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[iNews24 reporter Kim Hyo-jin] K-pop group BTS drew roughly 840,000 fans across the North American dates of their world tour ‘ARIRANG’.
On the 30th, BigHit Music said concerts in Tampa, El Paso, Stanford, Las Vegas and Mexico City sold out.
Buoyed by demand, BigHit added one extra show each in Tampa, Stanford and Las Vegas — and those added dates also sold out.
BigHit said BTS delivered a setlist that mixed tracks from the new album ‘ARIRANG’ with the group’s signature hits. Fans filled the stadiums and sang along to the Korean lyrics, amping up the shows’ energy.
The company highlighted the singalong of the folk song “Arirang” during the “Body to Body” performance as an especially memorable moment. The melody, steeped in Korean sentiment, echoed across huge stadiums as tens of thousands sang together, underscoring music’s ability to connect people worldwide.
Local broadcaster ABC7 San Francisco reported that BTS’s popularity is also driving interest in the Korean language and culture.
Stanford’s Korean studies professor Daphna Zhur told the outlet that, unlike many foreign-language programs where enrollment has stagnated or fallen, courses in Korean language, history, culture, literature and sociology are drawing strong interest.
Billboard reported that BTS generated 76.2 million USD from eight shows in April — in Goyang, Tokyo and Tampa — selling 417,000 tickets and ranking No. 1 on April’s Top Tours (approximately 114.8 billion KRW).
In particular, the three Tampa shows recorded the highest single-venue revenue and attendance for April.
Billboard estimated that the Tampa and El Paso dates averaged 12.1 million USD per show (approximately 18.2 billion KRW), roughly a 64% increase compared with the group’s earlier U.S. performances.
Meanwhile, BTS will perform at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on June 12–13 to meet domestic fans. They will open the European leg in Madrid on June 26, and in August they will begin the second North American leg starting in East Rutherford.
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