I was watching BTS’ MOTS ON:E replay and I decided to write my thoughts while watching it

If anyone wants a BTS autobiography, go see their concert.

The Map of the Soul ON: E concert opened with “ON”, which the members have expressed as a testament of their 7-year journey after officially debuting in 2013. This was the song that actually introduced to me the significance of the word “seven” because right from the get-go — it just felt so anthemic in an effortless way. Prior to this, I had only grown to appreciate the music and message from the Love Yourself album series (best album and concert for my 20s, a late night work accompaniment and life-saver). The song, in particular, got me excited because of the marching band, stepping on the dance break, and the gospel choir in the background which something that I had never seen in K-pop — so it made us see and feel how glorious they felt on their seventh year. This time, they had an actual marching band and Pride Rock (okay, I was laughing when I saw the set at first because I just did not expect it at all. I would imagine the logistics because sometimes set design doesn't do rock or mountain justice).

After “ON”, we were taken back to “N.O.” and “We Are Bulletproof part 2”, which were their initial thesis statements of breaking the walls that surround them in their first year. This time, they were breaking the walls as mid to late 20s guys, already having much more experience to carry the statements further. No wonder why the first VCR started with Namjoon then in a split second, the remaining six appeared just like how the group started. It went from dark to more glamour and lavish concept, with reflections all around them and the stark contrast between dark and light — a foreshadowing of what might come was already set.

The first solo of the concert went to Namjoon’s “Intro: Persona”. He had all the dancers’ faces fully covered and nodding in agreement with every word Namjoon says. The burning microphone both represented his experience of being silenced (by the oppressor in from of a giant version of himself) and being empowered to speak at the same time — “I just wanna give you all the voices till I die.” The next performance, “Boy in Luv”, was reminiscent of the bad schoolboy persona. Anyone who has not seen these boys out of stage would probably be surprised at how humbled, welcoming, playful they appeared when greeting the Army on Air. They did not have what “I can do whatever I want” attitude — what we usually associate big stars with (thanks to movies and tabloids). “What’s Army on Air?”, one might ask. Imagine a Zoom call with thousands of people holding Army bombs, putting up slogans, BT21 dolls, and trying not to cry because they actually show their faces.

After greeting everyone, including the Army bombs placed on the empty seats (they have stocks of Army bombs just to be put to use for this one?), they performed “Dionysus” with trap-style — another hint to them to tell us they were about doing things differently; especially without the giant tigers and complex chair-table coordination that we saw in the previous world tours. It still had the bad boy vibe only this time it involved a more sophisticated way of enjoying life: party and wine. As they have been given more control over their artistry and music, they feel liberated while many others in the industry would feel so contained in a lot of different aspects.

The next VCR started with Suga’s long shadow. We saw some members in a very huge empty space — except for Jimin and Jin who were surrounded by the white cloth. Some aspects in the VCR took us back to the Blood, Sweat, and Tears era (the smoke coming out of Namjoon’s mouth) and Taehyung’s over-the-shoulder glare. They also brought back Jimin in all-white. There was also the black swan feather. Taehyung and Jungkook face covered in black paint signaling how they have been through dark times and ‘stained’. The VCR ended to let Suga spit out his ambition that probably has sat as his shadow — his truest form and intentions. I wanna be a rap star. I wanna be the top, I wanna be a rockstar. I want it all mine. I wanna be rich I wanna be king. Interlude: Shadow was rather a contrast from the previous solo, “Seesaw”, a darker emotional outpour than “First Love”. He was demonstrating how we all have shadows that we keep inside by not admitting what do actually feel or desire. As the hands and figures behind the wall and screens — were only glimpses of them. The shadow then turned into “Black Swan”. In ballet and composition works, the black swan has always alluded to the change in one’s perception, a contrast of the other side, which BTS has expressed their worries if their passion dies out, how they are recognizing their other sides, and the consequences of pursuing the art as it opens their eyes to so many things they need to work on. The movie “Black Swan” was about the desire to achieve perfection. Was that something that they have been after?

