K-pop’s BTS on stage for first Seoul gig since pandemic; Singapore wants more vaccinated travellers to visit
- 45,000 tickets sold out in minutes for the pop idols’ show despite a ban on chanting, singing, screaming or even standing up during the performance
- Singapore aims to restore passenger volumes to at least 50 per cent of pre-Covid levels; Philippines to give away shots due to declining infections
Tens of thousands of BTS fans gathered in Seoul on Thursday for the K-pop superstars’ first live concert in South Korea since the pandemic began – although Covid rules prevented them from dancing or singing along.
The chart-topping septet’s series of three concerts – dubbed “Permission to Dance on Stage – Seoul” – kicked off at the capital’s Olympic Stadium Thursday evening.
Since BTS’ last performance for domestic fans in 2019, the band have garnered three Billboard-topping singles and two Grammy nominations.
Hours before the show, concertgoers – many clad in purple sweatshirts, the official colour of BTS fandom – crowded the venue, and filled the streets outside with banners of the band.
“It feels like a dream and I still can’t believe that this is my seat whenever I look at my ticket,” said Heo Min-hee, a 25-year-old office worker from Seoul.
Han Aeng-hee, a 53-year-old fan from Gyeonggi province, added: “I prayed every morning to secure a ticket and miraculously, I got tickets to the first and last concerts. I’m very grateful and I can’t wait,” she said.
Tickets for the concerts – 45,000 seats in all – sold out within minutes, despite stringent social-distancing requirements for the BTS fans, known as Army.
Chanting, singing, screaming or even standing up are all banned, as South Korea battles an Omicron spike, with more than 300,000 cases reported Thursday.