Burn the Stage: A review

BTS: Burn The Stage

by

Michayla

I can’t talk about the movie without mentioning the two adverts at the beginning, one for BT21 which got loads of cheers for each character and one for the version 3 lightstick which took me back to the O2 with ‘So What’ playing.

Burn The Stage is a documentary and I was on a complete rollercoaster of emotions throughout. Each concert is dated and we saw their preparations for the performance, from testing the stage floor lifts, soundcheck with the microphones and motivational talks. It was the chats between members just before going on stage that surprised me the most as they went over songs that were included in the set list for that performance or a quick reminder of dance moves. We know how much time is dedicated to rehearsing and perfecting their performances so to see the last minute reminders was like cramming before an important exam.

After their concerts we were able to see how they celebrated and thanked the crew for all their hard work. Namjoon said that all BTS did was sing and dance but the real hard work was done by the crew. They ate and toasted the crew and each other which I thought was lovely to see. The physical strain on the 7 members was evident when we were shown how exhausted they were during a show, ice packs being applied in an effort to cool them down and how they worried about each other. I personally found this really difficult to watch. I felt guilty for loving them and enjoying the concerts, always desperate to see them live again but knowing what they put themselves through for us was so tough to see.

There were lots of humorous moments throughout that made me laugh. Seeing Jin with the personal trainer, laying on the floor, telling jokes was hilarious. The funniest part was the pool party while they were in Los Angeles. Seeing them clean tables, set the drinks and food out while cooking a BBQ, almost in their own BTS bubble was great to see. They messed around, danced, played music and acted as any group of young men would do. When J-Hope had a plate of food that he had covered in sauce and said: ‘When have we ever cared how food looks?’ it was such a ‘normal’ comment and it dawned on me that so many celebrities lose themselves because of fame, yet here were 7 normal guys, showing us that away from the stage, they are just like us.

Burn The Stage showed us so much and I feel it really gave us an insight as to who they are. So many natural and hard hitting moments especially when we saw how upset Jimin was because he had made a mistake during the practice of Lie. Seeing how the other members consoled him, by giving him words of encouragement and pushing him on was lovely to see. They have had to accept that they will make mistakes and said that in the early days they would hang their heads in those situations but now when they hang their heads they see their fans and they see that ARMYs tell them to hold their heads high and because of that support and love they are so grateful.

So many things stood out for me during Burn the Stage, most of which I felt or knew already but was certainly confirmed. The leadership the members have in Namjoon is priceless. His words of wisdom, encouragement and motivational speeches are often what binds them together but he doesn’t extend this to himself because it was during his interview at the end that he said he had questioned whether he was deserving of the love ARMYs showed him. I would hope that all ARMYs felt as I did in that I hope one day Namjoon can believe and feel that he is extremely deserving of it.

Burn the Stage showed us old footage from 2013 and we could see exactly how far they have come. To see and hear their dreams in 2013 and know they have achieved them one by one and are still hoping and dreaming, was amazing. They have never forgotten that ARMYs are behind them and by their side throughout their journey and continue to support and love them.

The movie showed us so many sides of BTS… 7 individuals that have come together to form as one but also, as individuals they still have their own personal dreams which they support each other in. These 7 guys work tirelessly, pushing themselves to the limit, learn bits of different languages to repay fans for trying to understand Korean lyrics, manage somehow to have fun and cherish those moments in what is essentially quite a lonely existence.

I was left feeling a thousand emotions but also feeling that I wished they had included one complete performance. We heard parts of songs in snippets of stage performances but I craved just one full performance which didn’t happen, which I felt was a shame. I laughed, smiled, nodded in agreement, frowned, shook my head in sadness and cried during Burn the Stage and I didn’t think it was possible to be any more in love with them… but I am.

One question that was asked… What is BTS?

Namjoon said it was too complicated to answer… what do you think?