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One of the biggest highlights of the 2022 Grammy Awards for ARMYs and general audiences was BTS’s 007-inspired performance of “Butter.” Complete with a whispered conversation between V and Olivia Rodrigo, an insane magic trick with their jackets, and intense stage presence, the K-Pop supergroup also known as the Bangtan Boys brought the house down with their performance. Several major music websites and magazines such as Billboard listed the group as the number one performance of the night, in competition with powerful performances from megastars like Lady Gaga and John Legend.
However, BTS‘s Grammy performance is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to their most show-stopping acts. Throughout their nine years as a group, they have seen and conquered stages all over the globe and earned their fame in part because of their remarkable talent and strength for performance. For those who loved the Bangtan Boys’ suave performance of their hit song “Butter” at the Grammys, here are seven more impressive performances by the septet that are well worth a watch.
Exuding Charisma At The 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards
Jungkook casually descending from the ceiling at the Grammys is no new feat for the star slash daredevil, who started their 2016 MAMA performance mid-air. Suspended while lying on his back with a circular screen projecting feathers and lightning around him, Jungkook looks spell cast and caught in time. This is the beautifully eerie start to a powerful and captivating performance in which J-Hope and Jimin perform “Boy Meets Evil” and “Lie.” J-Hope’s impressive live performance of the difficult dance for “Boy Meets Evil” transitions to Jimin’s graceful and blindfolded dance for “Lie,” blowing away ARMYs in the concert hall and around the world.
After such an entrancing intro filled with dance, BTS begin their performance of “Blood, Sweat & Tears” to passionate fan chants echoing throughout the stadium. The Bangtan Boys prove the impact of their hit song with their coordinated dance moves and solid vocal performance, putting their all into creating a charismatic stage act. Overall, this performance is a great example of the group’s prowess in both performance and acting, as they effectively portray a darker and seductive concept for their “Blood, Sweat & Tears” era.
Map Of The Soul Medley At The 2019 Melon Music Awards
Get your snacks and ARMY bomb ready for this nearly forty-minute long performance during which BTS perform songs from their Map of the Soul: Persona album. After a flawless performance of “Intro: Persona” by RM, the group smoothly transitions from one of their older hits “Boy In Luv” to their 2019 chart-topper “Boy With Luv.” This progression of songs showcases both their growth as artists and how they draw inspiration from their older music. A brief VCR plays before their next stage, a celestial performance of “Mikrokosmos” that captures Bangtan in their own galaxy of stars and ARMY bomb lightsticks.
After getting sentimental with “Mikrokosmos,” BTS take the opportunity to highlight each of the members, with all of them either having their own solo dance performance or pivotal moment on stage. This seven-member sequence provides room for them to show off their stage presence while calling back to some of their songs like “Butterfly” and “Save Me.” Accompanied with each solo performance is a light that comes down until it reaches seven, making a sort of constellation over their performance made up of each of the members.
With that, BTS perform a powerful and fiery remix of “Dionysus” with an incredible dance break. Singing and dancing atop moving tables, the K-Pop group seamlessly works together to create a mesmerizing performance that makes them seem like real-life gods. Their 2019 MMAs performance gives everything one could ever want from a show in forty minutes, from dance breaks to beautiful vocals to showstopping production value.
Turning 2018 MAMA Japan Into A Concert
At the 2018 MAMAs in Japan, BTS brought the house down with a performance of their songs “Fake Love” and “Anpanman,” effectively demonstrating their duality as a group. Kicking off their performance with “Fake Love,” the group executes some sick choreography, with the members moving as if they are puppets being controlled by strings. This choreography, paired with the set and ambient lighting, set the perfect mood for their performance of a rock version of “Fake Love.” On top of this, the Bangtan Boys perform an incredible dance break in the middle of “Fake Love,” moving like marionettes in a way that’s so realistic it makes one wonder how it’s even possible for them to dance like that.
Then, after a brief VCR that portrays the message of taking one’s mask off to show one’s true self, BTS perform their upbeat hit “Anpanman.” “Anpanman” is a tonal shift from the mysterious and serious mood of “Fake Love,” with the members letting their goofy personalities shine through their interactive and fun performance. The group encourages the crowd to sing along with them at the end, with seemingly the entire stadium joining in to make their own concert. The duality of the performance from “Fake Love” to “Anpanman” effectively displays their range in sound and concept, with the group’s powerful performance and the voices of their fans showcasing how big the love between them and ARMYs is.
The Show Goes On At The 2020 MMAs
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, BTS continued to deliver high-quality content and performances for their fans via virtual means. When it came to award show season in 2020, the group’s performances were filmed in separate locations without large audiences. This was the case for their 2020 MMAs performance, during which they beautifully executed performances of “Black Swan,” “ON,” “Life Goes On,” and “Dynamite.” Their performance of “Black Swan” in particular is captivating and highlights how the boyband continues to pull off incredible performances despite the constraints of the pandemic.
