Permission to Dance on Stage
Permission to Dance On Stage was a series of concert performances headlined by South Korean band BTS. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings and travel, the series included stadium performances with and without live audiences in attendance in lieu of a traditional concert tour; the setlist contained numerous songs from the band's past discographies. The 12-show run began in Seoul, South Korea on October 24, 2021, and concluded in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 16, 2022.
Start date
October 24, 2021
April 16, 2022
2
12
~4,000,000
Background[edit]
In January 2020, BTS announced their 4-leg, 39-show Map of the Soul Tour,[1] but that was eventually cancelled in August 2021 due to uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The band organized Map of the Soul ON:E, which initially included an offline fan presence and pay-per-view streaming, but in-person tickets were also cancelled ahead of the October 2020 performance.[3] As the top-grossing touring group of 2019,[4] the band expressed frustration and sadness about their inability to hold live concerts with their supporters present.[5] By 2021, the severity of the pandemic and subsequent restrictions varied greatly from country to country, and city to city,[6] which pushed the act and their company to look into hybridizing their performances in formats that would allow them to dynamically engage fans in person and online.[7]
On September 15, 2021, BTS announced an online concert carded for October 24 at the Seoul Olympic Stadium.[8] Despite the venue's 80,000 person capacity, the show was held as a pay-per-view, streaming only event due to domestic live event restrictions.[7] Later that month, the band also announced four overseas concerts to be held in the United States at the newly built SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on November 27 and 28, and December 1 and 2,[9] with the final show revealing on screen, "See you in Seoul, March 2022." The announcement was also made on BTS' official Twitter account shortly after the show ended.[10]
On February 22, 2022, BTS then announced an expanded leg of the tour, with four shows taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 8 and 9, and April 15 and 16.[11]
The shows marked the band's first live performance before an in-person audience since their Love Yourself: Speak Yourself stadium tour in 2019,[12] and tickets for all in-person shows were sold out within a few hours of release.[13] Permission to Dance On Stage garnered more than an estimated 4 million attendees in-person and online combined.[14]
Performances[edit]
Seoul[edit]
On October 24, 2021, the group performed at the Seoul Olympic Stadium, the location of their last stadium concert held in 2019. Due to a calf injury sustained during rehearsals the day before, member V did not participate in any choreography, but performed while seated on stage. To enhance the virtual experience, Big Hit added features that allowed the online audience to view the show from six different real-time angles and used an overlay for additional effects and text.[7] The online concert was streamed in 197 countries.[15]
In 2022, BTS held their first domestic live shows since 2019 before a limited in-person audience, once again at the Olympic Stadium. They performed on March 10, 12, and 13. Previous pandemic restrictions placed specifically on pop concert performances only allowed for up to 4,000 attendees. The BTS concerts were approved for 15,000 attendees per day, marking the largest music gatherings permitted by the South Korean government since Covid-19 protocols first went into effect. Cheering, screaming, and singing-along was prohibited during the shows and 750 safety personnel were present onsite to ensure all restrictions were adhered to.[16][17] The shows on the 10th and 13th were additionally streamed online through Weverse. A global live-viewing event was held for the concert on the 12th. It was broadcast to over 3,000 theatres worldwide.
This is the set list of the October 24, 2021 online concert. It does not represent all shows in the concert series.