Photo: BIGHIT MUSIC
BTShas had plenty of record-breaking firsts as a group, butSugajust checked off one of his own: first member to embark on a U.S. solo tour.
The rapper, 30, who introduced himself on stage atUBS Arenain Elmont, New York, Wednesday and Thursday nights as Suga; his alternate moniker, Agust D; and his birth name, Yoongi; performed songs that represent all three personas, including from his two mixtapes and one official album, the just-releasedD-Day.
Fans who thought theGrammy-nominatedK-pop star, who’s often characterized as the most subdued or serious member of the group, may take a more reserved approach to his show were met instead with a full-force, BTS-level spectacle: artful set pieces, cinematic videos and every special effect that’s safe to use in an arena.
Thankfully, the music revives the rapper and he launches into “Haegeum,” the powerful, pounding single offD-Day,before running through “Daechwita” from his second mixtape, and “Agust D” and “give it to me,” off his first.
The shape-shifting set was a surprise to even the most dedicated BTS fans, known collectively as “Army,” because, unlike the group’s Permission to Dance On Stage concert, which was first performed in (and streamed from) South Korea, this was D-Days' true debut.
Army’s cheers hit a fever pitch during the medley of Suga’s iconic verses in some fan-favorite BTS rap line songs: “Cypher PT.3 : KILLER,” “Cypher 4,” “UGH!,” and “Ddaeng,” and his new collaboration with member J-Hope, “HuH?!”
BIGHIT MUSIC
By the end of the show, the performer was isolated on a single segment of the stage with flames licking the bottom for a scorching performance of “Amygdala.” Suga previously shared that the song is intended as the final piece of a trilogy of music videos (following “Daechwita” and “Haegeum”) that reveals the origin of Agust D’s famous eye scar, as well as offering a rare and raw glimpse of some of the rapper’s most personal battles.
His willingness to address the stigma around issues like mental health has earned Suga Army’s deep devotion, and he put that on display in front of a sold-out crowd for two nights at UBS and another at Newark’s Prudential Center on Saturday.
During his set, he spoke about the evolution of his solo music, from the anger and the urge to prove himself to BTS’s critics he felt in his teens and early 20s, to how he’s faced down his demons to find the self-assured artist he is today at 30.
Suga is the fourth member of BTS — which also includes RM, 28, Jin, 30, J-Hope, 29, Jimin, 27, V, 27, and Jungkook, 25 — to turn out a full solo album sincethe group announced last year that they’d be focussing on solo projectsand continuing some group activities as the members fulfill South Korea’s mandatory military service.
Suga gave them all a heartfelt shout-out from stage each night, saying it felt a little lonely up there without them, and heralding that they’d be back together soon. In Newark, he got a little closer to that dream, with his “brother” Jimin making a surprise appearance in the crowd and sending fans into a frenzy before Suga jokingly had to call attention back to the stage, smiling and saying “Focus on me. This is my concert, you know.”
source: people.com
