Music, Moments & Freebies Oh My!

SUGA also known as Agust D or Yoongi to fans, brought in a huge crowd for his three days at the Kia Forum

Buckle up, this is a bit of a longer article. If you want to hear about the concert itself, scroll about 2/3 down the page. I am also trying to keep this more casual and conversational in my writing style. Let me know how I am doing!

If you don’t know who he is, he is one of seven that make up the hit group BTS. They are a Korean music group who have made a huge impact on the music world even breaking language barriers.

People from all over the world have attended their concerts and I knew this would be no different for SUGA as he embarked on a solo tour due to two members already in their military service.

People really do travel from all over to see their concerts. Hell, the people standing in front of us in line were from Ohio.

He had a three day stay at the Kia Forum in Inglewood before he would head up to the Bay Area and take on Oakland.

He has completed his North American leg of the tour and now is heading over to Asia for 12 concert dates before ending it over in Korea with two dates on the 24th-25th of June.

His tour and most recent music release were both under the same name, D-Day. You can find more about the meaning behind the name and the record with a quick google search.

The title of this article is Music, Moments & Freebies. So let me talk about the latter half first and then we will get onto the concert.

I love putting together freebies and this concert was no different. I created some stuff using my photography and passed that out throughout the night. I also got some awesome freebies from fellow ARMY members that were excited to share.

I absolutely love seeing other artists sharing their work and creativity!

I also helped my sister pass out her first freebies for her upcoming shop! You can check out her stuff over on Instagram, Skyy’s Treasures.

These ones in particular were made specially for this concert! They are limited edition. So if you got one, congratulations!

The costumes were awesome!

People really go all out for concerts! From people dressing up as brides for the infamous “marry me Yoongi” statement, to full blown tangerine fruit costumes, & everything in-between.

You can always spot at least one glow in the dark stick figure out in the crowd!

It’s always so much fun to see what people come up with. Not too much to say on this but to keep having fun ARMY!

Let’s get into the concert itself.

Let me get the few negatives out of the way.

First of all I will say it was a bit hectic in & around the venue. There were so many people and it was hard to move around.

I am not sure if there are other protocols that the Forum can implement, but it was a lot to take in.

I know there was a lot of sadness from ARMY on the merchandise that was presented with lack of inventory and some possible quality issues.

I won’t talk too much on this but HYBE might want to look into bringing a bit more inventory to future concerts.

Also, at the end of the night, the security was asking people to leave, which I am totally fine with but it was the tone that was off-putting.

I know they want to go home but almost immediately they seemed to be yelling at people to get off the terrace. It just felt like a bit much in my opinion.

But don’t take that in the wrong way. I am incredibly thankful for all the work of the ushers/crew, security & police who keep us safe at the venue.

I just expected them to maybe realize that people are going to want to get post show pictures.

The one tech issue I found myself noticing is that at a few points throughout the concert, the speakers sounded a bit muffled.

I have seen four different artists in this venue and it seems to happen every time, so maybe it is just how the system is? It didn’t really take much away from the concert, but I did feel the need to mention it.

NOW let’s get into the good stuff.

He performed for about two hours and it was jam packed with excitement.

I loved that he performed at the Kia Forum because it is a big enough space to have a substantial sized crowd but small enough that you still feel like there isn’t really a bad seat in the house.

I think this is a good venue overall for concerts.

Let me just say right off the bat that he sounded amazing and performed like the seasoned professional that he is!

I am very impressed with his endurance and laid back vibe onstage.

It had some moments that were formally choreographed but a lot of the time felt like he was just feeling the music and moving around the stage as he went. Although, I know it was probably more calculated than that.

I very much enjoyed his concert! I would see him again in a heartbeat if I could.

Obviously he sang songs from his past albums like fan favorite Daechwita to his most recent album with the song Haegeum.

We had a surprise guest appearance by Halsey and they sang their duet of SUGA’s Interlude.

The crowd went crazy! They sounded great and they seemed to be genuine in their smiles and playfulness towards each other onstage.

