Japanese fans gather to welcome BTS on world tour
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Fans of South Korean K-pop boy band BTS throng around the Tokyo Dome before the start of the band's concert, in Tokyo, Japan, on April 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
TOKYO - Tens of thousands of excited fans gathered at a landmark Tokyo stadium on April 17 to watch K-pop megastars BTS, in concert outside South Korea for the first time on their new world tour.
The seven-member group – widely regarded as the world’s biggest boy band – took to the stage together for the first time in March following a years-long hiatus prompted by mandatory military service.
The tour coincides with the release of their latest studio album Arirang.
Last week’s spectacular concert in Goyang, about 16km from the South Korean capital Seoul, marked the start of a tour that will span 85 shows across 34 cities worldwide.
Fans of South Korean K-pop boy band BTS throng around the Tokyo Dome before the start of the band's concert, in Tokyo, Japan, on April 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“I waited so long,” Ms Miki Satani, 50, clutching a ticket for the concert, told AFP.
BTS “give me lots of energy and cheer me up”, said Ms Satani, who discovered BTS six years ago.
Fans of Korean boy band BTS take a photo at Tokyo Dome, on April 17.
PHOTO: AFP
“When I have various kinds of hardships in life, I can receive cheer by listening to their music ... I feel they are like vitamin supplements for my life.”
Fans who surrounded Tokyo Dome – which can accommodate up to 55,000 people – on April 17 included many without tickets, who came just for the atmosphere.
Ticketless Russian tourist Viktoria Diatlova, 27, expressed love for the boy band, saying their music “has such a beautiful message”.
Tokyo hairdresser Noa Iwaasa, 22, said: “BTS is part of my life, as I’ve been listening to them since I was a student.”
The two concerts are on April 17 and 18. AFP
