SUGA | Agust D’s Tour ‘D-DAY’ — U.S. — April 26, 27 & 29 2023

Last week, I flew to New York City to see Min Yoongi in concert. I watched him perform three sold out shows almost three nights in a row, the first stops of his first solo world tour. Two of the concerts took place in NYC on April 26th and 27th, and the third was in Newark on the 29th. Everything about his show was breathtaking. To introduce himself, he says, “You can call me SUGA, or Agust D, or… Yoongi.” This tour feels like a showcase of all three, a celebration of every small part of what makes him whole.

The scale of the concert was huge; it was theatrical, intense, inspiring, emotional. The night starts with the sounds of rain and thunder, lights flickering to mimic lightning as Yoongi’s limp body is carried out onto stage by a group of men, hooded and shrouded in fog. It’s ominous, and the audience hears an extended introduction to Agust D’s recent title track “Haegeum,” played on the instrument of the same name. When the rest of the stage has cleared, Yoongi lifts himself off the ground and launches into his performance with vigor. It is absolutely electric.

Despite being used to sharing a stage with 6 other people, Yoongi looked at home on that platform. He had the audience hanging onto his every word and gesture, getting them to jump with a flick of the wrist, silencing the arena with a finger to his lips. The energy of the crowd was insane; despite consisting of primarily English speakers, fans sang along to numerous Korean verses at a thunderous volume, each night growing louder than the last.

The setup of the stage itself was extremely cool. It consisted of multiple panels that, over the course of the night, disappeared from view as they were lifted up in the air by suspension cables. By the last song, “Amygdala,” only the center panel remained. Yoongi performed this trapped in the middle, an island in a sea of lights, cameras, people. He collapsed at the end, and was carried out the way he was brought in, limbs slack, eyes closed. It felt full circle, in a way. Life and death, waking up and falling asleep, being filled with and drained of energy.

In between the space of the main set and the encore, the huge monitor in the center of the arena spotlighted fans around the arena, the signs they held alternating between heartfelt and funny. By the time Yoongi came back for the encore, a whiplash of “D-Day,” BTS’ “Intro: Never Mind,” and “The Last,” the entire stage had been lifted into the air, leaving him at eye-level with his audience.

“The Last” was gut-wrenchingly intense—it’s already an emotional song, but having Yoongi perform it live, having lowered himself to the floor, made it that much more vulnerable and real. It was a little painful to see Yoongi rap such heartbreaking lyrics, a little healing. The end of the show was abrupt. As soon as he finished the final song, Yoongi turned around and stalked off stage. He was still walking away when the lights came on and the crew started packing up. It was a little startling, but felt like a fitting end to the show. Each night, thrusting his audience into the world of Agust D, SUGA, Min Yoongi, and bringing them back down with intensity. And each night, I stood there, overwhelmed and exhilarated and a little emotionally drained, staring into the space where he was just a few seconds ago, wanting him to come back and do it all again.

Words & Photography: Uma Snow