Review | BTS Love Yourself world tour: K-pop idols drive Hong Kong fans crazy with stunning show
- The first of four Hong Kong concerts was packed with energetic performances and spectacular solos, much to the joy of the band’s ‘Army’ legion of fans
- Featuring mostly songs from their album ‘Love Yourself: Answer’, the show also mixed in some older tracks including Boyz with Fun and Airplane Pt.2
BTS have shattered the image of K-pop bands as heavily manufactured by entertainment companies. They are taking over the world with their music, with lyrics that speak to contemporary issues, and with their authenticity.
But it is their stellar live performances that have sealed their place among the greatest entertainers of the era.
They began the first of their four concerts in Hong Kong – the 19th stop on their Love Yourself World Tour – with a high-energy performance of their hit song Idol, wearing shiny black suits instead of the colourful printed ones in the music video. A sea of “Army bombs”, the band’s official light sticks connected by bluetooth, blinked in sync across the AsiaWorld Arena, while the audience – 99 per cent female – screamed their heads off.
The band greeted the crowd with some newly learned Cantonese phrases and Jin blowing his signature kiss, before proceeding to Save Me, I’m Fine and Magic Shop.