ICONIC ENCOUNTERS: Theatricality, Masculinity, and the Staging of Live Music.

This article analyzes theatricality, masculinity, and staging in live musical performances, focusing on the evolution of these practices from the 1960s to the present day. It explores how genres such as rock, rap, and K-Pop have used the stage to challenge social norms, construct collective identities, and redefine masculinity through embodied performances combining expressiveness, spectacle, and interaction with the audience. The study highlights iconic figures such as Jim Morrison, Miles Davis, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, as well as contemporary groups like BTS, emphasizing the complexity of stage personas and the fluidity of gender expressions, particularly in K-Pop where masculinity is both performed and commercialized. Finally, the article stresses the central role of the stage as a space for negotiating power relations, identity, and resistance, where musical theatricalization becomes a vehicle for cultural and political meaning. [Extracted from the article]