No show is complete without Jimin’s dance solo. It is always refreshing to see a contemporary routine that is actually contemporary; techniques and precision were stripped off, micromovement and synchronization with the E-string violin becoming the focal point as Jimin was expressing the inflection, the tension, and release of the melody of Black Swan. Suddenly the music became dissonant but later everything became a quartet with an even fuller sound. The melody on the E-string was back. He was innocent as white at first, got struck down, then rise stronger. Although he was wearing black, there was white smoke instead. His experience did not result in something dark.

There has been anger towards BTS and the world. BTS has some anger towards the things that are happening too. They have realized that the anger is pointless unless pointed at the injustice or the things that are wrong in the world — “UGH”. The rap line has always been consistent and straight-forward with their delivery and message since their first Cypher. It was so dirty and very “in your face” that at some points, they actually looked like they were quarreling. We wonder what would BTS be like had they gone the rap and hip hop style. Perhaps we would get even more assertive raps addressing so many things in clever ways that rightfully expressing our anger like this one. The Army must finally be glad that after the song was performed very briefly during Bangbangcon last June, they got to see the rap line thrived in their elements.

Another song we did get to finally see is “Zero o’Clock”. In contrast to the rap line, the vocal line has always gone for the more comforting route — once the clock passes 00:00, it is already a new day, and “you’re gonna be happy”. You always get both black and white, yin and yang, rough and smooth of everything. Another reason why BTS is where they are now because they have thousands of words in their vocabularies, be it in music styles, dance movement, and ideas — duality and multi-layer are their assets.

I was not too fond of having so many VCRs or breaks in between performances but as I watched them again, I found the third VCR to be the most beautiful, not just visually. Jin being on a cloud that suddenly turns purple, overlooking the earth rotating. Jungkook waking up on a bed with clocks of different time zones on the wall. Jimin in front of so many TV screens showing so many different things. Taehyung seeing a tree grows in a desert that suddenly becomes bright because of the many stars in the galaxy. Mundane things can have significant meanings. You wake up, checking what time is it, and turn on the light. Your hand reaching out to the screen. You check the window to see what’s outside. You see the sky and wonder what’s the weather going to be like. You gaze upon the vastness. You see the world turning around. Only after watching the replay of the first day, I realized the VCR was representing their respective solos.

Jungkook’s “My Time,” tells his time growing up being the youngest in the group, the time he’s gained and lost having pursued the career even way before he finished high school. His performance showed his transformation from a boy who graduated from school and having all his hyung, the older BTS brothers, came to cheer for him, into this alpha male capable of standing alone. He had the presence that reminded me of many incredible male soloists before him. Need I to remind you that he’s wearing high heel boots and leather trousers. The fingers flick and his body line in the first few seconds will roam around my mind forever.

From the beginning of “Filter”, Jimin grabbed a blazer from the female-shaped mannequin. This is probably a sign that he’s taking charge of his flares for different forms of sexuality. He can be anything just as quick as we change filters like how he changed his clothes to all red in less than three seconds. He is also reminding us what you see isn’t always the truth. We may or may not see who or how he really is but he’s out there to present different ways he can project himself into us.

Then we saw huge celestial objects as Jin performed his solo on top of a moon. Last June, we saw how he tried to keep himself together after recalling that their contract would have ended this year, and last year, people got to see him singing “Epiphany” for the last time — which we were not so over the moon with. I have been looking at him in a different light knowing that he literally started from zero at an age where we would have probably be scared to try new things, start over, and take risks. He used to have so many things watching his every move but he pushed through all that. So “Moon” is probably an appreciation for those who have been there for him and he promises that he’ll orbit around you. He’s a moon that shines a light at night when we’re most likely to be alone and feeling down — where we have nowhere to go. What was even more beautiful was this was also told through a reference to “The Little Prince”. The Fox’s life has become meaningful once tamed and that the Prince has something to do about it. Both the Prince and the Fox “become something to each other and will need each other”, therefore the fox isn’t just a fox and the prince isn’t just a boy. While roaming around, the Prince noticed there are many other roses, but there’s only one rose back at his home planet — the one The Prince had devoted. Then the Prince realized he had to leave the Fox. He questioned what was the point of ‘taming’ or building relations with the Fox then? The Fox taught him that once you’ve touched someone’s life, it is invisible and it stays forever.

