BTS’ Seoul live concerts due this week

 The upcoming live concerts by BTS in Seoul will be prepared in a way that can help the band members and their fans pay attention to each other rather than showy stage sets or technologies for the shows, the group’s management agency said Tuesday.

The South Korean boy group is scheduled to hold three concerts at Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul on March 10, 12 and 13. They will be the group’s first concerts before a live audience in South Korea for the first time in about 2 1/2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If showy stage sets, props and high technologies, like augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR), shone at previous concerts streamed online, we will focus on the meeting itself at the upcoming shows,” Big Hit Music said in a release. “The shows were planned in a way to help BTS pay attention to the audience and the audience to BTS, so both sides can fully enjoy the shows.”

This photo provided by Big Hit Music shows a promotional poster for BTS’ three concerts in Seoul on March 10, 12 and 13. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

“I thought it was most important for an artist to sing looking into the eyes of fans and take a step closer to them,” Ha Jung-jae, who is in charge of directing the Seoul concerts, was quoted as saying in the release.

Ha also said the set list includes songs that have not been performed in previous live concerts and numbers chosen by BTS members, like “On” and “Black Swan,” both tracks from its fourth full-length album “Map of the Soul: 7.” The record was released in February 2020.

BTS members have expressed their anticipation for the upcoming concerts.

“I’m grateful that I can see you (fans),” V said during an online live session with Jungkook, J-Hope and Jin on Sunday.

J-Hope said, “I’ve thought about hundreds of times when I will be able to see Korean fans over the past two or more years. As it’s a beautiful and meaningful event, let’s have fun together.”