'BTS (BTS) brought the North American continent entirely into purple, drawing the curtain on an epic journey. This North American tour, which engaged with no fewer than 1.92 million spectators, wrote a record in Los Angeles (LA) and staged a spectacular finale.
BTS concluded their North American tour after 'BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN LOS ANGELES' held at SoFi Stadium in California, U.S., on Sept. 1-2 and 5-6 (local time). The tour, spanning 12 markets and 31 shows, sold out every seat and attracted a total of 1.92 million attendees. In particular, the four LA shows were streamed live via Weverse to 177 countries and territories worldwide, eliciting an explosive response from global superfans.
◆ SoFi Stadium history rewritten by BTS…'most shows by a team · largest audience' unmatched new record
Just four LA concerts drew about 282,000 spectators. Including performances at the same venue in 2021, BTS performed on the SoFi Stadium stage eight times in total, becoming the team that has held the most concerts there (cumulative audience about 496,000) and proudly earning the title of the group that has drawn the largest audience since the stadium opened.
The emotion at the venue was intense. On the 1st fans sang celebratory songs for Jungkook's birthday and on the 12th for RM's birthday, creating waves of gold and blue flashes from tens of thousands of attendees. During the stage performance of album track 'Body to Body,' a spectacle unfolded as Taegukgi flags waved in unison to the melody of the Korean folk song "Arirang." The members said they were moved to tears, noting "every moment was so happy it passed in an instant. Wherever we are, we hope we remain connected forever," and Jungkook expressed his affection for fans with postcards he drew himself.
◆ "World-class pop artists" foreign press praise…national official welcome including declaration of 'BTS week'
Foreign media attention was intense. The Los Angeles Times called them "world-class pop artists," spotlighting their irreplaceable impact, and Forbes highly evaluated the economic influence on local communities such as Koreatown and the concert site, where Korean culture including hanbok and the Taeguk symbol were showcased.
City-level welcomes were also historic. The city of Los Angeles declared Sept. 1-8 'BTS week' and lit City Hall red. North America overflowed with 'BTS hospitality,' from the temporary naming of a Toronto street as 'BTS Boulevard,' the declaration of 'BTS Day' in Illinois, a welcome video from the governor of Maryland, to an official invitation from the president of Mexico.
Having written a North American legend, BTS will embark on a South American tour starting Oct. 2 in Bogotá, Colombia, visiting Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. With the inclusion of the first full-group visit to some regions, another passionate chapter of history is expected to be written.
[Photo] BigHit Music (HYBE)
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