BTS’s performance of “Life Goes On” is a touching display of their vocal prowess and stage presence even without their intricate choreography. Paired with video messages of enthusiastic ARMYs from all over the world, Bangtan uses their performance to reassert their love for their fan community and give words of hope. They then end things with a bang through a groovy performance of “Dynamite,” complete with a dance break that makes viewers want to dance along. Sadly, Suga could not be there for the group’s MMA performance, but they still made sure to honor his absence by keeping an empty place where he would be during their performances and singing along to his parts in the songs.
Dropping The Mic At The 2017 MAMAs
After winning their first grand prize at the 2016 MAMAs, BTS came back to the award show a year later with well-earned confidence in their music and performance skills. Starting with energetic performances of “Not Today” and “DNA,” the group quickly makes the stage their own while reflecting on some of their most successful songs of the year. In an unexpected but highly loved “Cypher 4” performance, the Bangtan rap line tells off the haters while asserting their love for themselves and their progress as a group. The rap trio’s presence on stage combined with the excellent delivery of their lines gets viewers hyped for what’s to come.
Quickly transitioning from their “Cypher 4” performance to “MIC Drop Remix,” BTS put their all into their performance through several new dance breaks. Those familiar with Bangtan’s concerts will know the “MIC Drop” dance break well, as the group performed the version on stage throughout their global tour the next year. However, this was the first-ever performance of the dance breaks and fans went wild, for very good reason. With a screen playing various graphics behind them, the group proves that they don’t need fancy production value or props to put on amazing performances, as they capture the stage by putting all of their energy into their dance and impressive live vocals.
A Not So Tiny Tiny Desk Concert In 2020
BTS’s Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music is an excellent display of the group’s strong vocals, with the group giving live performances of “Dynamite,” “Save Me,” and “Spring Day.” While the K-Pop group is well-known for their complex and in-sync choreography, their Tiny Desk Concert shone a light on their vocal capabilities. Starting with a live-band version of “Dynamite,” the band manages to set an exciting mood through their energetic singing and charismatic presence. Even as they focus on delivering flawless vocals, it seems the Bangtan Boys can’t help but dance to their song “Dynamite,” with some of the members jumping up to groove along.
After introducing themselves, BTS moved on to another energetic performance of “Save Me,” a fan favorite song of theirs that the general audience may not have heard before. Finally, the group performs their song “Spring Day” with the optimistic message that spring will come after all the hardships 2020 had brought at the time, sending a message of hope and love to their ARMY. “Spring Day” is a beautiful ode to loss and hope, and BTS performs the song with sincerity and grace. Overall, their Tiny Desk Concert leaves a lasting positive impression of their vocal skills and general good vibes as a group.
Celebrating Korean Culture At The 2018 MMAs
Among BTS’s many iconic and jaw-dropping performances, their 2018 MMAs performance stands out as one of their most epic acts to date. Beginning with a cool and mysterious dance intro featuring the seven members trapped like dolls or marionettes in individual cells, the group launches into a powerful performance of “Fake Love.” They then switch things up with a suave and catchy performance of “Airplane Pt. 2,” showing off their vocals and charm.
The performance comes to a head though in the latter half of the act. A heavy drum beat sounds through the stadium, and a red and blue screen lifts to reveal J-Hope standing with a group of other performers to do a traditional drum dance called “Samgo-Mu.” Barefoot and confined in a tight space, J-Hope performs an impressive and dynamic dance while his co-performers do a traditional drum dance around him.
The stage then smoothly transitions to Jimin doing a dance called “Buchaechum,” with the member gracefully using a fan to emphasize his dance movements, creating an entrancing movement on stage. Jimin then uses a cloth to gesture to Jungkook, starting the next phase of the performance. Jungkook does a “Talchum” or mask dance, using a cloth to emphasize his smooth and powerful dance moves while a group of masked performers dance around him and lift him on stage.
As if this wasn’t enough excitement for viewers, the stage then fills with musicians performing “IDOL” on traditional Korean instruments and Korean lion dancers. BTS then give a performance of “IDOL” filled with energy and power, with their ARMYs cheering them along with all their might. Overall, their 2018 MMA show is a truly remarkable performance by the group that best displays the group’s love for their Korean culture, music, and the stage.
BTS Make Every Stage Their Own
From 2013 until now, BTS have proved time and time again that they know how to put on amazing performances. The “Butter” performance at the 2022 Grammys is the most recent display of the group’s talent on stage and shows that they can make any stage their own. The K-Pop septet has performed on countless stages and has left an impression on each one, making it hard to choose just a single favorite performance of theirs. One thing for sure with BTS is that they will always put their all into giving an incredible performance for their fans, and the music scene is all the better because of it.