From the outside looking in, they do feel like real friends. It is refreshing.

I have never seen Halsey live before, and I hope I get to catch a concert of hers in the future!

He had a set of talented dancers who accompanied him throughout the performance. They seemed to be having a good time overall.

I loved that he had a live band!

He even gave them a spotlight at the end of the concert to play their instruments in a fun and creative way as SUGA stood center and just watched along like the audience all around him.

The overall production value of this show felt really well put together.

The staging and lighting were really unique and eye-catching. He did not spare on the pyrotechnics with fire appearing in many songs during the show. Lasers and bold lighting changes filled the space the entire evening.

OH! Also, thank you to HYBE for finally getting the ARMY Bomb to attach to the Bluetooth without having to navigate the app.

It was already automatically connected once you turned on your light stick. Love that!

He had different platform levels and sitting areas during his performance. He was playing at a piano that was placed just off center of the main stage near the front center near the barricade.

He really utilized the space and played directly to different parts of the audience.

I was curious to see what they were going to do with the stage in particular and it was interesting because it would rise into the ceiling of the space when certain squares weren’t needed.

It is a little hard to explain but if you look up different fan videos of the concert, you will see what I mean.

The stage was ever-changing.

He made sure to play to all three sides of the stage leaving no audience neglected for face time on their side. There were also three large screens with projections to see some more up-close details.

He did also have a couple of sips of a mystery drink onstage *cough cough* possibly alcohol *cough cough* followed with “cheers” to the audience.

This man’s energy and stage presence is almost unmatched. He really goes all in and performs like it’s his last show. He stood and took in the crowd at many different points during the concert.

Being a performer myself, I love seeing these moments coming from onstage.

I think there is a really awesome point during a show when the performers just relax into the performance and this was no different for SUGA. As an audience member, he felt professional and casual at the same time. Like you were jamming out with an old friend.

Concert Tip: I always suggest bringing earplugs to any concert you go to. You really might need them!

Bonus tip: Bring a small reusable bag that can fit into your clear bag (like one you hang on a keychain) so you can put your merch or items in it that you acquire at the concert venue.

I did bring two disposable cameras to the concert but I have yet to get them developed. Once I do, keep an eye out for a follow-up article.

Always look into the photography/camera policy before attending any concert.

I asked a few friends their thoughts on the concert. This is what they had to say:

Brandon from Blast Out Your Stereo said one word- Exhilarating. (He attended the Los Angeles show on D3).

Cheryl said, “There was such an interesting buzz of excitement and nostalgia, like gathering together to see your best friend’s art show and then heading to a house party to celebrate.” (She attended one of the Illinois shows).

Ariela mentioned that, “it was an incredible experience. His hard work and musical brilliance took my breath away…” (She attended the D3 performance at the Kia Forum).

I think it’s safe to say that it doesn’t matter where you saw him perform, he puts his all into the show and has a bold stage presence.

Who knows, maybe one day someone will pass this article over to SUGA and he will be able to see just a small glimpse into what his music means to people.

If you ever have a chance to see him, BTS as a whole or any of the other members on solo adventures, I highly recommend it. They all put on wonderful performances.

This concert & tour has left an impression on many people including myself and I just want to formally say a HUGE THANK YOU to SUGA, His Team, The Kia Forum, Security, Photographers, Staff, Fellow ARMY and anyone else I missed for a wonderful night full of memories and great music.

If you made it all the way to the end, thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to be here and read my article! It really does mean a lot to me as a writer and fellow ARMY.

Do you have a favorite song or moment from the concert that you attended? Please let me know! I would love to hear about it.

And lastly, I just want to give a big thank you to my friend Cheryl & sister Rie for making this night possible! Borahae!

Thanks again for stopping by! As always, be kind to yourself and others!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. You can find more of my work at this link.

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[All of the images shared are all original works of myself, Kasandra Faith Photography/Kassy Menke unless otherwise stated. Please do not share, copy or use without reaching out to me first and gaining permission to do so. Thanks so much!]