BigHit recently broke millions of ARMY hearts when they announced the cancellation or postponement of certain dates of their Map Of The Soul 2020 Tour, due to the Coronavirus and its impact on the world. While ARMY was taking the news in the most positive way possible (raising money for Coronavirus cures and research, and organizing dates/times to raise lightsticks in solidarity), BTS was busy behind the scenes working on a way to make it up to fans. They recently unveiled BANG BANG CON: a BTS online concert weekend ?? airing on BangtanTV, April 18-19 (KST) featuring live tours from 2014-2018 AND 3rd and 4th Muster!!! BigHit has always been innovative and exemplary, but it is truly magnanimous for the company to share this material with fans at no cost. Now that we are all stuck inside #socialdistancing, here are 10 ways you can make BANG BANG CON epic!
Find Your Time Zone
Concerts will air Saturday April 18, 2020 on KST, (or Friday April 17th, 11pm EST) through April 19th, so make sure you know what time the shows will air for your specific time zone! Here’s a handy chart (tentative) with rumored order and times!
Join A Group
I’ve shared before that it’s always best to “find your people” when it comes to BTS comebacks, concerts, and TV events. BANG BANG CON is no exception! Finding groups on Facebook, Amino, or message boards allows you to connect with like-minded BTS fans all around the world with whom you can share your love and excitement for BTS. Some of the groups I recommend on Facebook are BTS Army, and Purple Stars Around The World: ARMY (18+)
Zoom It Up!
If you’ve been working from home, you’ve probably been using Zoom quite a bit for meetings. Not fun. Being able to watch a concert with all of your ARMY pals? Big fun! Don’t want to download Zoom? FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, or any video conferencing app will work!
Dress It Up!
You can treat BANG BANG CON like “couchella” and stick to comfy lounge attire, or you can go ahead and glam up like you would if you were going to see BTS in real life! Chat with your ARMY friends and come up with matching outfits (for screenshot photos, of course ?) or pile on all the BTS merch you’ve collected over the years! Create some festival inspired hair and makeup looks, and share them on social media with the #bangbangcon hashtag!
Light It Up!
Pull out those ARMY Bombs and fire ’em up like you’re front row center at a stadium! Word on the street is that BigHit will use Bluetooth technology to sync your lightstick with the concert from your home! If you don’t have an ARMY Bomb, don’t worry about it! BigHit just teased a new special edition Map Of The Soul lightstick that you should have plenty of time to purchase before the rescheduled tour dates drop!
Chant It Up!
The best thing about the BANG BANG CON online concert weekend is that you can act a fool in the comfort of your own home! This is relevant because I intend to literally jump up and down on my couch while screaming the official fanchants and banging my head! ? Scream along with the crowd on the TV (or whatever device you are using to stream) and just have fun! Click here if you need to learn the official fanchants.
Pop A Cork
Unlike at stadiums, you are free to drink [responsibly-21+] at home during the BANG BANG CON online concert weekend! Forget all the stress of #quarantinelife for a minute and enjoy an ice cold brew, or a glass of bubbly while you watch the show! ?
Create A Cozy Corner
If you want to take advantage of all of the cozy comforts of an online concert, you can create a snuggle haven for yourself with pillows, blankets, and soft pajamas! You can really go all out and create an aesthetic effect for photo memories by using fairy lights and soft pastel furry blankets. Watching from a laptop? Set up a tent or a teepee (if you already have these items) and create a concert cave! Let your imagination lead the way.
Pull Out Your Merch
Tons of ARMY have been rocking with BTS since their debut, and have had years to build a nice collection of merch. Since this concert will take us on a nostalgic journey, take a moment to revisit some of your merch from previous eras! Since most of us are already planning to be on social media during the concert weekend, why not take a few seconds to post shots of your collection! Got any BT21 plushies? Take a cute pic of yourself cuddling with Chimmy or sharing nachos with RJ!
Post, Post, Post!
Set Twitter ablaze with @BTS_twt mentions! Post your “concert from home” pics on IG or FB. Make some crazy (but cute) TikToks. Spread the cheer and help BTS continue to break social media records, and gain new fans!
I am so grateful to BigHit for hosting BANG BANG CON free of charge for ARMY all over the world who are dealing with quarantine, illness, loss of loved ones due to Coronavirus, and disappointment from the canceled/postponed tour dates. During this time of unprecedented uncertainty, one thing ARMY can count on is BTS’ ability to bring us all a little more joy!