BTS took some of its biggest hits to the streets of Los Angeles in a new performance for The Late Late Show with James Corden.
While in the US for its four sold-out shows at LA’s SoFi Stadium, the world-conquering K-pop group recorded a handful of performances for Corden, with the latest aired on the show last night (December 16).
“Listen up – I know you guys just played some big live shows and you blew the roof off the place. You know what? I’m not surprised because you guys are brilliant, tremendous, sensational. You’re big-time singers. You’re BTS,” Corden told the band at the start of the segment, before pointing to the crosswalk outside CBS Studios. “But those gigs were merely a starter, an appetizer, because today, you are going to play the biggest venue of your life.”
“We just played to 50,000 people at SoFi Stadium,” rapper RM said to the camera. “Now he wants us to play next to some gas station?”
Despite the group’s apprehension about the location and safety of Corden’s venue of choice, they performed snippets of its three English-language singles “Butter”, “Permission To Dance” and “Dynamite” on the crosswalk whenever the lights turned red. Cars waiting to continue on their way watched on, with some spectators viewing in amusement and others standing through their vehicles’ roofs to sing and dance along.
The crosswalk performance follows an in-studio rendition of “Butter” that BTS delivered for the 1,000th episode of The Late Late Show earlier this month. In November, it also treated fans to a version of “Permission To Dance”, performed in front of a set digitally made to look like a traditional Korean building.
Following the group’s four shows in LA, dubbed Permission To Dance On Stage, its agency HYBE announced that the seven members would be taking their first official break since 2019. Although no official date has been given for their return to activities, they have already teased a live return in Seoul for March 2022 and confirmed that a new album is in the works.
Meanwhile, BTS has been nominated for a Grammy at next year’s awards. The band were shortlisted for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Butter”, alongside Doja Cat and SZA, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco, and Coldplay.