Arirang World Tour Stanford Day 3

Shoutout to my cousin who texted me in the middle of my work day about getting tickets for the world tour. I was shocked, shaking in my boots and vibrating in my seat. In no universe would I ever decline tickets to see BTS, a group I have been supporting since high school. It's been 10 years since I have discovered their music and kind hearts. Although I would not have been able to watch them back then anyway, I was still bummed to hear the news about their last tour being canceled. I feel that the Arirang World Tour was do-over for BTS and ARMY. (As a fun little fact: this was actually my first concert ever. Everyone I know has said "Wow your standards must be so high now." Thanks! They always have been.)

Tuesday, May 19

The above picture is the view from seats in the 220s. I was extremely grateful to sit here because of the walkway being basically right in front of me. There was about 20 minutes left before the concert would begin, and the sun was still out. I heard the boys thought it was weird LMAO. Sorry, that's just how summer is.

I was also given a lightstick to borrow! The friend we borrowed it from also shares the same bias: SUGA. It took us a bit to figure out how to enable concert mode on this older model. Solution: The switch should go up instead of down.

Intermission

My thoughts during intermission was an endless string of "wow so pretty omg oooo these vfx look so nice wow I'm so happy to be here omg these lights are so pretty oh damn I think my feet hurt." I also want to write a few words appreciating the dancers accompanying BTS. Of course we spend our time and money to see Bangtan, and the stage is certainly impressive, but I think everyone else performing on that stage should also be recognized for completing the vision of what we all believe is a "BTS performance." I wish all performers on this stage remain healthy and may they be booked and busy.

My reactions to the surprise songs: shocked pikachu dot png. Absolutely devastated that Spring Day was already out for consideration but! I lost my mind for I Need U and No More Dream. Fuck it, I still won. Bless up, Stanford.

It was only during the ments did I realize: "Oh shit, it's ending." It was very bittersweet, but I am still happy to watch and listen to them speak in person. His comment on the prices of houses also made me laugh. We are so fucking cooked when a rich person essentially tells us "Damn, y'all live like this."

I cried during Into The Sun. It's an extremely good song to end with. Leaving the venue with ARMY felt like organized chaos. I was surprised to not feel as drained during the walk back towards the car. I am a highly introverted person, so I was worried that I was gonna start Feeling Weird at any point during the day. The only weirdness I had going on was having a headache that was 100% my fault for forgetting to drink water.

Wednesday, May 20

Post-concert depression is real. I doubted everyone and got my ass handed to me. Although my cousin and I were in sync, we both wanted 1) soup and 2) Korean food. It just made sense, yknow? So we decided on Hwa Mi Won for lunch. I ordered kkori (oxtail) seolleong-tang for myself. The whole table shared some galbi jjim. Rating: Would eat again out of 10.

Home

At Hwa Mi Won, we prepare our broth fresh every day, crafting Seolleong-tang and Galbi-tang with care. Experience a clean, rich taste in every bowl.

Thursday, May 21

Thursday was when things started to slow down and be less exciting. I was completely okay with this because again, my energy levels are already in hell to begin with. We had brunch at Peacock Pansy.

Friday, May 22

And that's a wrap for my visit back home coinciding with Arirang World Tour. Enjoy this view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Lands End.