A lot happened in a too-short amount of time when Jung Kook made his Global Citizen Festival solo debut as co-headliner on a rainy day in New York City Saturday (Sept. 23). The ARMY was in full force supporting the BTS member for his solo performance that included “a few surprises” — which he teased in a pre-show interview that aired during the concert’s live stream.
First, as the night set in on city’s Central Park, Jung Kook — smiling and adjusting his purple in-ear monitors — kicked off his set with “Euphoria.” He held up his mic to hear the sound of the crowd singing back to him. Some tears were shed by fans up front by the barricade.
“Wow. Hi, Global Citizen!” he greeted the audience before moving along to his next song. He addressed the purpose of the show, saying, “Let’s keep making an impact further to make sure everyone, everywhere has access to their basic rights like food and education. OK?”
With the music festival in Central Park, Global Citizen aimed to urge world leaders gathered in New York for the UN General Assembly to tackle climate crisis, equity for women and girls, and the global hunger crisis.
“Here is my next song,” Jung Kook continued to say from the stage. “Thank you for coming in the rain. I love you guys.”
“Still With You” was up next, and it was his first-ever live performance of the track. Jung Kook was feeling the guitar solo on the song. One fan held up a sketch of the BTS artist, while many from the ARMY held up their phones to capture the memory of the live event.
Jung Kook then introduced “Seven,” his solo summer single, hyping the crowd with an exclamation of “Let’s go!”
One of the night’s unexpected moments was an unannounced appearance by Latto during “Seven,” for which she delivered a live performance of her feature from the collab.
“Wow, that was a nice surprise, right?” Jung Kook commented at the song’s end. Latto said to him, “Thank you, JK. Shout out to the ARMY!”
Jung Kook’s Global Citizen set was nearing its end at this point. “My last song is a set of BTS hits,” he said. He recently said he misses performing with the group, which hasn’t happened lately due to solo music endeavors by its members, who are also fulfilling South Korea’s military enlistment requirement.
The BTS medley highlighted a trio of Billboard Hot 100 chart toppers, “Permission to Dance,” “Dynamite” and “Butter,” all of which have hit No. 1.
But Jung Kook’s show wasn’t quite over when he exited the performance area. A clip played on a large screen on the stage, showing Jung Kook’s name and “3D,” a cryptic teaser. ARMY awaits.
Jung Kook Set List at Global Citizen 2023
“Euphoria”
“Still With You” (live debut)
“Seven” (feat. Latto)
“Permission to Dance/“Dynamite”/“Butter” (BTS medley)
“3D”
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