It was roughly 11:30PM on April 9, and I was dragging my feet across the floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. In my frantic rush to find the tram stop, my exhaustion levels felt like they were peaking. All I could think of was my overwhelming desire to return to my off-strip hotel to take a cold shower, and a quick nap prior to my 6AM flight back to San Diego. As I joined the beeline to the tram stop, I overheard “Jamais Vu” playing throughout the casino, and crossed paths with a group of guys who mentioned “BTS… they’re like the biggest thing in music right now.”
In that very moment, I was reminded exactly why I endured the exhaustion, dehydration, and the multiple punches to my bank account. It’ll all eventually recover, but no one can put a price tag on being a part of history… especially when it involves your favorite band, and when your favorite band happens to be BTS.
Following their iconic Grammys performance, BTS brought their PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE concert series to Las Vegas for a four-night, sold-out run at Allegiant Stadium. These would be the first stateside shows of the year for the group, taking place over the span of two weekends (April 8-9, 15-16). It’s a huge deal, and BTS and their team at Big Hit Music/HYBE made sure the impact of the occasion would be felt far outside the stadium walls. A BTS-themed Bellagio Fountain Show, BTS-inspired drinking and dining experiences, interactive pop-up experiences at AREA15, official concert after parties at Aria’s JEWEL Nightclub, and purple marquees all along the Vegas strip showing off the word “Borahaegas” were just a few of the things on the agenda for BTS’ Las Vegas takeover!
PERMISSION TO POSE
After arriving in Vegas the morning of April 7, it was time to head over to AREA15 for my first round of BTS fun! ‘BTS POP-UP : PERMISSION TO DANCE IN LAS VEGAS’ was an exclusive experience that allowed ARMYs to fully immerse themselves in the world of BTS. Along with plenty of fun photo opportunities inspired by various BTS music videos, there were also opportunities to snag some limited-edition PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE – LAS VEGAS merchandise.
While the experience required a time slot reservation, choosing the earliest time slot possible had its perks! By facing minimal crowds, I had a ton of room to play around and pose for dozens of photos. I also made sure to give my “Dynamite” inspired ARMY Bomb its own mini photoshoot, because she totally deserved one as well!
One of my favorite photo areas was the cotton candy-colored desert from the “Permission To Dance” music video. You seriously CANNOT keep me away from anything pink, especially a cactus!
After cooling off at the Fashion Show mall and playing a few slots at Caesars Palace, I returned to the A-Lot at AREA 15 for a special photography exhibition called “Behind The Stage: Permission To Dance.” It was pretty crowded towards the evening, so I didn’t spend too much time inside. However, I was able to see TONS of gorgeous photos from BTS’ PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE shows that were held in Seoul back in March!
PURPLE REIGN
It felt surreal heading back to the strip and seeing the marquees of the MGM properties in the distance illuminated with the word “Borahaegas” on a purple background. Although the messages were only displayed from 8-9PM, it felt like a formal welcome ceremony for the BTS ARMY.
Of course, I couldn’t miss the BTS fountain show at the Bellagio! A mix of “Dynamite” and “Butter” was played, and I stood in awe as the water cannons roared as loud as fireworks on the 4th of July. Little did I know, Jungkook, V, and J-Hope were on the other side of the fountains enjoying the show as well!
At a press conference on April 9, Chris Baldizan, Vice President of MGM Resorts International, mentioned that the BTS fountain show at the Bellagio will continue even after the shows have concluded. How epic is that?!
D-DAY, ROUND 1
On the morning of April 8, my friends and I went to a cupsleeve event at Brew Tea Bar near UNLV. We had a pretty stacked schedule for the day, but boba should always be a priority. Props to @PeachyPieLV, @outrowonder_mia, and Fave for putting this together!
After we were done with our sips, we headed to a K-Pop pop-up shop to pick up some souvenirs. By souvenirs, I mean albums! I’ll often add an album to my collection to commemorate a major event, and memories instantly get attached to said album. I ended up getting The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1, and pulled a J-Hope photocard… which NEVER happens for me!
My friends and I went back to our hotel, took an hour or two to get ready, went to a KBBQ restaurant for dinner, and arrived at Allegiant Stadium around 5PM. The lines to enter were pretty short, and I was instantly directed to another line to get a wristband to go onto the floor. It was my first time at Allegiant Stadium, and was pleased by how short the walk down the stairs to get to the floor was. Although, it was still rather steep, and since I had asthma, I knew the stairs would be an issue if I wanted to go back up to the main concourse.
My seat for the night was in the ninth row of A1, and it was WAY closer than I had imagined! It was also two seats away from the outer aisle, which meant the famous carts would pass right by me. All I could do at that point was dream for a y/n moment with RM. (I’m still dreaming.)
UH OH…
Right before the show was about to start, the energy in the stadium was absolutely incredible. As the crowd of over 60,000 ARMYs chanted the lyrics to “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and “Permission To Dance,” I had an overwhelming feeling that this concert in particular would be extra special. There was one issue though…
After looking away for a split second, a black square appeared on one of the screens. I was confused, as I thought maybe another screen had been lowered without me noticing. The screen eventually shut off, and ARMYs sat in silence and confusion.
Things happen, but I immediately wondered, how does this happen? More importantly, how does it get fixed in a timely manner?
