Ask anyone who knows me, including the NYLON team, and they would tell you how big of a fan I am of BTS — which is why it wouldn’t come as a surprise when I told them that I spent $37 to attend a virtual concert (named Bang Bang Con The Live) that the K-pop supergroup held last Sunday.
THE SET-UP
Having attended both their Singapore and Seoul concerts last year, I wasn’t really sure what to expect of the live streaming concert aside from the fact that it was probably going to be a lot shorter than their close to three-hour-long physical concerts. So, while my family spent their Sunday afternoon binge-watching their Netflix shows, I was busy setting up my computer, speakers, and ARMY Bomb (the group’s official lightstick) for my first-ever online concert experience.
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Despite the concert starting at 6pm KST (5pm SGT), I was sat at my computer an hour before the show in a bit of kiasu-ism to ensure I didn’t encounter any sort of connectivity issue for the live stream. Unlike their physical concerts where the early entry into the venue typically saw the loop of music videos to hype the audience up, the virtual wait room only had a temporary loading kind of screen with a chat box where fans from all over the world were leaving their message.
As nice of a gesture as it was, the chat feature did quickly become a little bit of an annoyance especially when messages were coming in one after the other. In order to have a distraction-free experience, I opted to maximise my window by entering into full-screen where I wouldn’t see the chat feature anymore.
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It was about 15 minutes to showtime when they played three music videos followed by an instructional video with animated versions of the members highlighting concert etiquette.
THE VIRTUAL CONCERT EXPERIENCE
While it was exciting to see them ‘live’, it didn’t exactly feel the same as seeing them live in the flesh, though the multi-cam experience did offer alternate experiences with different views as if we were physically at the venue — which looked like a big warehouse.
Although the initial experience didn’t feel quite the same as being at the same location cheering them on, the group still tried to establish a form of communication with the over 750,000 fans who were watching, via the live chat board. Their real-time interaction also gave me a sense of relief to know that they were really performing live and that we were not duped into paying for a pre-recorded performance.
Here’s a look at the different camera views offered as part of the experience.
CAM 1: MAIN CAMERA
CAM 2: CLOSER CAMERA
CAM 3: VVIP CAMERA
CAM 4: FULLSHOT CAMERA
CAM 5: SKYVIEW CAMERA
CAM 6: VARIETY CAMERA
MULTI-VIEW
Unfortunately for me, the first 10 minutes of the concert was filled with frustration as I tried to rectify the connectivity issue that I was experiencing. Not only was my resolution transitioning from HD to grainy, but the live stream was also lagging while the boys performed, causing my feed to miss a good chunk of their first two performances.
It’s disappointing, obviously, but knowing that this is, after all, a live stream over the internet, I shouldn’t have been surprised at the technical issues that were bound to happen. Thankfully the technical difficulties only remained in that first 10 minutes of the show as my connection seemed to cooperate with me after, giving me a stable connection in 1080p quality.
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I had expected the concert to be a bit similar to their large-scale ones but their virtual concert felt more like a re-invented version of the shows that they are used to doing. Despite it being a virtual concert, they definitely spared no expense in creating visually stunning sets like their ARMY Bomb wall or the revolving stage that was sectioned out into three different sets for the unit performances, which saw the members split into different groups for their respective unit songs.
The group’s setlist for the virtual concert consisted of a few of their iconic but older tracks as well as a couple of new songs off their latest album that fans would have otherwise seen on their Map of the Soul Tour if it hadn’t been postponed. This included a special remix version of their popular hit ‘Boy With Luv‘ where the boys switched up their choreography with the inclusion of an umbrella prop. I would have preferred if they did solo stages from their new album as well but since they are still planning to perform their world tour at some point, it is understandable that the setlist didn’t include them.
INTERESTING FEATURES
Something that I wasn’t expecting from the virtual concert was the fillers in between which consisted of ads starring the boys, and the close-up footages of individual members engaging in a bit of ASMR and the staring contests that they were attempting to have with me. Although the fangirl in me was more than happy with the undivided attention they were supposedly giving me, I couldn’t help but feel a little awkward staring at them staring at me for 15 seconds.
In order to truly deliver the concert experience at home, every fan watching was given the ability to pair their ARMY Bombs via Bluetooth to light up while the group performed. It’s a similar fan experience to that of the stadium tours where fans pair their lightsticks before entry to the venue. I tried this feature out for a few minutes before giving up on it entirely as the pairing was a little wonky on my end.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE
Despite the connectivity hiccups I encountered, I felt that the concert was worth its amount. Even though it technically could have lasted a little longer than the hour and a half I got, what I lost in duration was made up for with the ability to see my favourite K-pop group perform in real-time. It also helps that the ticket price covers a VOD feature which allows me to re-watch the concert as many times I want, whenever I want.
Given the unpredictability of the current global pandemic, as much as we’d hate to admit it, virtual concerts like this could soon be the norm for musicians all around the world. While it may not bring the same level of excitement as being physically present at the venue, it does offer the next best solution to seeing our favourite singers or bands without risking our health and safety.
So, would I pay $37 or more to watch BTS in a virtual concert again?
Most definitely.
Banner image is made up of screenshots from Bang Bang Con The Live.
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