#BTSxCorden - Charlie Murray

The Late Late Show with James Corden

#BTSxCorden: BTS on The Late Late Show: A Review

By

Charlie Murray

I now know what Namjoon meant at the Grammy's when he said this new comeback was "harder". We have come to expect incredible things with BTS, but after setting my alarm for 5:15am (European ARMYs, how US time zones make us suffer) and seeing a barrage of dizzying claims such as “ASHTON KUTCHER CARRIED JIN OVER HIS SHOULDER!”, “JUNGKOOK’S TOP IS SEE-THROUGH” and “THEY DANCED BAREFOOT” on my Twitter timeline, I, well and truly felt delirious and not ready for what I was about to witness.

We were teased at the start with James Corden slipping BTS references into his recap of the news, and after patiently waiting to see our boys; there they were on the sofa. I have to give a special acknowledgement for the boys’ English, I can see how much studying the boys have been doing behind the scenes, as Namjoon encouraged the members to listen to and answer the questions in English as opposed to translating for them. 


There were no collaboration questions; Corden made the boys feel comfortable with his welcoming attitude towards them, as confirmed by Hoseok and Taehyung in the Vlive after the show. The game of hide-and-seek also made the language barrier no issue as it was an easy game that felt like an extra episode of Run BTS. I practically felt the rush of serotonin through me as the boys hid around the studio with hilarious results, disguised as cameramen and sound operators. And yes, Seokjin’s stunned reaction to Ashton carrying him over his shoulder after finding him to bring him to the stage was brilliant TV.


However, the main event of the night - and the reason why I was willing to wake up at a ridiculous hour just to see it live - was the very first televised performance of Black Swan. I held my phone very close to my face as I stared and attempted to digest just what was happening. This was ARMY’s first ever viewing of a brand new choreography to set the stage (literally) for a new era - I was not going to miss a frame of it. I am not sure where to start as it was overall such a fresh and unique performance for BTS. It had aspects of what appeared to be contemporary dance, which of course meant that Jimin shone. His solo dance part was a highlight, as his stage presence is always obviously captivating but seeing him in his element with those fluid moves felt like such a privilege. Jungkook and Yoongi had moments together, as did Yoongi and Hoseok, and overall the members were so ridiculously in-sync that I could hardly comprehend it. It was perfection, through-and-through. They clearly practiced even more than we know, and their meticulously-timed movements were so pleasing to watch.


Certain movements, such as the hands on ears and the outspread legs, reminded me of Blood, Sweat and Tears, while the sheer black outfits and the outstretched hands reminded me of Fake Love. This performance told me that fans of darker concepts like Tear and Wings will greatly enjoy the Map of the Soul: 7 era. The gorgeous backdrop of the forest and the lake made me feel quite fortunate that the first televised performance of Black Swan was here, on their own beautiful set, with very good camerawork that did not once pan to the audience, on a show that respects them.

As the Black Swan studio version uses certain autotune techniques, hearing the live vocals was also wonderful. Their mics were on and turned up (obviously - they never differ from professionalism) and the vocals were crisp, clear and clean. With that complex choreography, it still astounds me how BTS manage to achieve such stability live, especially at a probably incredibly nerve-wracking performance as it was their first time showcasing this song live.


Watching the show, laughing and gasping at it, following other fans’ reactions online, all gave me such a buzz that I admit I did not want to go just go back to sleep afterwards (although I needed to nap as I had woken up very early and probably needed more sleep before my classes). However, I eventually managed to drift back to sleep, happy in the knowledge that even after all this, we still have the carpool karaoke to look forward to (according to ARMY who were in the studio audience). The show ended occupying many of the top worldwide trends, from intentionally-trended hashtags to phrases that simply caught ARMY off guard, such as Taehyung’s “Never Better!”.

Overall, the Corden appearance was even more uplifting and mesmerising than I thought it would be, and it gave me happy feelings for the rest of the day. I would like to thank James Corden for making BTS feel so comfortable on this highly-anticipated episode.

Comments

Popular Posts