Group BTS has successfully wrapped up their North American tour, drawing approximately 840,000 attendees.
On April 25 (local time), BTS kicked off their "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN NORTH AMERICA" at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. They went on to perform a total of 15 shows across five North American cities, including El Paso, Mexico City, Stanford, and Las Vegas. With every single show completely sold out, additional dates were added in Tampa, Stanford, and Las Vegas due to overwhelming demand.
During this tour, BTS presented a setlist that spanned tracks from their new album "ARIRANG" as well as their existing hits. In particular, the performance of their new song "Body to Body" became a hot topic as tens of thousands of fans sang along to the Korean folk song "Arirang" in unison. The moment, which saw a song filled with traditional Korean sentiments echoing through a massive U.S. stadium, was praised for demonstrating the power of music to transcend borders and languages.
The cities hosting the concerts experienced a tangible "BTS effect." Local media analyzed that massive consumer spending was generated across local economies, including the lodging, dining, and tourism industries.
Las Vegas broadcaster 8 News Now, in a report titled "BTS Mania in Las Vegas," projected that the BTS concerts would bring up to $200 million (approx. 301.4 billion KRW) in economic impact to the region. Florida's local broadcaster 10 Tampa Bay News estimated an economic ripple effect of about $800 million to $900 million (approx. 1.2 trillion to 1.3 trillion KRW) in the Tampa area, while the Mexico City Chamber of Commerce also anticipated an economic impact of approximately $107.5 million (approx. 155.7 billion KRW).
ABC7 San Francisco reported that BTS's popularity is translating into increased interest in the Korean language and culture. In an interview with the outlet, Dafna Zur, a professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University, explained, "Unlike other foreign language courses that are stagnating or declining, interest in Korean language, Korean history, Korean literature, and sociology is growing significantly."
In Mexico City, BTS also took part in a special schedule, visiting the National Palace at the invitation of the local president to meet with citizens. The Mexican government honored BTS as "Distinguished Visitors" (Visitantes Distinguidos) and presented them with a commemorative plaque. The plaque recognized their contributions to inspiring youth through music and spreading the values of diversity, peace, and empathy.
According to the U.S. music publication Billboard, BTS topped the "Top Tours" chart with just eight shows held in Goyang, Tokyo, and Tampa in April, grossing $76.2 million (approx. 114.5 billion KRW) and selling 417,000 tickets. Notably, the three shows held in Tampa set records for both the highest gross and the largest audience for a single venue in April. Billboard analyzed that the Tampa and El Paso shows averaged $12.1 million (approx. 18.2 billion KRW) per show, representing a roughly 64% increase compared to their U.S. performances during the "LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF" and "BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE" tours.
Meanwhile, BTS will continue their performances at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium on June 12–13. Following this, they will kick off their European tour in Madrid, Spain, at the end of June, and are scheduled to embark on their second North American tour, including East Rutherford, starting in August.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
댓글