After setting мєχι¢σ City ablaze and drawing more than 150,000 fans to Estadio GNP Seguros, BTS headed to Stanford this week to continue meeting around 50,000 concertgoers each night during their three consecutive shows there. The scale of excitement surrounding the tour has been so mαѕѕive that the city’s transportation system began preparing early for the enormous influx of attendees. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) even announced on its official social media account that it would operate additional special bus routes to accommodate fans attending the concerts.
Meanwhile, just ahead of the Stanford concerts, Jungkook also appeared in Harper's Bazaar and shared his special feelings about the group’s world tour restarting after nearly four years. The idol explained that rather than feeling overwhelmed by pressure, he was instead incredibly excited to reunite with fans around the world. Jungkook described the feeling of standing on stage as “stepping into another world for a brief moment,” while also admitting that he had been losing sleep because he was looking forward to these concerts so much.
Not only that, but the 1997-born singer also emphasized: "I feel most like myself when I'm singing, dancing, and hearing the cheers of the crowd on stage. In fact, when my throat aches and I'm drenched in sweat, that's when I feel the most alive."
That may also explain why, after a few opening performances today, Jungkook seemed slightly “disappointed” when he noticed some fans not fully immersing themselves in the concert because they were too focused on their phones, prompting him to “lightly call them out” shortly afterward!
Specifically, during a talk segment with fans midway through the concert, Jungkook suddenly looked down at the crowd and burst into laughter after noticing countless phones being held up recording the show. Pointing toward the au∂ιєnce, the idol jokingly said, “I see a lot of phones right now,” wearing an expression that was half playful and half like he had just “caught” the crowd in the act. Right after that, he continued in an adorably sulky tone: “We came all the way here to see your face!”
The moment quickly sent the entire stadium into an uproar because of Jungkook’s reaction, which was both cute and sincere. Although he did not sound harsh or irritated at all, the message he wanted to convey was extremely clear: rather than seeing fans endlessly filming through their phone screens and мιѕѕιиg out on the live atmosphere, BTS hopes for genuine two-way interaction and wants to see fans’ real emotions.
Notably, after Jungkook’s reminder, many ARMYs immediately and voluntarily lowered their phones to fully immerse themselves in the concert. Some TikTok livestreams with thousands of viewers were even shut off shortly afterward, showing fans’ respect for the artist’s wishes.
In reality, ARMYs using their phones to record or livestream concerts is soмєтнing common not only at BTS concerts but at live shows in general. This also was not the first time BTS had addressed the issue with fans. For example, during the group’s second night in El Paso, the number of au∂ιєnce members constantly holding up phones became so overwhelming that V commented, “I see a lot of phones right now.” Shortly afterward, Jimin gently added, “ARMY, let’s put it away and enjoy this moment together.”
There can be many reasons why people use their phones so much at concerts. Some come from positive intentions, such as wanting to preserve precious memories, while others may stem from less genuine motives like chasing online attention. However, what many fans find admirable is that most true ARMYs will naturally put their phones down once they realize things are becoming excessive. Fans have also been encouraging other lucky concert attendees to try experiencing the show fully without being distracted by their phones, saying the feeling is truly different and also honors the effort BTS pours into the performance.
As the video of Jungkook quickly went viral across social media, many online viewers also reacted: "He wasn’t even mad, just genuinely wanted to connect with ARMYs", "oh my god jungkook is the cutest fksjdksj, and he said right, you guys should really enjoy the whole concert by yourself at that moment", "Honestly, concerts feel way better when you stop recording everything", "Jungkook looked so soft and slightly pouty when he said that", "He’s right though. You paid to experience BTS live, not through a screen", "BTS always wants real interaction with fans and that’s why their concerts feel special", "You can tell Jungkook truly treasures these moments with ARMY",...
