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"As we approached the later stages of the process, the choreography had still not been finalized, and the members, feeling exhausted, came to me and voiced their disappointment, asking why they were being left without clear direction. Up to that point, I had been intentionally holding back, wanting to respect their vision in areas beyond the music itself. But after that conversation, I stepped in directly and made the decision to reset everything – to discard all existing choreography drafts. In particular, for tracks like “Swim” and “Hooligan,” the choreography was revised to such a minimal level that it almost felt as though there was none. The members questioned this approach, asking whether it truly reflected BTS.

I responded by saying, “You already possess the kind of aura that can command a stage just by existing. For artists like you, standing still can be more than enough. The kind of intense choreography you’ve done in the past can, at times, overshadow the music. Simply following the methods that the next generation has adopted – methods that you yourselves established – does not align with the weight and stature you now carry. If you’ve chosen to open a new chapter, then you need to present a new kind of performance – one that allows the music itself to be heard.”

It took nearly two weeks of trying both approaches – repeating, comparing, feeling the difference – before the members began to fully understand."

It's not easy to get through this quote. It's peppered with little put-downs about the group being "exhausted" as they struggled "to fully understand" the brilliance of Chairman Bang's vision. I should be used to this by now, since in every single interview I've read with Bang, he paints himself as the all-knowing sage. But it's especially galling that he still talks about these men---who are almost all in their thirties and have been incredibly successful performing artists for half their lives---as if they were just headstrong kids who need a wise shepherd like him to guide them away from their inexperienced foolishness.

I didn't want to comment on this interview until I got to see a full Arirang concert, not just fansite clips. Now that I've seen the theatrical release of today's show in Tokyo, I'm completely astonished that Bang is bragging about his decision to override the members' own instincts and strip choreography out of this tour.

Of course BTS should evolve and try new things, but Bang's "new kind of performance" doesn't feel new at all. It reminds me a lot of another artist's approach to live performance and sadly, I'm talking about Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift can't dance (the girl really can't) so her concerts are structured around that weakness. She does a lot of enthusiastic walking and pointing while backup dancers work the real choreo, and props are used to create a sense of movement---like those big billowing flags (wings? petals?) that kicked off every show on the Eras Tour.

I saw some of the same production effects during BTS's Tokyo show, even though unlike Swift, they very much can dance. I do not at all agree that dancing would have somehow diminished their "weight and stature." The big "reset" for which Bang is patting himself on the back left the group just walking around the stage or even at a standstill for song after song, while backup dancers and props (like the billowing sheets during "Swim") provided the movement. As a result, most of the show just didn't feel like a BTS concert.

Given the length of this tour, night after night of intense choreography would have been a terrible idea. The Tannies don't need to hurt themselves or get sick to put on a good show. I'd love to think that's the real reason for cutting dance from the show, not this Chairman Bang bullshit about how he had to "step in" to stop the members from "overshadowing" their own music. But given what I've observed of Bang, I can't imagine he's that concerned about their health. I'm sure he really does think that he just knows better than BTS about what a BTS concert should be.

BTS definitely has a stadium-commanding aura, but dancing is essential to the magic they make on stage. I'm not saying the show should have been three hours of pounding synchronized choreo; their shows were never all dancing, not even years ago. But cutting dance out of so many numbers left it lacking in sheer...Bangtanness. And I think they felt it---the only times their faces really lit up during the show was when they got to dance together. More than anything else, that made me so sad. The joy they have in performing with each other is the best part of a BTS concert and there were only glimpses of it.

It certainly conveys a sense of poignant longing better than say...Lilli Reinhart on a schooner. 😉