continued to make history during the Latin American leg of their record-breaking ARIRANG World Tour, setting new stadium attendance records for a K-pop group.
The tour has become the highest-earning tour ever by a vocal group and is projected to become the third-highest-grossing world tour in history. One of the biggest achievements came in Santiago, Chile, where the K-pop band’s concerts generated $31.47 million over three nights at the Estadio Nacional, making them the biggest concerts in the city’s history.
CLASH were on the ground in Argentina to capture BTS’ first concerts in the country, as they performed a three-night, sold-out run at La Plata’s Estadio Único Diego Armando Maradona. Before the seven-member unit — made up of , , , , , and — even set foot in Argentina, they had caused a buzz across Buenos Aires and beyond. The La Plata city council voted unanimously to declare BTS official guests of honour, marking a sign of respect and appreciation for their global cultural influence.
There was a feeling that something special was happening in La Plata – the capital of Argentina’s Buenos Aires Province, located 50km from Buenos Aires – as flags and posters of BTS lined the roads into the city, welcoming the pop icons for their three shows. In the hours leading up to the show, this feeling of anticipation grew as hundreds sat outside the stadium; even if they didn’t have tickets, they wanted to be part of the moment and listen from outside.
As people made their way into the stadium, the atmosphere became palpable. As this was BTS’ first run of shows in Argentina, it would be the first time that many in attendance had the chance to see them live.
Chants of “BTS” and “Olé, Olé, Olé” filled the stadium, while people took part in the Mexican wave and many waved their customised Argentinian flags, with photos of the members photoshopped onto them. The heated passion and fandom made it feel like you were getting ready to watch a football match.
As the show started, a hooded figure carrying red smoke flares ran onto the stage. The screams and cheers became deafening, reaching a boiling point as BTS walked onto the stage. When the group opened the show with ‘Hooligan’, the crowd was so loud, the production team had to turn up the microphones and speakers. During the breaks and introductions, BTS also spoke in Spanish, a nice touch that the Argentine crowd appreciated as they cheered the members on in support.
Through the ‘Arirang’ album, BTS looked to shine a spotlight on Korean culture and heritage as they returned to their roots following their comeback. This continued with the world tour, as BTS immersed audiences in Korean culture through inventive stage design and visual effects that told authentic stories.
Everything the group had worked towards achieving with this album was showcased during their performance of ‘Body to Body’. During a dance break, a sample of the traditional Korean song ‘Arirang’ played over the speakers. The 53,000 people in attendance sang the folk song word for word in Korean, in unison; a powerful moment that encapsulated the power music has to bring cultures closer together.
During the ‘DJ Spin That’ segment of the show, BTS performed a hit parade that included ‘Attack on Bangtan’ and ‘Epilogue: Young Forever’ before bringing the second night to a close with ‘Please’ and ‘Into the Sun’.
For the Army in Latin America, watching BTS from a digital distance has been the reality throughout the group’s 13-year career. However, after the success of this leg of the tour, they’ll hope the wait won’t be as protracted next time, as Latin America continues to establish itself as a major market for Korean acts, backed by a passionate and dedicated fandom.