Spanish Media on BTS Madrid Concert: "13 Years of Waiting... A Ritual of Light and Decibels"[K-EYES]

*This content was translated by AI.

"'Madrid Became Korea'…BTS's First Performance in Spain Earns Praise from Local Media"

The wish of Spanish ARMYs, who had waited for 13 years, has finally come true. Local media also vividly conveyed the fervor.

BTS (Jungkook, Jin, RM, Jimin, J-Hope, V, Suga) successfully concluded the first leg of their Arirang World Tour in Europe with a grand performance at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain, on the 26th and 27th (local time). With more than 120,000 fans gathering over the two days, local Spanish media and global outlets such as Billboard rushed to report on the concert scene.

Spanish outlet Cadena Ser stated, "Madrid welcomed the morning as Spain and the evening as Korea," describing it as "a night where 13 years of waiting were condensed into a ritual of light and decibels." The report also noted that hundreds of fans gathered outside the stadium even before the performance began, singing along in unison with those inside. The area surrounding the venue was filled with South Korean flags, purple light sticks, and pickets featuring the members' faces, as fans headed toward the stadium as if welcoming a long-awaited festival.

Billboard focused on the concert's opening. It reported that when J-Hope shouted in Spanish, "¡Vamos a volvernos locos! (Let's go crazy together!)," the audience responded immediately. Over the course of 23 songs, the performance spanned new tracks from the album "Arirang" and past hit songs, with continuous audience sing-alongs throughout. As surprise songs, "Airplane Pt. 2" and "Interlude: Wings" were selected. V also responded to the crowd's cheers by shouting in Spanish, "ARMY is on fire!"

Spanish music specialty outlet Infobae highlighted the "Idol" performance as the highlight of the concert. It noted that over 50 dancers filled the stage holding glowing lightsabers reminiscent of Star Wars, carrying a flag emblazoned with the BTS logo and marching across the entire stadium, calling it "not just a performance but an overwhelming spectacle." The concert was structured in three acts: "BTS," "Korea," and "Arirang," with distinct costumes and stage designs for each act.

The 360-degree circular stage setup also received praise locally. Cadena Ser reported, "The 360-degree stage eliminated class distinctions. Whether you paid a high price for your seat or sat in the farthest corner, every audience member felt that BTS was performing just for them." The four catwalks extending toward the stadium corners, allowing fans in any seat to see the members up close, were also highly praised. The outlet added that this was the first time the stage format tested during BTS's Asian tour was presented on a world tour scale.

Local reactions were also intense. Infobae reported that "the cheers of ARMYs were at a level that no sound meter could withstand," adding, "The energy was no less than that of Beatles, One Direction, or Justin Bieber fans." Given that AC/DC and Imagine Dragons performances held at the same stadium had previously faced sanctions due to noise issues, local media analysis noted that the fans' cheers that day were expected to surpass those records. This marked BTS's first performance in Spain in 13 years since their debut, with evaluations stating that the fans' long-awaited anticipation was expressed as explosive energy.

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*This content was translated by AI.