THE NITTY GRITTY

Judy has talked about our escapade before the concert, so I thought I’d talk about the actual concert itself.

I’m a concert novice. Before this all I had seen was James Taylor and Billy Joel with a bit of Zac Brown thrown in. (Complete disclaimer: I did see Gwen Stefani and The Black Eyed Peas in the early 21st century, and my ears are still ringing from the cacophony. The attendee in front of me stood on her chair, so I really couldn’t see much.) I’m woefully ignorant on modern concert etiquette.

Guess what? I didn’t have to concern myself with a concert faux pas. It turned out to be the most relaxing fun event I’ve attended in a long time. The other attendees were the nicest, more cordial, most accommodating group of 50,000 non-friends I’ve ever had the pleasure to share an evening with. And, yes, I know I’m not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition, but I don’t care, and I don’t think BTS would either.

It was good we got there three hours ahead of time because it took us almost two hours to get into the stadium. Once we found our seats and sat down, of course we had to use the bathroom. The line for the women’s was demoralizingly long. It hardly moved in the 20 minutes I stood there. If the darling young woman behind me hadn’t bolted for the men’s and I hadn’t followed her, I’d probably still be there. Let’s just say I made lots of friends - both male and female - in that line.

The concert itself: FABULOUS! AMAZING! PHENOMENAL! AWESOME! ASTONISHING! LEGENDARY! UNREAL! (I had to use 7 descriptors, one for each.)

BTS at Stanford Day 1 Concert.... (that's Judy's guy, Jimin, with the mic.) In order from left to right is J-hope, RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, & finally Jung Kook. But you knew that, didn't you?

The energy that these seven young men projected with their voices and their bodies was almost indescribable. They make the complicated dance moves they perform look seamless, and they way they meld their voices is stunning. (Oh oh, I’m starting to sound like my blog partner.) It’s obvious they have been at this for a long time in their young lives. Their camaraderie on the stage was infectious. Even though I didn’t know most of the songs, I was waving my light stick and yelling and dancing with everyone else. BTS knows how to get a crowd moving.

It was over too soon. Somehow I thought they’d perform for three hours, but after two plus hours, they said goodbye. I could have hung in for much, much longer.

Guess what? I want to go again! ~ Pat

I'm prepping to go to my second BTS Concert in Vegas as I type this. Again, only 2 of the 6 attendees know anything about the boys. Right now they're practicing the Roll Call Fan Chant, I'm sure. Will it stand up to Stanford Concert? My bet is that it will. ~ Judy