Five cities, 840,000 fans ignited! BTS wraps up successful first leg of North American tour, creating 'BTS-nomics'

*This content was translated by AI.

BTS (BTS·RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, Jungkook) concluded the first leg of their 'Arirang' North American tour with approximately 840,000 fans. BTS opened the 'BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN NORTH AMERICA' on April 25 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, performing 15 shows across five cities: El Paso, Mexico City, Stanford, and Las Vegas. All shows sold out, with additional performances added in Tampa, Stanford, and Las Vegas, which also sold out quickly.

During the concert, BTS presented a stage featuring tracks from their new album 'Arirang' (ARIRANG) along with their representative hits. The audience filled the venue singing along to the Korean lyrics. During the 'Body to Body' performance, a mass sing-along of the folk song 'Arirang' continued, and the choir echoing through the large stadium was highlighted as an iconic moment.

Cities hosting the concerts also saw projections of economic impact. Las Vegas broadcaster 8 News Now forecasted the concert would bring up to $200 million in economic benefits to the region. Tampa Bay News projected BTS would generate approximately $800–900 million in economic effects in Tampa, while the Mexico City Chamber of Commerce predicted an economic ripple effect of about $175 million. The tour was held as an event driving local consumption in accommodation, food and beverage, and retail sectors.

Local media also reported a growing interest in Korean culture. ABC7 San Francisco conveyed that BTS's popularity is leading to increased interest in the Korean language and culture. Dafna Zur, a Stanford University Han Guk-hak (Prof.), explained, "Unlike many other foreign languages where enrollment has stagnated or declined, there is tremendous interest in Korean language, Korean history, Korean culture, Korean literature, sociology, and more."

In Mexico City, ahead of the concert, BTS visited the National Palace at the invitation of the president. The Mexican government treated them as 'distinguished guests' and presented them with commemorative plaques. The El Paso County Commission awarded them the 'Estimado Amigo' (Esteemed Friend) award and declared May 2–3 as 'El Paso BTS Weekend'.

According to Billboard's tally, BTS recorded $76.2 million in revenue and sold 417,000 tickets across eight performances in Goyang, Tokyo, and Tampa during April, ranking first among top tours for the month. The three shows in Tampa set records for highest revenue and largest audience for a single venue in April. Billboard reported that performances in Tampa and El Paso generated an average of $12.1 million per show. This represents a 64% increase compared to previous U.S. tours such as 'LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF' and 'BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE'.

BTS will hold concerts at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium on June 12–13 and begin their European tour in Madrid, Spain, on the 26th. In August, they will embark on their second North American tour, starting in East Rutherford.

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*This content was translated by AI.