Photo = BIGHIT MUSIC

 

[Hanteo News = Reporter KANG SUYOUNG] BTS turned the entire city of Busan into a concert venue. BTS held 'BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN BUSAN' at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on the 12th and 13th, meeting about 110,000 spectators. The concert was meaningful in that it was held around June 13, the group’s 13th debut anniversary, but there is something that would be missed if this Busan concert were read simply as a successful performance.

That something is 'BTS THE CITY ARIRANG - BUSAN,' which unfolded alongside the concert. 'THE CITY' is a city-linked project that recreates the entire city where a concert is held into one musical experience space. This format, which first began in Las Vegas in 2022, was greatly expanded under the name 'Global THE CITY 2.0' for this 'ARIRANG' tour. It was carried out consecutively across three cities, starting in Seoul, moving through Las Vegas, and continuing to Busan.

The scale of THE CITY in Busan was overwhelming. At 10 PM on the 12th, 1,000 drones embroidered the sky above Gwangandaegyo Bridge. The drones rose in unison to 'SWIM,' 'NORMAL,' 'Hooligan,' and hit songs 'Magic Shop' and 'Mikrokosmos,' and cheers erupted on site the moment the faces of the seven members were realized in the sky. The Big Roof at Busan Cinema Center transformed into a media art stage, with a “swimming character” covering the entire roof, while Gwangandaegyo Bridge, Busanhangdaegyo Bridge, and Suyeonggang Human Bridge were lit in red, the key color of this album. From the moment visitors arrived at Busan Station, a welcome center and large LED billboards greeted them, and a large sand sculpture reading 'KEEP SWIMMING' was installed on the sandy beach of Haeundae Beach. From the moment audiences stepped into the city to the moment they left the concert venue, the entirety of Busan became one piece of content.

The reason this format is not simply an additional event can be confirmed through numbers. During the earlier THE CITY held in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas tourism authority stated that, excluding the Super Bowl and F1, BTS’ case was the first citywide linked activation for a single artist. During THE CITY in Seoul, about 73% of visitors to the Sungnyemun media facade were foreigners, while the foreign visitor ratio at DDP ARMY Madang reached about 86%. The number of Seoul City Tour Bus users rose by about 20% compared to normal. A structure was created that attracted not only fans with concert tickets, but also tourists visiting the city and ordinary citizens.

For a long time, K-POP concerts were stories that took place inside concert venues. THE CITY erases that boundary. As a city’s landmarks, transportation, lodging, F&B, and local brands are linked into one festival, traces of the artist remain in the city even after the concert ends. In Busan’s case, coexistence with the local economy was designed through themed menus from local F&B brands, themed accommodation packages at Paradise Hotel, and linkage with the Busan City Tour. This is why it is being evaluated as a new festival model where region and culture coexist beyond simply watching a concert. BTS’ Busan concert has ended, but the question created by THE CITY remains. How far can K-POP concerts expand?

 

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