‘ON’ WE GO
After about 30 minutes, the screen was fixed, and the show went on with a booming opening performance of “ON.” It’s easy for me to imagine the BTS members being perfectionists, so the delay must have been very nerve wracking for them. Once they hit the stage, their showmanship was smoother than butter, almost as if nothing happened. RM kicked off the opening ment quickly expressing his gratitude for our patience, but then quickly transitioned to his welcome with an “OKAY,” as in “anyways, let’s move on now!”
On with the show BTS went, delivering breathtaking renditions of their beloved songs such as “Black Swan,” “Life Goes On,” and “Fake Love.” The stage completely illuminated when the septet began to perform “Boy With Luv,” “Dynamite,” and “Butter,” my favorite segment of the show. It was the ultimate serving of serotonin, and a celebration of some of their biggest hits.
Each PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE concert has had a similar setlist, but BTS have managed to bring unique elements to every show. The word “dull” must not exist in their vocabulary. Whether they were doing intense choreography or doing the worm dance on stage during the ending ments, BTS couldn’t be contained. J-Hope proclaimed, “The city is full of your energy and our energy, so there’s nothing holding us back.”
Surely, those are words to live by. While ARMY may be unsure about the specifics of what the future will hold for BTS, nothing will hold the members back from being the absolute greatest versions of themselves possible. Nothing will hold ARMY back from being there every step of the way, either!
After the show had concluded, RM did a live broadcast on the V LIVE app to talk to ARMYs about his night. My feet were super sore and tired, but listening to my bias speak as my friends and I made the trek to the MGM Grand monorail station made the experience a little less miserable. I was surrounded by hundreds of other ARMYs doing the exact same, and I made sure everyone around me knew that RM is my bias and he was spitting facts in the same city as us.
D-DAY, ROUND 2
I purchased a silver soundcheck live play package for day two of PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE : LAS VEGAS. Live Play is a real-time broadcast of the concert in a separate venue, in this case the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Think of it as a giant watch party, plus the added perk of receiving a random photocard from the lucky draw machines!
All of the throwback BTS music videos that were aired made the atmosphere inside of the arena even more enjoyable. The soundcheck lasted no more than 15 minutes, and video recording was prohibited. All of the guys looked so gorgeous, and I couldn’t get over V sporting a white fedora and shorts.
I also managed to snag a last minute ticket to watch the show at Allegiant Stadium, so that meant I’d have to go from the arena to the stadium after I was finished with my VIP activities. Exhausted couldn’t even describe just how tired I was at that point, but I really wanted to make the most out of the moment.
Being able to experience “Anpanman” in person made it all worth it, and so did the reminder from the members that BTS and ARMY being able to meet isn’t something to take lightly. There’s plenty of people in the world who constantly try to downplay the success of BTS, almost as if it’s their job. Selling out four concerts at a stadium with a capacity of over 65,000 is by no means an easy feat, nor is keeping a crowd that large engaged for over two hours. While it may seem like a routine at this point for BTS and ARMY, it will always be special.
BTS’ PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE : LAS VEGAS shows continue at Allegiant Stadium on April 15 and 16. There will be a livestream of the April 16 show, with streaming tickets available for purchase on Weverse.
WOW! I literally have NO words to describe your entire journal post in attending BTS’ PTD On Stage in Las Vegas concerts that happened. First of all, it was as if I was reliving everything you experienced right alongside from start to finish! I loved your story told and your words REALLY made me WISH I actually went with you. ‘Til this day I still can kick myself in the butt for not being able to go! Then again, you already know ‘my story’ as to why I was unable to. My story is too painful to be told again the 2nd time here so, it’s ok. lol What helped my mood BIG TIME was when you did our IG group chat phone call, right when the Bellagio foundain light show started and played BTS ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Butter’ songs! And seeing that Twitter photo of Jungkook, Taehyung, and J-Hope together watching the same time as we did, only made that moment for me 100x sweeter! Little did I realize it was also the same night we all watched their last concert online. (I pre-purchased my online ticket to watch that time.) But by golly, I still wished I went to this LV venue shows because I didn’t realize the entire city would turn it ‘BTS Themed’! The City of Las Vegas said it would be something unlike they’d ever tried or done before, including BigHit/HYBE themselves saying the exact same thing too. It was really NO JOKE either. The city didn’t mess around and pulled all the stops on this venue, adding Area15, BTS-themed restaurants, BTS-themed hotel rooms, BTS-themed foodie eats, BTS Pop-Up Merch, an all-immersive/interactive museum, and whatever else I forgot to add in the mix. They did NOT have all of that when I attended last year’s LA concerts for BTS at So-Fi Stadium. I know BigHit/HYBE also said this would be only at certain city locations within the U.S. and will not be at every city BTS will perform in. I just wished I’d knew back then last year when I attended the LA shows. If I knew about all that happening for the Vegas venue, I would’ve gone to Vegas instead of LA. Maybe that’s why the company probably also wants, is an ‘element of surprise’ so people like me won’t only just go for the cities that have these themed stuff either. lol If the company doesn’t say anything to fans, BTS makes money either way, with or without ‘themed’ venues. (right?) I keep forgetting I have to sometimes think of the marketing strategies these Chaebol companies think. lol All they need is to peek enough interest to attend ‘themed-concert venues’ compared to concerts without all that. Perhaps I can attend a different BTS-themed concert some day!