BTS Turn Out Explosive Los Angeles Finale For Red Bullet Tour In The U.S.

"What's good, Los Angeles?" shouted BTS leader, Rap Monster, after their opening set of the group's Red Bullet Tour in Los Angeles.

The crowd, some of whom had been waiting in line since early that morning, screamed their hearts out in excitement and anticipation. Even up to the last minute, fans were searching for tickets on Twitter and in person at Club Nokia, desperate to try to get into the sold out show. Los Angeles, being the final stop on the U.S. The Red Bullet Tour, would be A.R.M.Ys last chance to see BTS perform this particular concert stateside.

Echoing the seniments of their newest track, "Dope," off their most recent album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1, the BTS members have been working hard in the studio and the practice room to prepare for their world tour. The Los Angeles concert was clear evidence of that hard work, as they performed a staggering setlist of 24 songs, running the gamut of their usual hard-hitting, rock-inflected hip-hop songs, such as "Danger" and "N.O," to groovy pop tracks like "Miss Right" and "Blanket Kick," to even sweet ballads like "Just One Day."

To accompany BTS's powerful music, the stage at Club Nokia was outfitted with a large projection screen, with several smaller monitors arranged beneath a raised platform sporting stage spotlights. Their pre-recorded video segments were particularly clever, incorporating the usual dry pre-concert announcements and safety warnings into the storyline of a teacher instructing a class which is about to begin. As the teacher started calling out the names of the absent BTS members, the enthusiasm of the crowd began to rise and white globe lightsticks started waving in the darkened room.

As fog wafted across the stage, BTS emerged in dress uniforms to perform "N.O," "We Are Bulletproof pt. 2," "We On" and "Hip-Hop Lover," mixing in tumbling and hat tricks in with their regular choreography. Rap Monster shouldered most of the speaking in fluent English, joking with the crowd that while BTS would speak in English during the concert, the fans probably knew better Korean than he did. Though the excited fans made it hard to hear the individual introductions, with their enthusiastic cheering, the other BTS members showed little discomfort with the unfamiliar language.

Taking their jackets off and grabbing mic stands, they segued into an emotional ballad, "Rain," but quickly shed their pensive, brooding faces for "Blanket Kick," "Look Here" and "Propose." In stark contrast to their dark and wild style, their aegyo throughout this set highlighted a softer side to BTS, as they shot winks, hearts and cutesy finger points at A.R.M.Ys and chased each other around stage.

BTS seemed much more comfortable and relaxed as they reappeared after a video segment in more casual clothing for "No More Dream," "Tomorrow," "Miss Right" and "I Like It." They got to play more with the audience, encouraging them to sing along with the lyrics on the screen, helpfully displayed in both Korean and romanized Hangul. Jimin's infamous abs also made their appearance, adding to the flirty feeling of this set.

With "If I Ruled the World" and "Cypher 3: Killer," BTS moved into a sweet spot of high energy, with fans literally causing the floor to shake with their jumping, culminating in their strongest performances thus far of "War of Hormone" and "Danger." The biggest crowd engagement occurred during "I Need U." Shouting along to the narration without prompting, the audience reflected the desperate explosiveness of the lyrics and BTS' dancing perfectly. Though A.R.M.Ys had fumbled a little earlier with the tricky lyrics of "Miss Right," they put on an astounding performance of "Boy In Luv," rapping along with BTS to the quick verses.

Chants of "BTS! BTS!" filled the venue as fans waited for the encore. After a flashback video showing behind the scenes footage of BTS working and training, they performed their hidden track, "Road," evoking a sentimental mood. "Have I changed? Where will this road lead?" they crooned. They answered their own question through their encore set of "Dope," "Boyz With Fun" and "Attack on Bangtan." They will forever be hard-working guys, having fun and being bulletproof.

Winding up the night with a reprise of "I Need U," BTS disappeared in a shower of confetti. Still, fans left with the promise of their swift return. At the end of the video credits, a message appeared with "The Live Trilogy: Episode III is coming."

As part of their involvement with Community54 as brand models, BTS will be returning to North America for the Highlight 2015 tour, performing in San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta and Toronto later this year. 

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BTS LIVE TRILOGY EP. 2: THE RED BULLET
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