BTS World Tour “LOVE YOURSELF”

By Nazuna Takahashi

The Korean idol group BTS held a world tour titled “Love Yourself" from August 25, 2018 to April 7, 2019. They performed 42 shows in 20 countries, and over one million fans attended their concerts. BTS also held concerts in Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka.

BTS is a Korean idol group that debuted in 2013. This group has 7 members, RM, JIN, SUGA, J-HOPE, JIMIN, V, and JUNGKOOK. They belong to the entertainment company HYBE (formerly Bighit) which is an idol entertainment company. Their group name comes from three letters of the Korean words "bangtan sonyondan." Their fans are referred to as “ARMY.” The song DNA, which was released in 2017, had explosive sales. Now, they have become a world famous idol group with many fans throughout the world.

In Fukuoka on Feb. 17 2019, they performed 22 songs, including 3 encores. There were 7 solo songs by each member, and Japanese versions of their existing songs. The concert began with the song "IDOL," which was the song that made BTS popular around the world. The last song was "Answer: Love Yourself.” It was their world tour's theme song. It was a great 3 hours for BTS and their ARMY. Their tour in Tokyo and Fukuoka was made into a disk and released on August 24, 2018.

On May 4 and 5 of last year, they held a concert at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles, California. About 60,000 fans attended. They opened with the song “Dionysus,” which is the song where they dance with energy. Moreover, they were the first males to wear a stage costume which was a collaboration with Dior. They also performed the song “MIC DROP” with several dozen people. A total of 120,000 people attended the two performances. They went on to give performances in Chicago, New York, including Los Angeles, and they also went to Sao Paulo, Brazil, London, England, and Paris, France.

The final concert of this world tour was held at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, Korea. There was an attraction called “BTS Amusement Park.” Additionally, there was a large poster of BTS members where you could take a selfie, and a monitor showing a music video of BTS where fans could sing along while waiting for the concert to begin.

There was also the “ARMY Wall” where you could write a message to BTS, a photo booth for taking a picture with members, and an information booth to learn about the BTS UNICEF “Love Yourself” campaign. It was a place where people could enjoy themselves all day long. The concert opened with the song “Dionysus,” and ended with “Mikrokosmos.” The concert included lots of fireworks, special effects, and about 300 drones. BTS waved to the crowd and went back to the main stage where they bowed to their ARMY and the “Love Yourself” world tour came to an end.