Ok I’ll admit that as a 50+ year old guy, I’m a big fan of BTS for so many different reasons. Even though they were big time already with their massive concerts and being on Ellen or Kimmel et al, I finally think last night was the night that mainstream America found out about BTS. Not since the Beatles since we’ve seen this type of obsession. When you are front page news on CNN, that’s saying something.
The crushed it with both of their songs, one a new one that they did a collaboration with Halsey on (she wasn’t on the SNL performance though) and one their older best songs Mic Drop, a good choice for an American audience.
I wished there was more a forum where everyone could participate since BTS is more in the domain of 14-25 year olds, but I guess this will do for now.
I enjoyed their performances last night, too. Their energy is contagious. I’m not sure the SNL audience has ever screamed so loudly for a musical guest before.
OMG, I only lurk here but had to comment on this thread. I am 50 + and love these guys. Mother of a 20 year old who got me interested many years ago for various reasons. I know their music literally saved her life. It’s the message. We have seen them 4x in concert. They smashed it last night. Yes Beatles for sure. Upcoming stadium tour soon.
Okay, time to confess here. I’ve been a KPop fans for a decade, and I’m so happy to see the way it continues to globally permeate. BTS is indeed phenomenal! I’m not even “a Stan,” but I know them all by face and name. I love RM (formerly “Rap Mon”). The boy is hella smart (I.Q. 148!), and his fluent English is largely self-taught. Plus, who can resist those dimples? Jimin and Cookie round out my top favorites, but they are all pretty amazing. I just realized that I really do sound like a Stan… I have fond memories of seeing them perform live at KCON 2016. I’ve never heard such fan girl screaming in all my life! I should have brought earplugs.
I say I’m not “a Stan,” because my ultimate bias group will always be SHINee, even though their heyday has past. Now, they’re a group whose music literally saved me, which is why when Jonghyun killed himself in Dec. of 2017, It helped plunge me into a depression as deep as any I’d ever experienced (and I’ve suffered bouts of clinical depression virtually my entire life). I’m so glad the other members have managed to pull themselves together following Jong’s death, and continue. Other KPop groups whom I love are, EXO, VIXX, RedVelvet, and BlackPink.
I actually started self-studying Korean because of my love for SHINee and Kdramas. If anyone chooses to call me a “Koreaboo,” it’s okay. I’ll just refuse to be insulted by their ignorance.
Now I feel badly that I fell asleep before the opening monologue… I will have to look up a K-pop group that my contemporaries in the 50+ bracket enjoy.
We DVR SNL and usually watch for music and/or host. We only saw one song last night, great dancing! I was excited for recent music, Tame Impala on with Sandra Oh. I even rewatched and turned the volume up yesterday. But I listen to Alt Nation on Sirius so I’m usually not too familiar with pop music.
Techmom, I doubt most of us 50+ will admit to being KPop enthusiasts. It’s largely in the purview of those aged teens to mid-thirties. My D discovered KPop in college when some girls on her hall introduced her to SuperJunior, and that’s how it entered my radar. It’s just a fun music genre that can be amazingly good. Newer music by Super Junior and TVXQ is definitely worth a listen.
I love the older songs by the two - Super Junior’s “U” song is one of the great songs of all time and likewise Mirotic from TVXQ.
Just to tie BTS back to this academic forum, RM (originally “Rap Monster”) had scores in the top 1% in his college placement exams in Korea, which equates to 1500+ SAT scores in the US. You can watch his brain in action solving ridiculously crazy logic puzzles with ease on YouTube on the Korean TV show Problematic Men. And he’s an example that with enough work, you can speak English with an American accent without ever living here. Actually, quite a few very high IQ and accomplished singers in groups in Korea - Hani from the girl group EXID, Wendy from Red Velvet, Suho from EXO, and KyuHyun from Super Junior, all probably could have gotten into Ivy League schools. Park Kyung from Block B has an IQ of 156 and was a math prodigy.
I’ll typically watch SNL and I watched last night. I’ve never heard of BTS before last night. My teenager at home knows of them, but not a fan. Not my kind of music genre either. They’re very good dancers and choreography though.
I’ll hold off on any Beatles comparisons. They remind me of One Direction, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, etc. But I wish them success.
@ChoatieMom that’s almost exactly word for word what Jimmy Kimmel said in one his Behind The Scenes videos of his late night show 2 years ago before BTS came on the show to do a performance.
@sushiritto The Beatles reference isn’t by me, it’s been stated so many times over the last year in the media and again by CNN yesterday. Last September when I brought my wife and her niece to see their concert in Oakland, the lines started forming 5 days prior to the show. Same with yesterday’s SNL performance. Back 2 years ago when they came to LAX for the Billboard Music Awards and they were flying commercial back then, there were thousands that flooded the airport to get a glimpse of them. Like the Beatles, they have graduated from the One Direction/N’sync stereotypes, into having very strong social issues awareness in their songs that affect a lot of people.
Sometimes the music gets loud cheers when the skits tank. It’s a function of awakening the audience; result of an impulse to cheer primed by anticipation of the show. Apparently SNL writers were so fatigued from last season’s stellar performance that they were allowed a vacation through this season. Sometimes one or two get lonely and homesick so they allow them on the set to help with the cold opening, but only sporadically.
I’m not even a Beatles fan, but they had seventeen (17) #1 songs. I just checked the Billboard 100, BTS isn’t there. I’ll wait for now before I compare them to anyone but other boy bands.
And for reference I listen to Spotify, Top Hits, Rap Caviar, Alternative, etc. I actually don’t even like “older” music.
Linking this topic back to academia, watch this video of a Sociology 119 lecture at Penn State last Fall, September 2018 (wow they have huge lecture sections too). It’s a very interesting video on the state of American lack of knowledge of the international world, as it pertains to BTS. A very interesting 5 minute bit.
Wow, ProfessorPlum! I literally just stumbled upon the SOC 119 YouTube channel yesterday, and spent 2 hrs. watching this amazing Sociology survey course out of Cal State. I’ve subscribed so I can see new ones whenever they’re uploaded (which is apparently pretty often). The Prof. Insists that the “future is Asian” (Chinese and Indian in particular). Agree with him or not, he runs a pretty lively and thought-provoking class. He challenges a lot of assumptions and paradigms. I highly recommend these vids.
Defiinitely exciting to watch, but I can’t imagine listening to the songs without the visual. IMO, the only thing they have in common with The Beatles are their screaming fans.
I still haven’t finished watching last night’s SNL (waiting for hubby to finish doing our taxes so we can watch together). But funny about BTS… I still don’t know that much about them except that there’s an entire store in Times Square devoted to merch from their “line friends” emojis. When hubby and I chaperoned a choir trip a couple of weeks ago we got roped into taking a couple of teens into that shop who were mega fans. I have a pic now of the two of us by one of the enormous stuffed animal characters.