SEOUL, June 15 — For a global streaming event, BTS’ first online concert, Bang Bang Con: The Live, held live yesterday, couldn’t have felt more private and intimate.

With the new coronavirus pandemic hampering live entertainment around the globe, the K-pop industry, which saw a string of cancelled overseas promotions and tours, was quick to seek ways to turn the misfortune into opportunity, by launching online streaming concerts to connect with fans across the world.

SuperM of SM Entertainment first hosted a paid interactive online concert at the height of the global pandemic on April 26. According to SM, the concert drew about 75,000 fans from around the world, Yonhap news agency reported.

Though no official data has been released, BTS’ Bang Bang Con: The Live, which ran for about 90 minutes, apparently drew as many as 753,000 viewers near the end of the show, according to a realtime tally shared with fans.

The set list consisted of 12 songs, performed on various intricately produced stages, with the show seamlessly woven together through intermission-type talk segments throughout.

The core concept of Bang Bang Con revolved around "rooms,” with "bang” being the Korean word for "room.” Throughout the show, the stage production changed constantly, offering different types of scenes, or rooms, so as to suit the theme of the song the band performed.

The concept also seemed fitting with the spirit of social distancing in the time of the coronavirus pandemic, as in watching concerts alone or with a small group of people at home.

The upside to such online format is the ability to interact. Having teamed up with U.S. streaming service start up Kiswe Mobile, Bang Bang Con offered an experience that allowed viewers to watch the entirety of the show through six different camera angles. — Bernama