BTS released BTS Dinner Party 2.0 on the Bangtan TV YouTube channel on June 11 as part of their 13th debut anniversary celebration. Throughout the conversation, BTS repeatedly talked about how impressed they were by ARMY's welcome as they returned to the stage during their world tour. Jin shared: “For me, the moment I get the biggest chills during concerts is when ARMY sings ‘Arirang’ together no matter what country we're in.” Jimin agreed: “That really does make you emotional. I liked seeing them enjoying it a lot more compared to before.”
Jungkook, meanwhile, specifically mentioned the au∂ιєnce in נαραи: “Oh, and Tokyo ARMY really got a lot better at having fun. They were seriously having so much fun.” V commented: “נαραи feels really different now from when we performed there before,” while Jimin added: “You could really feel how much they missed us.” However, what Jungkook loved the most was soмєтнing else: “One thing I really loved was that they didn't hold up their phones!”
Then, j-hope immediately agreed, saying: “There were no phones at all there.” However, SUGA added a different perspective: “But that too, when I watched other artists' shows in נαραи people all had phones.” From there, the conversation quickly shifted to what Jungkook called an “issue” at BTS concerts: many fans spend a large portion of the show filming with their phones instead of fully immersing themselves in the performance.
In fact, BTS concerts at Tokyo Dome have very strict rules regarding the use of mobile phones and cameras. If a fan is caught recording or taking photos without permission, they can be asked to leave the stadium immediately. As a result, most fans simply focus on cheering and enjoying the atmosphere with their own eyes. In contrast, in many other countries—especially in South кσяєα and at venues in the United States such as Stanford—the large number of fans holding up their phones to record has become a noticeable issue. On several occasions, the BTS members have even directly encouraged the au∂ιєnce to put their phones down so they could sing along and enjoy the moment together.
For example, on the first night in Stanford, after performing a few opening songs, Jungkook told the au∂ιєnce: “I see a lot of phones right now. We came all the way here to see your face!” On the second night, before performing “Butter,” RM also candidly shared: “For those who are just looking at their phones and not singing along with us, maybe you don't know any songs, but now you've got to sing with us.”
Regarding this topic, V υиєχρє¢тє∂ly brought up a recent interview with Billie Eilish: “Billie Eilish recently did an interview.” Jin immediately asked curiously: “What did she say? I'm so curious.” V replied: “I mean, she has a point too,” but he could not remember exactly what she had said. The person who clarified everything was j-hope, who recalled Billie Eilish's viewpoint: “Holding up their phones and filming is part of how they enjoy concerts,” prompting Jin to nod in understanding immediately.
RM then shared his own interpretation of what Billie meant: “I get what she means. I don't think it's really our place to tell people to put them down or not.” SUGA then offered his own perspective: “I think it depends on the country. Some people hold their phones up but still jump around and have fun.” His opinion quickly received agreement from the other members.
Jungkook continued by giving another interesting example: “But there are people like this too. They'll be filming and when it's time to really have fun they put their phones down, ‘Ah!’ and they'll enjoy the moment then they hold it up again.” Meanwhile, Jimin explained what BTS has always wanted most: “We're saying this because we want them to take things in with their own eyes and feel happy on that day.” In other words, when the group asks fans to put their phones down during concerts, they are not trying to ban filming. Rather, they simply hope fans will not experience the concert only through their phone screens, but will instead directly feel the emotions of the moment with their own eyes.
Even so, Jungkook quickly showed that he understands ARMY's perspective as well, saying: “Also, it becomes their own unique video.” Those clips become unique and personal memories for each fan after the concert ends. Right afterward, V wrapped up the discussion with a conclusion: “This is all because the seven of us are working together again after so long. These thoughts come up since we're working together again.”
After hearing BTS discuss this topic, fans also shared their own opinions, commenting: "I guess it's not about the usage of phones, but how it is used throughout the concert. When you watch the whole set through your screen, you’re breaking that connection and that will make the artist feel alienated", "there’s pros and cons but honestly but putting phone down really brings better memory", "it’s about memories but let me tell you for a month I didn’t remember a single second of my skz concert so the videos helped", "I really hope everyone puts their phones down and just lives in the moment with BTS", "At least sing along or show some excitement instead of standing there like a statue with phone",...
