as I was awed by you guys. After performing ‘Idol,’ I felt so tired, but I felt great. I’m not lying, but this moment will be the best one I’ve ever had this year,” said Jimin during a talk before the final performance.

Jin also chimed in, saying, “I think fortune helps us whenever we are with Army. Today, there was more than 80 percent chance of precipitation, but it didn’t rain at all during our concert.”

BTS heads to North America next month for stops including the first-ever stadium show by a Korean act at Citi Field in New York City on Oct. 7, then continues the tour in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.

“Every time I’m onstage, I wonder, ‘How come we’ve come here?’ We’ve reached such a high stage,” said J-Hope, while Jungkook promised to showcase a more improved self at future concerts.

Rounding out the concert was a memorable selfie time with fans and “Love Myself: Answer,” the ultimate concert finale anthem to send a heartwarming message of self-love.

“This is so far the best day this year. You are the protagonist of this concert. Thank you everybody and I love you,” RM said.

Having upheld its part of the deal, fortune relented just after the concert ended, as the rain immediately started up again.

(lotus@heraldcorp.com)