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| BTS / Courtesy of BigHit Music |
K-pop supergroup BTS will hit the stage in Seoul, Thursday, for its first concerts before local fans since 2019.
The first of three "Permission To Dance On Stage - Seoul" concerts is set to begin at Jamsil Olympic Park in southern Seoul at 7 p.m. with two more shows scheduled for Saturday and Sunday night.
The first and last shows will be streamed live online, while the second one will be available for "live viewing" at movie theaters around the world, according to Big Hit Music, the group's agency.
BTS will perform its major hit songs, including "Butter," "Dynamite" and "Permission to Dance."
The first night is expected to open with "On," the lead track from the group's fourth full-length album "Map of the Soul: 7," released in February 2020. "On" was at the top of the set list during the band's latest concerts in Los Angeles last year.
Each night of the sold-out concerts will boast a different set list, including songs that were not performed in the Los Angeles shows, such as "Black Swan," also a track from the fourth full album, according to the agency.
It said the upcoming shows will go without splashy stage sets or effects to help audiences better pay attention to their favorite stars, who they have not seen for a long time.
"If splashy stage sets, props and high technologies, like augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR), shone at previous concerts streamed online, we will focus on the meeting itself at the upcoming shows," the agency said in a release Tuesday. "The shows were planned in a way to help BTS pay attention to the audience and the audience to BTS, so both sides can fully enjoy the shows."
For this, a massive LED screen will be installed on the stage as in the group's Los Angeles concerts last year, so the audience can get better views of the artists even at a distance.
K-pop fans as well as the agency are anxiously awaiting the concerts, as South Korea recorded more than 300,000 COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day Thursday.
On social media, there were a series of posts from fans seeking to sell their hard-won tickets to others after they tested positive for the disease.
Fans will be strictly prohibited from "cheering loudly, yelling, chanting and standing up" during the shows according to government guidelines, the agency has said.
Additionally, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has limited each show at 15,000 spectators per night, despite the stadium's 70,000 capacity, to provide some physical distancing amid the pandemic. The number 15,000 is still the biggest for any music concert since the pandemic began in early 2020.
Big Hit also plans to place about 750 health and safety management workers, which is about 5 percent of the number of spectators approved for each night, so they can thoroughly check the spectators for fever and ensure mask wearing.
BTS members shared how they feel hours ahead of the show's opening, through their agency.
"I feel nervous but calm," leader RM said. "As (fans) cannot shout or stand up, we'll work harder to show you good energy."
Jin said, "I remember the first performance at the Jamsil main stadium. I think I'll feel the same way on the first night of the concert. As always, I will do my best and work hard."
"I'm excited because it's our first performance in two and a half years. I am happy to be able to perform in Korea. I prepared hard, so I hope you enjoy it," Suga said.
