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BTS
October 5, 2026
I've had the theory for some time
that the world would regroup and
recover once BTS reformed.
And here we are, in 2026, the year of BTS...
Though the current tour is probably longer than
a year... they're only around half-way through,
and I it's already broken all records for
revenue.
I like a lot of the new material on
the new release, "Arrirang"-- though
it's a little uneven-- but the album
doesn't really stand that well on it's
own to my ear...
The material on the live tour, in contrast
really seems well put together, it flows from
point to point and builds toward the final
song "Into The Sun". It's a long work in
three movements representing their entire
catalog of songs, and presented in a I think it's interesting BTS fans
well thought out formula, it holds up under are often called "Army". The idea
repeated re-listenings, which is good because is "The BTS Army", but it's never
they have some pretty dedicated fans who will that the full phrase, and the
buy tickets to every show they do in town-- determiner is usually dropped,
and some go as far as to follow them around it's just "Army". That can also
the way some people used to follow the be an adjective, and I think it
Greatful Dead, not to mention buying can be a singular or plural noun.
additional tickets to attend the "mic check",
a show-before-the-show.
I have one complaint about the recordings
of live shows I've heard-- they never seem
to have the mics up on the audience far
enough to really hear them, but they're a
key part of the sound of the live shows--
Dangerbaby and I just by chance
happened to have a trip to Seoul
planned for the week when BTS And we did look into buying
later announced they would begin tickets, but the deal seemed
their tour. There was one night too crazy-- you had to enter
we took the subway out to Goyang a lottery, and you had to do
Stadium and hung around outside so individually-- there was no
the with a few hundred other way to buy a pair of tickets,
crazies eavesdropping on the show. and it's entirely possibly
only one of us would win.
It's difficult to get across
what it sounds like when 30 That's supposedly an
thousand people-- mostly anti-scalping move, but I
women-- chant in unison, think there's some weird
listing the names all the symbolism in play there:
members of the group, and you're supposed to be
finishing up shouting "BTS!". married to the group, it's
just you and them.
I have a theory that BTS-- or at
least some members of BTS-- have
just about had it with the usual
deal of "idol groups", where you're That's a way asian culture
supposed to believe that they're all seems pretty twisted by AKB48
virgins-- or maybe you're supposed our standards-- but are you
to uphold that as a polite fiction-- sure we're that much better?
at least when not fantasizing about
homosexual relationships with other Consider John Lennon: when the
members of the group. Beatles were mop-top teen
heart throbs, Lennon was
That gets increasingly absurd now that already married with a kid.
they're older, I get the feeling that They kept that quiet.
RM is running into the John Lennon
limit: "I've always said I'm not going I've heard the suggestion-- based
to be getting up on stage singing 'I on what I don't know-- that Suga
wanna hold your hand' when I'm forty." may already be married.
I have had the thought that it's
strange to think that someone
RM seems to want everyone to know he's who's never been in a relationship
over 30 now (31 as of this writing), could write a song like "Come Over".
he mentions it a lot. I think he's
going to demanding a different deal It's an unusually affective song
soon... though I don't quite know what about someone of someone who
deal. wants to believe they can start
up a love again when they can't.
The song "Normal"-- one of the
better pieces from "Arriang"-- It's weirdly affective really,
sure sounds like someone when you consider the vast body
who wants out: of love gone wrong songs out
there... how is it possible
"Kerosene, dopamine, chemical-induced there's anything left to say
Fantasy and fame, the things we choose about it?
Show me hate, show me love, make me bulletproof
Yeah, we call this shit normal"
A theory of my own: one reason they
like to use recording studios in LA
is it gives them an excuse to get Plus LA has a cultural
away from Korean paparazzi. esthetic in the direction of
playing it cool and not
gushing over celebrities.
I don't quite expect them to "break up" That could be a nice change.
(predicting that is evidently a popular
troll move), nor do I expect them to
declare that BTS is dead, and they are
now the "Sergeant Peppers Bangtan Band".
It's entirely possible they'll
give the big BTS tours a rest
for a while and do more studio
work with solo side-project tours.
Spending more time in
California seems likely--
Seoul after all is an excellent
place to be in the fall and
spring, but in winter and summer...
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