By the way, what is up with Jin and the elevated stage? (Jin was literally up above during Awake, Epiphany, and The Truth Untold)

The last vocal line solo was probably the one that I feel connected to the most in the album because I have understood the concept of the inner child and been consolidating with mine in the past few years. V has always come across as being the most sentimental one so it goes without surprise that he beautifully sang this on a carousel. Through “Inner Child”, V is speaking to his inner child — not just his younger self and actual boy on the stage, but the ones that he still caries within, that things are alright and we gon’ change. The boy was just sitting in the carousel for several more revolutions when V got off but he still checked on the boy from time to time. And he is also letting the Army sing (cue V’s teary eyes), assuring that we are capable of changing and see ourselves in a better place someday.

Tonight, if I reach my hand to yours, can you hold that hand?
I’ll become you. You just have to look at my galaxies.
Be showered with all those stars. I’ll give you my world
The lights illuminating your eyes. They’re the me of now.
You’re my boy, my boy, my boy, my boy, my boy.

The next VCR was all about the guys apparently already being famous with the you-can’t-sit-with-us attitude, because the soundtrack just gives off that kind of tone. All of sudden, they were in what some people would call “boyfriend” material because everyone just looked so soft. Despite all the fame they have received, they have always tried to be relatable. Instead of having their chin-ups and looked down on us, they were at the same eye-level, paying the attention back to us.

Another favorite solo from the album is “Outro: Ego”. Isn’t J-hope just always magnetic to see live? J-hope ended the list of solo tracks of the album with something a little bit more carefree and a lot more upbeat. The song paid homage to the intro of their 2 Cool 4 Skool album. The song became another reminder of how things started, the force that might resist them, and we should just keep going. “There’s no ifs, buts, or maybes.”

We’ve seen them perform “Boy with Love” for so many times already now. Each time with the same arrangement and fun choreography. As introduced in Bangbangcon, they used umbrellas as props with Army bombs featured as part of the performance. I think the umbrellas were especially fitting for “Boy with Luv” because of the music video used “Singing in the Rain” as one of its references. Just like how the film refreshed the storyline of how two people fell in love back in the 50s, the song also became an update to their previous approaches to love and affection. This song was probably the perfect segue to reminding why and how we fell in love with BTS as they performed a couple of their songs with a new arrangement as well. They performed “DNA” with augmented reality set in the big bang or other cosmic blasts of colors, then “Dope” with the guys going up in an elevator to different eras and back to the ground again. We were transported back to 2015 and 2017. Apparently, we could still go way back to “No More Dream” in 2013, where they also performed the dance break. It was poetic that we had moved from a galaxy-scale set to just sparks of light and fire instead of the other way around telling us that we all started with nothing.

I want a big house, big cars & big rings but in reality, I don’t have any big dreams. Haha, I live an easy life. Even if I don’t dream, no one says anything to me. Everyone is thinking the same as me: when we were still young I said I’ll go to some university.

The updated songs were proving that what they’re doing will be timeless as we still rejoice everything their songs are played. We’ll never get bored with their works and performances. The dreams they have achieved, the phases they went through, and the explosion they have created would not have happened had they not been together, learning about themselves, embracing their individuality, and welcoming different experiences. Having people understanding a (timeless) body of work is probably a sign of how they are not just performers, but also artists who shine in their own rights. They were moving mountains to become better and the efforts easily translate into the inspiration they’ve given.

I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that how they have constantly being told no to — how people and the industry used to treat them before or after the debut. And from having no more dream to actually be able to say that they have accomplished them and now strive to pursue even bigger dreams. Finally, we got to see the extent of Army chants and screams are just in time to remind us that all the things they have been successful or failed to do, all can be attributed to the Army who has been singing and watching them. A perfect time for the guys to bring back “Butterfly” and “Run” with nothing else but Army singing and Army bombs swaying together— allowing us to feel connected in the same space.

