BTS’s Jungkook: “You are perfect to me”… A scene that drew a record 490,000 people

(MHN reporter Esther Jung) BTS has successfully completed its North American tour, spanning 31 shows across 12 locations.

The tour schedule concluded with ‘BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ IN LOS ANGELES,’ held on the 1st–2nd and 5th–6th (local time) at SoFi Stadium in California, United States. All concerts on this North American tour sold out in advance, drawing approximately 1.92 million attendees across North America alone.

The Los Angeles shows were particularly remarkable. More than 282,000 people attended the Los Angeles concerts, and BTS performed a total of eight shows at SoFi Stadium, including the four ‘BTS PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE - LA’ shows in 2021 and the performances on this tour. As a result, BTS set records for the most performances by a team in SoFi Stadium history and approximately 496,000 cumulative attendees.

The scale of online broadcasting for global fans was also substantial. All four Los Angeles shows were livestreamed through Weverse, a global superfan platform, allowing viewers in 177 countries and regions worldwide to share the excitement of the venue.

Major North American cities prepared official welcoming events for BTS. The City of Los Angeles proclaimed September 1–8 as ‘BTS Week’ and held a proclamation ceremony on the 31st of last month, followed by a welcome event at City Hall on the 1st. Toronto, Canada designated August 22–23 as ‘BTS Weekend’ and named a street ‘BTS Boulevard,’ while Illinois also honored the group by proclaiming August 27–28 as ‘BTS Day.’

International media also closely covered the group’s activities. The Los Angeles Times described BTS as a “world-class pop act,” highlighting its unparalleled presence. Forbes extensively reported on the group’s influence, which spread throughout the city beyond the concert venue, while approximately 40 media outlets covered the events on site, demonstrating BTS’s global standing.

After the performances, the members said, “It feels like we only just started in Tampa, but it doesn’t feel real that we’re already greeting you in our final destination, Los Angeles. Because we were happy, every moment seems to have passed in an instant. We will cherish these memories.” They added, “We perform with gratitude because it feels as though you are always showing us the path we should take. Wherever we are, we hope we can remain connected to one another forever.” Jungkook showed the audience a postcard he had drawn himself and sincerely said, “I want to tell you that you are perfect to me.”

BTS will begin the South American leg of ‘BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’’ in Bogotá, Colombia, on October 2. The group will then travel to Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and São Paulo to meet local audiences.