7 Things We’re Looking Forward to Seeing at BTS’ ‘Map of the Soul ON:E’

We’re just hours away from global superstars BTS’ first major online concert, ‘Map of the Soul ON:E’, and social media is buzzing with excitement. The hashtag #MapOfTheSoulOne is already a major trend on Twitter as fans discuss what they’re looking forward to seeing at the show. According to a press release from the group’s label Big Hit Entertainment, the two-day concert extravaganza will present a set spanning around two hours each day. Day One’s show will begin at 3:30 pm IST on Saturday, October 10th and Day Two will begin at 12:00 pm IST on Sunday, October 11th and will stream in 4K resolution, AR and XR, via Weverse. Fans will also be able to enjoy “multi-view live streaming” that displays six multi-view screens, from which they can select their favorite one.

This will be BTS’ first concert of 2020–outside of the smaller scale ‘Bang Bang Con: The Live’ in June–and while both the group and their fandom ARMY were terribly disappointed about not being able to see each other in person due to the cancellation of the ‘Map of the Soul Tour,’ everyone is determined to have a great time for its online version.Big Hit Entertainment stated, “We have prepared never-before-seen stages and various setlists for fans who must have felt disappointed by the cancellation of offline concerts due to COVID-19. Some songs will also be given variations across the two days. We hope you look forward to ‘BTS Map of the Soul ON:E.’”

‘Map of the Soul ON:E’ will be the first time we will see the group’s magnum opus studio album Map of the Soul: 7 performed live, so this weekend will definitely break some records and make its mark in history. From the setlist to costumes, production and surprise stages, here are a few things we hope to see during the global superstars’ first major online concert.

The set list + surprise performances

BTS perform “Dynamite” at the 2020 MTV VMAs

We know that BTS will perform the entirety of Map of the Soul: 7, but we’re also wondering if we’ll see any surprise additions to the set list that aren’t on the album–it’s safe to assume we’ll get a glorious rendition of their Billboard Number One single “Dynamite,” but we were wondering if there are any other tracks from past albums (or perhaps even the upcoming album BE) that the group might treat us to.

The production, costumes and stages

BTS perform “Dionysus” at Wembley Stadium in 2019. Photo: Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment

BTS always outdo themselves with each tour they embark upon, especially when it comes to the scale of their stage production. After witnessing the incredible set up for ‘Love Yourself: The Final’ last year, we’re sure the septet and their label Big Hit Entertainment have something special in store this weekend; especially since ‘Map of the Soul ON:E’ allegedly involved eight times more the production cost than ‘Bang Bang Con: The Live.’ We’re also looking forward to what the members will be wearing–new hair colors, makeup, extravagant group and individual costumes are all sure to add to the visual feast.

“ON” concert version

The concert version of “ON” will most likely knock our socks off

Considering almost every performance of this track has been stupendous (check out the version they did at New York’s Grand Central Terminal earlier this year), we can’t wait to see BTS’ vision of what it should look like in concert!

Interactions between BTS and ARMY

BTS and ARMY haven’t seen each other in-person all year because of the pandemic. Photo: Courtesy of BigHit Entertainment

One of the best things about attending a BTS concert is the heartwarming speeches from the group. Each member speaks to the audience during the show and shares their thoughts and feelings about the performances. It’s something both BTS and ARMY have missed dearly and even if we aren’t there in person, the emotions will be running high–on both sides. With ARMY bombs synced up on our end, and Big Hit Entertainment allegedly setting up a tiny horde of ARMY bombs to emulate an audience for BTS to see on their side, it’s already building up to be an experience like no other. Also we’re sure “We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal” will have us in shambles.

The debut of the solo stages

D-4♡#JIMIN#보고싶습니다_아미 pic.twitter.com/G1siV47tM2

— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) October 6, 2020

‘Map of the Soul ON:E’ will mark the first time we see BTS’ solo tracks from Map of the Soul: 7 being performed live, and we’re sure each of the members had a unique vision for their tracks that they are looking forward to bring to life. Solo tracks on the album include RM’s “Persona,” Jin’s “Moon,” Suga’s “Interlude: Shadow,” J-Hope’s “Outro: Ego,” V’s “Inner Child,” Jimin’s “Filter” and Jungkook’s “My Time.” We’re eagerly anticipating what the choreography, costumes and stage set up will look like for each track. The members have been dropping solo images of themselves this week as a countdown to the event and Jimin shared an image of him seemingly performing solo–perhaps sharing a tiny glimpse of “Filter”?

Amped-up sub-unit stages

V and Jimin perform their song “Friends” at Bang Bang Con: The Live. Photo: Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment

We did get treated to sub-unit performances during ‘Bang Bang Con: The Live,’ but we’re predicting BTS will up the ante for ‘Map of the Soul ON:E.’ RM and Suga’s “Respect,” Jimin and V’s “Friends,” the hip-hop unit’s “UGH!” and the vocal unit’s “00:00 (Zero O’Clock)” will most likely be bigger and better in scale, perhaps with added choreography or live instrumental performances.

Agust D, the Wildcard

Agust D in the music video for “Daechwita”

This one’s more of a prayer than a prediction, but that won’t stop us from dreaming! It’s possible SUGA may not bring out his alter-ego Agust D at all–we’ve only seen him emerge once before during BTS’ third muster in 2016 to perform “Tony Montana” with Jimin–but we can always hope he’ll surprise us with a fiery live rendition of the viral hit “Daechwita.”