They did an encore with “Spring Day” (will continue to stick around in the chart and roam free whenever there’s a chance) and “IDOL” (again, just a really dope song that makes people lose their shit for a couple of minutes) for the second day. And obviously, they had to change things up, especially the costumes. But first and foremost, we had to applaud everyone for stepping up — just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, it did.

And the last song for their encore: “Dynamite”, their latest single track that has broken records all over the world and cementing BTS, on its seventh year, as an unstoppable group of artists that just continue to grow and reach out to more people. As the situation that we are in since the beginning of 2020 has forced us to adapt, BTS and the amazing team behind them have been proving that resilience is indeed human’s best trait and opportunity that can overshadow our worse days.

Early into the pandemic, we probably never thought that something as successful and infectious as this track would happen. We were already faced with skepticism yet the song was specifically prepared to brighten up our days. We can still continue to push the boundaries. How thoughtful. But at the same time, we cannot ignore the toll of the situation— Jimin was very open about how frustrated and unfair the situation is. We have every right in the world to express that. We cannot just keep these emotions and thoughts inside.

Namjoon said, “We’ll find a way. We always have. If there’s no way, let’s redraw the map. The whole map again,” as encouragement that things will be different so we shall be prepared to move forward. It is also another mark of his intelligence; truer words were never spoken as the world has been ravaged by the many physical and social borders, yet everyone can be connected without borders.

Once again, their words and actions become models of what we need to do.

Being the bulletproof boys, they have shown how strong a person and a group of people could be. Their works and stories become consolation for those who have felt different, on the wrong path, or not deserving of being underestimated or undervalued. And those people whom they have consoled were featured in their finale not just as background but on the boxes that were floating, filling up the spaces.

Hours went by not realizing that they were already in much more comfortable attires and about to bid adieu. Let’s wait for Spring in 2021.

The success needs to be credited with their set design, the combination of technology and performance, and the innovative ways of experiencing a concert as the spectacles. These alone deserve just as much attention as the members. Every performance has its own twist: staging, layout, movement, and augmented reality. Imagine the undiscovered creative outlets, skills, and potentials that they had let millions to see for the dozens of performances in a single concert. The incredible feat that the team pulled off will inspire others with how virtual concerts can be done. That is why I am always excited when artists continue to push artistic boundaries but also taking along the team right by their side to also push the limits because grander things can be accomplished together, as legends like Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Lady Gaga have pulled off in terms of showmanship. It has been a while since they had performed a full setlist yet it must be difficult to perform them as if thousands of people were there. It just is not the same. I could already imagine that “UGH” would have the arena bathed in red light with lasers pointing out in all directions. The sing-along would have been perfectly in-sync and even more insane, especially now they have a full English track. “Outro: Ego” would surely make the whole arena shake, especially with the steps as easy as (a couple of) Tik-Tok dance. We would have been crazed out.

What a way to tell a story. What a way to celebrate the 7th-year of their career and appreciation for those who have supported them. Also, another incredible display of how different and outstanding these boys are as individual performers yet they are still cohesive as a unit and sub-unit. That makes you wonder, is it because they have been together for more than seven years?

We had nothing but dreams. Nothing but foggy mornings when we opened our eyes. We stayed up all night to dance and sing. The endless music sheets.
Ay, we bravely shout “throw all you have”. The first fight with the world.
Don’t wanna die but so much pain. Too much cryin’, so blunted blades.

We were only seven but we have you all now
After seven winters and springs, at the tips of our entwined fingers,
yeah, we got to heaven.

Throw stones at me, we don’t fear anymore.
We are, we are, together, bulletproof.
(Yeah we have you, have you)
Even if winter comes again.
Even if I’m blocked off, I will still walk.
We are, we are, forever, bulletproof.
(Yeah, we got to heaven)

We are bullet-bullet-bulletproof. We faced the negative looks and did it.
Bad memories, numerous trials. We bravely blocked them all, bulletproof.

I always think “am I still in a dream? Is it really spring that came after the long winter?” The name that everyone laughed at that was once embarrassing.
This is the iron proof: “Bulletproof”

I will never stop again for we are together here.
Tell me your every story.
Tell me why you don’t stop this?
Tell me why you still walkin’, walkin’ with us?

— “We Are Bulletproof: the Eternal”