Music
Review
It’s all in the details as Jin brings K-Pop brilliance to The O2 Arena
Cleverly meshed with variety show components, the BTS idol's O2 Arena show delivered a fun and fan-focused experience
Returning to the arena alone for the first time since BTS’ first ever UK concert in 2018, Jin (Kim Seok-Jin) enchants London’s O2 Arena with a combination of his witty, playful nature and performances that highlight his ability to entertain a crowd. It is clearly a concert carefully curated for Army (BTS fandom name) but, as someone who isn’t that familiar with Jin or the series, I still had a great time.
The tour is named #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR after Jin’s variety content series Run Jin which has accumulated tens of millions of views across the different episodes. The concerts are a continuation of the series, including elements from the show and allowing the audience to participate and feel a part of it.
For those who don’t know, variety shows are hugely popular in the K-Pop industry as it allows idols to show their personalities and create new and engaging content for fans, allowing them to get to know their favourite idols better. Having this blended with a concert is a great idea, particularly for someone as entertaining and charming as Jin.
The show itself feels relaxed, with Jin starting the show casually walking out onto the stage, without the VCR and huge-build up that happens at most K-Pop concerts, and he speaks to the audience like they’re his friends. With no choreography, he still commands the stage and has the freedom to move around and interact with the crowd as he pleases. It isn’t overly complicated, but it does help the feeling that we’re seeing his genuine personality instead of an on-stage persona, further connecting him to the crowd.
Fun and playful, to heartfelt and stripped back, the setlist is brought to life in different ways from a live band that does not disappoint. Jin gives them their time to shine with each member having a little solo moment towards the end of the show. During one section, however, instead of the band, Jin is accompanied by only a piano, which he plays himself for the heartfelt ‘I Will Come To You’ as the audience listens silently in awe.
The setlist flows with ease through different vibes and energy, aided by the stage-design and lightstick arrangements. The meticulous planning that goes in to designing the array of patterns and colours of the lightsticks to the stage design and lighting isn’t a form of artistry that is lost on me. It helps bring the show to life and spreads into the audience, as if they are a part of the show itself – they very much are. This is further accompanied by the designs on the big screen, often inspired by episodes of Run Jin. For example, clouds projected during ‘With the Clouds’ recreates the scenic hike of Mountain Halla from Run Jin EP.1.
A highlight comes towards an encore of more powerful pairing of up-beat tracks, ‘Loser’ and ‘Rope It’, before leading into a 4-song BTS medley. The energy at this moment is palpable; fire shoots from the stage, the roars from the crowd reach its peak as the stalls shake as the audience jump and dance along. I loved the addition of ‘Mikrokosmos’ to the BTS medley. It was the final song of their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself Tour of which they performed two nights at a sold-out Wembley Stadium in 2019 – the last time they performed in the UK. For many UK Army, that would have been the last song they heard from BTS as a group or soloists for 6 years, so for Jin to add it to the setlist upon his return to London feels extra special and maybe even a nod to those who continued to wait and support him through this time.
Interlaced throughout the setlist are games that frequent variety shows, such as Telepathy Game and Sing Along Game, allowing the crowd to play along as Jin’s teammate as he tried to guess the words they were acting out or songs they were singing. Of course, with every game comes a forfeit or prize or, in this case, both. One of the outfits Jin is to change into depends on the number of answers he correctly guessed in the Telepathy Game and, despite being a team, this results in an outfit choice I am sure would not have been the idol’s first pick but the Army love. Never did I think I would experience seeing a superstar such as Jin of BTS performing a song about tuna wearing an inflatable alien/astronaut costume to a full O2 Arena, but here we are. Life is full of surprises.
It’s these details that pull it all together. From the singalong background mimicking that of what you would find at a Korean Karaoke Room, to calling London Army his “special guests” and hitting a button at the start of the show to indicate the “mission” has begun, these flourishes add layers to an already strong show from a charismatic and funny performer, and an expert in working the crowd.
