I’ve been ARMY 
for years,
but Tampa was
my first live
concert

First stop and 
first night 
in America
for the 
‘Arirang’ tour

We had good seats,
joined by more than
60,000 other
screaming fans

The production value
was very high–the
sound was mixed
perfectly

Members
took the stage
to ‘Hooligan’
and I, frankly,
lost my mind

Seven of 
the finest
people you
could ever 
hope to meet
(j-hope is my bias,
but I love them all),
surrounded by
top dancers,
astounding pyrotechnics
and lighting,
and the most
professional crew
I’ve even seen
in a live 
production

During the show,
while the men were
taking a brief break
between sets,
they showed the audience
on the big screen so 
ARMY could see one another–

And there I was, 
with my little sign

You see, BTS
is an acronym for 
‘Bangtan Sonyeondan’
(translated as 
‘Bulletproof Boyscouts’)
and for
‘Beyond The Scene’

My sign indicated
that BTS, for me, also
stands for

Beauty
Truth
Strength

The undeniable
magic of music–
its ability 
to capture us all,
whether the words
are in my language 
or not (this is the
same reason 
Maria Callas can
destroy me
singing Italian opera)

It was more than a concert–
it was a coming together
of 60,000 hearts to 
recognize and celebrate
the many things that
bind us together

For we are, in truth,
one family
under the sun