Concert Diaries: Fan Interview with ARMY who saw BTS live in Brussels
BTS have successfully wrapped up the European leg of their ‘ARIRANG’ World Tour, gathering a total audience of more than 717,000 people, according to BigHit.
Today, we have Anna-Maria with us, an ARMY from Greece who travelled all the way to Brussels to see the k-pop megagroup performing live. Get prepared to experience the astounding show through her eyes!
How was the day of the concert? Usually there is lots of growing anticipation a few hours before.
I woke up at around 7-8 in the morning, after a 3-hour sleep, and jumped straight to the preparations. I put on my concert fit and had a friend help me with my make-up – the pearls she added really made a difference! We then went around searching for a pin which had caught my eye, but unfortunately, it wasn’t available in the store. As we were wandering, though, we walked by Hilton and noticed a few black vans parked outside – turns out it was BTS’s crew!
That was unexpected! Did you go to the venue after?
I arrived at the arena at around 4pm – an hour before the doors open. My friends’ show was on the previous concert day, so I’d have to be alone on this one. I went freebie hunting and collected so many things – banners, stickers…
From where I was standing outside the venue, I could see and listen to the soundcheck. I was feeling so anxious.
I joined the queue and I’ve had the opportunity to meet 4 amazing ARMY. Once we entered the arena, we took photos of each other and they helped me around, showing me where the water cooler is and things like that. We had to split up, however, since we were sitting in different sections.
Only as I was going down the stairs did I realize how close to the lowest seats I would be sitting. I had a great view of the stage from there.
That’s the best feeling for sure! How did the concert begin?
The opening was breathtaking. Back-up dancers, flaming torches, smoke… And seeing BTS live for the first time… It was astounding.
Any concert highlights or remarkable parts of the setlist?
There were quite a lot. During ‘Fake Love’, Jin and J-Hope were on the side of the stage closer to us and, when the members switched positions, V took their place. Seeing my bias that close was just…
We also got to witness the mesmerizing performance of ‘Merry go Round’ and ‘Swim’ with the white cloths. During ‘IDOL,’ they made their way along the runway, passing right in front of us. I was stunned.
The surprise songs of the show were ‘For Youth’ and ‘On’.
Glad to hear everything went smoothly.
Well, not exactly… There was an instance when the members had to stop the concert due to disturbance in the arena. I then saw the security removing two fans who had almost passed out. But, other than that, everything went great.
How was your trip back home? Did everything go according to plan?
There was a jam of fans in the subway afterwards. It took me about half an hour to board a train, during which I had no phone signal. The worst part is that I was running out of battery and I needed my phone to return to our rented appartment.
Luckily, the rest of the ARMY were there to help! They gave me a power bank, helped me around the public transport and we exchanged phone numbers. Seeing how helpful and kind the fandom is felt so heartwarming.
We are really happy to hear the story of Anna-Maria and hope every fan got to live the astonishing concert experience to its fullest.
Meanwhile, the ‘ARIRANG’ tour is not over. BTS is set to continue with stops in Australia & Asia within the first months of 2027.
A huge shoutout to Anna-Maria for this interview, thank you so much!
