How does a BTS concert work?
introduction
It’s important, especially in the last couple weeks leading up to the concert that you constantly check BigHit's social media for concert and merch info and the stadium page specifically for the venue you are going to, for all the rules and regulations on what you can bring in, and bag policy and all that, to help you prepare.
If you're committed to getting all the merch and doing the photo booths and everything, you basically want to plan to spend your entire day at the stadium! Here’s a laydown of how it was In New Jersey:
applications
•If you plan to do the VR photo booth where basically you get to pick your bias and get to take a couple photos with him in VR form then you need to plan to be up at the crack of dawn. It’s pretty cool and worth it if you REALLY want a picture with your bias lol. But let me warn you, this is not easy to get into. A few weeks before the concert, BigHit releases a survey that you have to fill out. I mean big IF you are lucky enough to be chosen you will receive a QR code that you use to get into the photo booth and you get to skip the line. (So that’s why following BigHit social media is important, especially on Twitter). But even saying that you don’t always get to skip the line. In New Jersey, people were lining up at 2:30am the night before the show to make sure they got in(camping is not allowed)! Now some stops allowed a certain number of people without codes a chance to wait in line and if you were lucky you had to play a ball game where you put your hand in this box and have to pull out a ball with the right color AND THEN you were allowed to go in, if you didn’t get the right ball you weren’t allowed to. So basically what I’m saying is doing this is a BIG gamble to spend hours in line with a small chance of success but it is possible!
As for Merch, BigHit released the form online so you can see what the merch looks like beforehand so it gives you an idea of what’s there. At MetLife, they had a big portion of the parking lot blocked off for merch express booths, army bomb booths, a medical booth, and photo booths! If you plan to purchase Merch, there’s a spot near the entrance of the GO express booths and you have to fill out the paper with the quantity, and the full amount of how much it is so it’s ready when you get up to the table they can just use your sheet to grab all your items! It happens quickly so make sure you're prepared and have it filled out! A little tip I learned, is what they don’t have at the merch GO, they will have inside possibly. If it’s an item that sells out quickly ( like the garland and some of the photos and the shopping bags), I had to get some of them inside the venue! So don’t get discouraged until you’ve exhausted all the merch booths!
If you don’t have an Army bomb and plan to go to a BTS concert, I highly suggest you get one there. They are a lot cheaper to buy at the actual venue than ordering online and this way you know they are 100 % real. When you purchase one or bring one in, they have staff on site that can help you program your Army Bomb to your seat so that way you’ll be in sync with your section and your seat! And they NEVER sell out of Army bombs so that’s something you don’t have to worry about!
Give yourself plenty of time to wait in line and get ready to go in! We started hanging out around our area around 3:30 and then a line started forming for the security around 4 and we were 10th in line and it was smooth sailing after that! We were able to get in super fast, collect our fan banner and QR code card(which gives you points on BigHit's website), from the entrance without all the chaos yet and it gave us time to hit the merch booths before the insanity, get some food and find our spots! 15 minutes after we got inside, I saw the lines outside and they were INSANE, so if you plan your day smart, you shouldn’t have too many issues!
Don’t worry there is staff around everywhere to help if you have any concerns or issues once inside!
The pre-show on the stage screens was playing all of BTS’s music videos so it gave everyone a chance to get excited and all pumped up! Everyone started singing along and getting really into it which is awesome! They also play a video of BTS explaining how to set up the app for the Army bomb on the stage screens as well so that’s a way to help you make sure you are completely ready to go! It plays on repeat every so often so don’t worry if you miss it.
Now as for Fan Chants… if you are not a sing-along kind of person you do not have to join in on those, there’s no pressure at all to do them if you choose not to, you will not be judged for it ( well by most anyways), or even if you just don’t know them but want to, there’s plenty of ways on social media, especially YouTube where you can watch tutorials and practice the fan chants yourselves so you can be apart of the Army magic! I do highly recommend at least knowing their name fan-chant off by heart because it’s the one that almost everyone does and it gets you hyped up and shows your support to the boys! The other chants are not challenging to learn as well, or just pick your favorites and learn them if it’s too much! Sometimes Army’s like to be in new chants or BTS meme chants ( like the infamous Golden Maknae fan chant that started in Metlife )! Things like that are just amazing to be a part of. But like I said there’s no pressure whatsoever!
And then get ready for the most incredible show of your life and that’s not an exaggeration! BTS knows how to put on an amazing show! The time flies so make sure you enjoy yourself and don’t just be stuck on your phone! I remember Suga talking in his VLive about how some of his favorite moments are when people are getting into the music and enjoying themselves and that gets him hyped up to! He can feel their energy and he hates it when people spend all their time on their phones!
Best advice: Take it all in and be in the moment! Trust me it flies by!