Bang Bang Con: 'I Purple You' to iconic Muster kits, top 5 moments from Day 1 and Day 2 of BTS performing live
BTS' Bang Bang Con will continue for a few more hours, but before we get to the iconic 'Love Yourself' tour, let's look back at some of the best moments from the weekend so far.
The Wings era
The Wings Tour of 2017, also called the '2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III (Final Chapter): The Wings Tour', remains one of the most iconic eras for BTS. It was to help promote their 2016 album 'Wings', and included some of their biggest hits like 'Not Today', 'Dope', 'Save Me', 'Fire', 'Attack On Bangtan', and 'Blood, Sweat and Tears'.
The emotional rap-ballad 'Spring Day' is another one of the highlights on this setlist, written around the longing for someone who is not around anymore, repeatedly calling out for them with the lyrics "I miss you." But despite its painful tale, the song reminds listeners that such darkness will not last forever, so it's actually an optimistic song that helps you deal with the pain of loss.
This era also included some of the group's best solos: RM's 'Reflection', Jin's 'Awake', Suga's 'First Love', J-Hope's 'MAMA', Jimin's 'Lie', Taehyung's 'Stigma', and Jungkook's 'Begin'.
But what really makes the 'Wings' era so special is that 'Wings' was the album that took BTS from an upcoming South Korean sensation to international superstars. Without 'Wings', we would not have the 'Love Yourself' and 'Map of the Soul' eras. We owe our gratitude to this era. It's the one in which BTS and their ARMY took flight.
BTS and ARMY forever
When Taehyung said 'ARMY belongs to BTS', we all lost our collective minds. They own ARMYs, body, mind, and soul, as the fandom points out themselves.
But he also got us all in our feelings when he created the phrase 'I Purple You'. First coined towards the end of a performance during BTS' 3rd Muster fan club event in November 2016, Taehyung later explained, "Purple is the last color of the rainbow. Purple means I will trust and love you for a long time." adding "I just made it up," to the shock of his fellow members.
He continued, "I wish I could see you for a long time just like the meaning of purple...We will always trust you and go up the stairs with you. You don't need to help us all the time. You can hold our hands and follow us now. We'll go up really high. I'll make it nice."
And at Bang Bang Con, we got to hear Taehyung add to this wonderfully eloquent meaning for the ARMYs color, stating purple represented the hope that BTS and ARMYs would stay side-by-side forever, continuing to create memories and experiences together.
Musters
BTS 'Musters' are essentially a concert and fan meeting rolled into one. It's a special event from BTS specifically dedicated to their beloved fandom, ARMY. Unlike concerts, where they only perform songs from their current era with a few iconic older ones thrown into the mix, Musters include songs from all their eras.
During Bang Bang Con, ARMYs got to relive - or in some cases experience for the first time - the third Muster, 2016's 'ARMY.ZIP', which included the legendary skits 'House of Army' and 'Army in my Bag' featuring RM, Taehyung, Jungkook, and J-Hope as a family of ARMYs, Suga as a wannabe idol, Jin as every prop on set, and Jimin as Cutie the dancing dog. There are very few skits that can top this one and it's just as hilarious on the second - or even the millionth - viewing.
ARMY can also enjoy BTS' fourth muster event, 2018's 'Happy Ever After', which airs after the final Wings tour. It will feature iconic songs like 'Blood, Sweat and Tears', 'No More Dream', 'Mic Drop', 'Go Go', and 'DNA' among many others. It's the perfect way to relive the post-Wings eras and see how BTS has grown during that time.
'Happy Ever After' also, however, includes another special stage skit. One which features a few 'special ingredients' that gets the boys to laugh, cry, and maximize their charm. As it turns out, that's what transforms them into performers with moves so swanky you have to watch the skit to fully appreciate its glory.
While we wait for the fourth Muster, though, we can treat ourselves to a sneak peek of the fifth Muster titled 'Magic Shop' which took place in 2019.
Breaks with BTS
The BTS members jumped into Bang Bang Con to remind ARMY to take breaks between each concert with special prerecorded videos, much to the joy of ARMY watching the show.
All the members featured in short videos teaching ARMY how to stretch since most viewers stayed seated watching the entire concerts without taking any breaks in between them. These segments included some arm, back, and hip stretching moves, in addition to some adorable moments between the members.
BTS also took time to talk about the concerts before each one aired, giving ARMY some exclusive Bang Bang Con content that they wouldn't find on the concert DVDs.
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Besides this being the name of one of their biggest hits to date, one that set us up for all their following concepts because it included elements of art and poetry that have come to define BTS' work since then, this phrase is also very apt when one sits back and watches all of the group's concerts back-to-back. You can clearly see how they have grown from young boys thinking about love and school to adults that revel in philosophy, psychology, and existentialism.
They've put their blood, sweat, and tears into climbing their way to the top. And Bang Bang Con is an amazing look at their journey from a K-Pop boy group to global icons who are paving the way for all future generations of idols while simultaneously inspiring a whole generation of ARMY to reach for the stars. Because when you have the kind of ambition and passion that these boys do, there is no limit to what you can achieve. All you have to do is dream!