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In another life, Jin would still be a superstar. Instead of being one-seventh of BTS, though, he’d be the affable host of a variety show, turning charisma and humour into ratings gold. Tonight, at the first of two London shows on his ‘#RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR’ outing, he lives that fantasy.
This is not your typical concert, nor your usual K-pop extravaganza. Instead, it feels like you’re inside an episode of Jin’s Run Jin series, the web show he created as a spin-off from BTS’ own Run BTS. The logo for the programme remains in the corner of the big screens throughout the night, and when the singer first appears on stage for buoyant versions of ‘Running Wild’ and ‘I’ll Be There’, he jumps around a lightning-shaped podium with a big game-show style button on it.
Between performances, he leads the crowd in a series of “challenges” – a telepathy game where he has to guess a word through fans’ gestures alone, another where he has to figure out the song from the crowd’s a cappella singing. “Korean’s difficult for you too, huh?” he quips after fans struggle to recreate the rap verses in ‘Boy With Luv’. Compared to the usual flash of K-pop shows, where dramatic, cinematic VCRs often appear at regular intervals to uphold the narrative of the night, Jin’s is refreshingly down-to-earth, with only one video game-themed clip running right before the encore.
Jin’s performances aren’t without some extra razzle-dazzle, though. Many come accompanied by pyrotechnics and explosions of streamers, or during a snippet of BTS’ ‘Dynamite’, rainbow-coloured confetti explosions that mirror a scene in the music video. ‘Super Tuna’, meanwhile, sees him performing dressed in an inflatable alien costume – a “prize” the crowd earns during the first game of the evening. As he finds out what he’ll be wearing, he tilts his head and laughingly winces, as if bemusedly regretting his choices leading up to this moment.
The challenges and games – and Jin the variety host – are only half of the night’s story. On the flipside is the role that Jin is more commonly known for – phenomenal performer. He shines brightest when he’s engaged in emotionally rich songs, like a beautiful rendition of ‘Abyss’, which finds him seated at a paint-splattered purple piano, lost in the melancholy of the song. He’s equally commanding for the thundering ‘Another Level’, but ‘Rope It’’s endless lasso moves, his arm circling his head, becomes a little awkward.
As fun as the rest of the show is, it’s the closing section – no games, just quality songs – that really hits. A medley of BTS songs – the aforementioned ‘Dynamite’, ‘Butter’, ‘Mikrokosmos’ and ‘Spring Day’ – is received rapturously, fans screaming back every word of each song. ‘The Astronaut’, ‘Epiphany’ and ‘Moon’, meanwhile, showcase what Jin does best – soaring, sentimental songs that allow his voice to dazzle.
Before he wraps up the show for good with a sweet version of ‘To Me, Today’, he takes a moment to reflect. “I think five or six years ago, we sang ‘Epiphany’ here, right?” he says, referring to BTS’ 2018 concerts at this same venue. As he continues, he promises to come back “next time” – a pledge that whips up even more excitement in the stands, given his group’s impending March 2026 return. As a badge he wears at the start of the concert declares, stay tuned for that, and the burgeoning growth of Jin’s fun-filled solo career.
‘Running Wild’
‘I’ll Be There’
‘With The Clouds’
‘Falling’
‘Don’t Say You Love Me’
‘Super Tuna’
‘I Will Come To You’
‘Abyss’
‘Background’
‘Another Level’
‘Loser’
‘Rope It’
‘Dynamite’ / ‘Butter’ / ‘Mikrokosmos’ / ‘Spring Day’
‘The Astronaut’
‘Nothing Without Your Love’
‘Epiphany’
‘Moon’
‘To Me, Today’
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Ronnie Radke has claimed that Max Georgiev was dismissed from Falling In Reverse due to allegations of sexual misconduct, accusations that Georgiev has firmly rejected.
Georgiev exited the Las Vegas metalcore group in 2024. Last week, the band’s frontman Ronnie Radke shared an Instagram post stating that the guitarist was removed after allegedly admitting to a sexual relationship with an underage girl.
“For those that are wondering why I fired the guitarist,” Radke wrote, according to Lambgoat, “it’s because he admitted to sleeping with a minor ten years before he [was] in my band [when] he was 27 years old. Have fun with that.”
Georgiev, who joined Falling In Reverse in 2018 and now performs with metal outfit Vio-lence, responded shortly after, denying the allegations. “To the fans, I have never done anything illegal with a minor,” said Max Georgiev. “Fifteen years ago, when I was 23, I still lived in Quebec, Canada.”
“Since then, I have played for several bands who never mentioned inappropriate behavior on my part,” he continued. “I have always had great respect for the fans. I have strived to play my heart out for you.”
Radke’s Instagram account has since appeared to be removed, something he addressed during a livestream. “Maybe me talking about my old guitar player getting fired for finding out he was hooking up with minors, I think that AI might’ve caught that and was like, ‘You gotta go’,” he suggested, as reported by Loudwire".
“This man not only did that, [but] the parents of the minor ten years before he was in my band found out, they confronted him, he lied about his age so he could continue doing that with her. He wasn’t 23, he was older. He’s lying about that,” Radke went on to claim.
In a subsequent statement shared on Thursday January 8, Georgiev again rejected Radke’s accusations, calling them “delusional”. “I met someone who turned eighteen a few months later while I occasionally dated her,” he said. “This was fifteen years ago, when I was 23 in Quebec, Canada.”
“Her parents never confronted me because the girl only had a mother. I never lied to her or her daughter about anything.”
Georgiev later suggested that his departure from Falling In Reverse may instead have been linked to him “taking the initiative to learn nine songs of another band”, which he identified as Disturbed.
Elsewhere, Radke has reportedly filed a temporary restraining order against Brittany Furlan, citing alleged harassment connected to a catfish controversy from last year.
He has repeatedly alleged that Furlan, the estranged wife of Tommy Lee, was involved with someone impersonating him online. The filing asks that she be required to remain at least 100 yards away from him. Representatives for Furlan have said they are “aware” of the request and maintain that the allegations are “not accurate”.
Radke also saw his defamation lawsuit against Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop dismissed last year.
