 |
| Concert director Kim Sang-wook / Courtesy of Kim Sang-wook |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Two enormous inflatable leopards, standing against a backdrop of Greek-style pillars, roared and "welcomed" the audience during the 2019 stadium concerts of K-pop juggernaut BTS. The majestic cats literally stole the scene for the intro into "Dionysus" ― the band's first song on the set list ― until the seven members popped up on stage and opened the show.
The leopard idea was the brainchild of concert director Kim Sang-wook (Kevin Kim) and his team. Knowing that BTS's party anthem, "Dionysus," came from the Greek god of wine who is frequently shown riding leopards, they brought life to these animals and realized the "return of the god" on stage.
 |
| In this Oct. 11, 2019, file photo, a giant inflatable leopard appears on stage during BTS's concert in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment |
There was more. Kim and his co-workers also created a fairy tale-like scene by putting member Jimin inside a giant plastic bubble filled with beautiful white flowers when he was performing his solo number, "Serendipity." Another member Jungkook was flown over fans with a support harness during the performance of "Euphoria." All these elements took the "LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF" tour to the next level and, thanks to this globe-trotting journey, which attracted audiences of more than 2 million in 23 cities, BTS nabbed the Tour of the Year award at the American Music Awards in 2019.
 |
| In this Oct. 29, 2019, file photo, Jungkook takes a lift during his performance for his solo track "Euphoria" at BTS's concert in Seoul. Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment |
"It was the first time for a K-pop act to play such large-scale concerts around the world, so the workload back then was unbelievably heavy," he said during a recent interview with The Korea Times in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. "One of the most demanding things was to think beyond imagination to make every performance live up to its reputation. My co-workers and I combed through YouTube and Google for reference and racked our brains to come up with something fresh, such as the inflatable leopards and the plastic bubble."
He added, "There were heart-breaking moments, too. Numerous people from different areas were involved in this big project, but we had insufficient time to communicate closely. This sometimes resulted in conflicts, in which some of us exchanged some harsh words."
 |
| Kim Sang-wook, the founder of the concert production company PLAN A / Courtesy of Kim Sang-wook |
"We first talk about the overall concept of the event with the artists and their management companies and then make a project proposal, considering the size of the venue," he said. "Next, we discuss how we will design the stage and set list. In particular, when it comes to the set list, we have to take a lot of things into consideration ― for instance, we should not let the singers perform powerful dance tracks for 15 minutes straight because this can be physically strenuous for them. The set list should also have a smooth flow and a storyline."
After these steps, the producers have to search for the elements that can make the performances stand out. Once they are done, they need to contact experts in diverse fields ― such as in the areas of lighting, costumes and special effects ― who can bring them to life. All of the tasks require the utmost delicacy, Kim said.
"In the case of the leopards, we had to decide on their color and size, among many other factors, before getting hold of experts who could actually make them. For Jungkook's lift, we first had to figure out where we could get the lift and then hired engineers to decide how long the singer would fly and where he should take off and land. After all this was done, we had rehearsals."
When directing a concert, Kim puts emphasis on narration. Although concert directors and producers are not usually asked to write a script, the experts at PLAN A pull this off as well, in order to add unique storytelling elements to the performances.
"'Produce, direct and write' is our company's motto," he said. "I hired a writer a few years ago, but realized that he could not perfectly write in a way I wanted."
 |
| Kim Sang-wook's book, "A Show Director's Logbook in K-pop Wave: From Clubs to Wembley Stadium, Directing Notes on K-pop Shows" / Courtesy of Dal Publishers |
In the book, he explains why he became a concert director. Kim, who has had a burning passion for music and performance since he was young, wanted to create his own musical content. So he landed his first job at a small concert production company. But after a few years, he quit and established PLAN A in 2010.
It was not easy to run his own company at first. At some points, he even felt like he made the wrong choice. But opportunity knocked and Kim came to work with popular boy group 2AM, which was represented by Big Hit Entertainment (HYBE) at the time. In 2013, Kim took the helm of the "debut showcase" of Big Hit's new boy band BTS and directed numerous concerts of the seven-piece act until 2019. Currently, PLAN A is working with K-pop act ATEEZ.
"Back in 2014-15, a BTS concert drew about 2,000 to 2,500 people. Today, there are tens of thousands of fans at each gig," he said.
Kim also revealed during the interview that he is the happiest when hearing the audience screaming at the beginning of a concert.
"On top of that, when I read the reviews that praise the quality of the concert, I feel rewarded," he said.
The director wrapped up an hour-long session by disclosing his hopes.
"I hope the COVID-19 pandemic will come to an end so that the performance industry can be revitalized," he said. "In the future, I want to team up with new artists regardless of their genres."
![[INTERVIEW] How Frank Wildhorn became most popular musical composer in Korea](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/aa01bf883001442494bf0555432fe510.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
