“I wish I could exist forever in the bubble of a BTS concert.”
Sarah Sleeper is not alone.
The 61-year-old native of Rancho Santa Fe, California, has seen the K-pop superstars live with her 24-year-old daughter, Vivian, multiple times in four cities, including BTS’ blockbuster 2022 run in Vegas.
Her words underscore the magma-hot passion that defines BTS’ massive following, known as ARMY, which extends far beyond mere fandom, becoming a way of life for many.
Now, that fervor is being stoked again: With the members of BTS having fulfilled their required military obligations in their native South Korea, the group is back on the road, performing on a 360-degree stage on their “Arirang World Tour,” which comes to Allegiant Stadium for four shows beginning this weekend.
The last time BTS was in town, it was a boisterous, visually extravagant, 2½-hour scream-along heavy on emotions and pyro, flames fighting for oxygen with 50,000 pairs of lungs in the room.
It was also one of the biggest music events of the year, attracting 199,697 fans and grossing nearly $36 million, according to Billboard Box Score, the third-highest tally of any multi-night concert run in 2022.
With the group returning to Vegas, ARMY is on the march once more, delivering a city-wide bear hug of all things BTS.
But what to make of the BTS phenomenon for those who aren’t already active-duty ARMY members?
To answer that question — and several more — we turned to the fans themselves:
Why is BTS so popular, even when they sing mostly in Korean?
“They’ve broken language barriers. There are so many people, like me, who can just feel the music, the sounds, the emotion — emotions that I can’t describe when listening to BTS, but it makes me feel happy, thankful and present.” — Lourdes Castillo, Henderson
“They succeeded globally while still being proudly Korean. They did not completely change themselves to fit Western expectations, which made people admire them even more. They also introduced Korean music, language and culture to a broader international audience.” — Darlene Dato-on, a Las Vegan who has seen BTS multiple times here and at their recent tour launch in Tampa, Florida
“What makes them unique is their honesty. Their music discusses topics like mental health, self-worth, loneliness, loving yourself and personal growth in a way that feels deeply genuine and relatable. Even people who do not speak Korean connect emotionally to the messages they share.” — Gabriela Hernandez, Tucson, Arizona
For newbies, what’s the BTS concert experience like?
“The concert is an all-day experience. Lining up for merch sales is an adventure on its own that starts in the wee hours of the morning. If you have sound check (tickets), then you have to check in early for your passes and be walking in the stadium at 3 p.m.-ish. There’s little downtime as you talk with ARMY and line up for merch in the stadium, photo ops, food, bathrooms — always a line. It’s always so great to be walking in and hear someone shout my name. Meeting in real life with ARMY you have chatted with online for years is so surreal.” — Laura Labrador, a Chicagoan who has seen BTS 11 times and will be coming to two shows in Vegas
“The first time I saw BTS was during their ‘Permission to Dance’ concert in Las Vegas. Inside the stadium, the energy was unbelievable. I sat beside women from Japan in their 60s and 70s on one side and a 24-year-old from Australia on the other. They had all flown to Las Vegas just to see BTS for one or two nights. I was amazed. I ended up making three new international friends.” — Dato-on
“I went to a BTS concert here in Las Vegas on April 16, 2022. The stadium was full, full, full! Everyone around us was singing and dancing as if the concert was going on — but they weren’t even on stage yet; they were just playing music over the speakers. And when I saw them on stage, oh, my gosh, I wanted to … no, we did scream! I wish I spoke Korean fluently, but you don’t need to know Korean in order to feel the music, to understand, to move and dance. It truly was a life experience to have seen them.” — Castillo
Explain with this whole ARMY thing
“ARMY (stands for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth). It’s a safe space where we accept you without judgment. I personally formed friendships all over the world: Asia, Australia, Costa Rica, Dubai, etc. We form group chats. We plan meetups during concerts. In fact, this coming Las Vegas concert, my friends from Dubai, Melbourne and Costa Rica are flying here to Vegas to watch with me.” — Vanessa Ordinario, a Las Vegan who has seen BTS seven times and is attending all four Vegas shows
“It’s a very diverse fandom. ARMYs are from different parts of the world. We are not just a bunch of teenage girls. Our age range is as young as 3 to 90-ish — gentlemen and ladies.” — Hyacinth Alpay, an Arizonan coming to Vegas for her first BTS shows
“The (ARMY) preparation around concerts is on another level entirely. Before concerts: Purple ribbons at airports to help maintain safety and organization; welcome booths for traveling ARMYs; fan-organized pop-up events, cup sleeves, banners, and freebies; coordinated fan projects to show BTS appreciation. During concerts: Carefully planned outfits and costumes; synchronized ARMY Bomb projects and fan chants; thousands of strangers becoming one family for a few unforgettable hours. After concerts: ARMYs often stay behind to help clean the stadium, because respect matters, too.” — Dato-on
What are “freebies” at BTS shows?
“Freebies are small, fan-made gifts distributed at concerts and events, such as photo cards, bracelets, stickers, keychains, banners or candy packs inspired by BTS or specific members. They are usually given away freely by fans to other fans simply as a gesture of kindness and connection. They help create a sense of excitement and belonging at concerts because fans often spend weeks preparing them for strangers. And we are absolutely bringing ARMY bracelets to Vegas and stickers.” — Hernandez
“The freebies are so thoughtful, and it is so lovely that people take the time to make and compile mini gift bags. I find it very touching. It conveys an emotional connection, and people are so creative. I love the hand-beaded bracelets and key rings, and I love hearing the thoughts behind what people put in the freebie bags.” — Stephanie Tate-Croning, a Seattle-area resident who first saw BTS in Los Angeles
“It’s a cultural thing. It fosters camaraderie within the fandom. What I like about freebies is I get to see the creativity of ARMYs — it’s truly remarkable. … For Vegas, specifically, I’m giving away custom poker chips and custom dice.” — Ordinario
What can fans expect from the American leg of the “Arirang” tour?
“I attended their first North American stop in Tampa, and what stood out immediately was how much they evolved as performers. Their stage presence feels stronger and more intentional now. Their solo era before enlistment allowed each member to fully explore his own artistry, genres, emotions and storytelling style. Now that they are together again, you can feel those individual experiences woven back into BTS as a whole. They returned bolder, freer, funnier and stronger.” — Dato-on
“The ‘Arirang’ concert is definitely a change from their old concerts, as they are starting a new chapter in their career — a more mature chapter that is focused more on the music and less on the formula of what their concerts were. Pre-show, the screens were filled with Hangul characters, black ink swirling while shadows of members appeared on the screen, the sound of traditional Korean instruments being plucked and strummed emphasized with drums was now the pre-show music. A single dancer runs across the stage with a red smoke bomb to signal the coming of BTS. They stride from the same entrance that NFL players do, strong and confident from years of experience on stage, but also from knowing that they are truly at the pinnacle of success with 60,000 fans waiting for them.” — Labrador
Contact Jason Bracelin at [email protected] or 702-383-0476. Follow @jasonbracelin76 on Instagram.