The only valid reason to set an alarm for 7am on a Saturday is to catch a flight to somewhere with cheaper beer. However, millions of people just woke up at dawn to watch seven men dance in front of a palace on Netflix. After a four year break to play soldiers for the South Korean government, BTS finally returned to the stage.
The group performed at Gyeongbokgung Palace, which is a very fancy way of saying they took over a royal landmark. This marks their official comeback since they paused everything in 2022 to complete their mandatory military service. It is a bit like Elvis coming back from the army, but with much better skincare and significantly more purple outfits.
A Royal Payday for Seoul
The city of Seoul is currently laughing all the way to the bank. Only 22,000 people got free tickets to the show, but over a quarter of a million fans flooded the streets anyway. Experts reckon this one concert generated about $177 million for the local economy. Between flights, hotels, and enough merchandise to fill a stadium, the fans are spending like it is a national holiday.
The government even raised the terror alert and sent in thousands of police officers. It is unclear if they were worried about actual threats or just the sheer volume of screaming fans. Taylor Swift might want to keep an eye on her rear view mirror, too. BTS is about to start a massive 82 show world tour that could easily rival the billions made by the Eras Tour.
Palaces, Hanboks, and Broken Ankles
The boys did not just turn up in jeans and t shirts. They leaned heavily into the traditional theme to celebrate their new album, Arirang. Fans turned up wearing hanboks, which are traditional Korean dresses, and the band walked onto the stage via the Kings Road. This path was traditionally reserved for actual kings, but in the world of K-pop, these seven are basically royalty anyway.
The show was directed by Hamish Hamilton, the British guy who does the Super Bowl and the Oscars. This tells you all you need to know about the scale of the thing. The stage looked like a giant picture frame to honor the history of the palace without making it look like a cheap rave.
It was not entirely perfect, though. The leader of the group, RM, had to perform parts of the show sitting down because he managed to injure his ankle before the big day. Even with one member out of action, they still powered through hits like Butter and Dynamite.
The World Tour is Coming
If you missed the live stream, do not worry. A documentary about the reunion is heading to Netflix, and the world tour starts in April. They are visiting 34 cities over the next year, which means your social media feed is about to be very purple for a long time.
It turns out that being a global pop sensation is much more profitable than marching in the army. Who would have thought?
Are you ready to sell a kidney for tour tickets, or are you just happy to watch the highlights from the comfort of your bed?
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