LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The BTS Army has arrived and like "the Beatles' British invasion" almost 60 years ago, Las Vegas is at the center of a K-pop invasion. This massively popular Korean pop group is the hottest ticket in town and is set to perform four sold-out shows at Allegiant Stadium.
BTS is the talk of Las Vegas right now. Fans of the massively popular Korean or K-pop group were buying up merchandise outside of Allegiant Stadium on Thursday.
"The little phone tabs, the T-shirts with drawings on them. I think they're really cute,” said Cassie Lim, a BTS fan from New York.
BTS Mania! 😳
— Zora Asberry (@ZoraAsberry) April 8, 2022
This is a LIVE traffic cam outside of Allegiant stadium, where the parking lot is FILLED with #BTS fans!
The #BTSARMY is in full effect this morning as they flood @AllegiantStadm purchasing merchandise and more! pic.twitter.com/rnW1NwKz5e
Las Vegas is rolling out the welcome mat, with City Hall lighting up in purple, the color associated with the band, in anticipation of their sold-out weekend performances.
#UPDATE : BTS Army is back again ready for tonight’s show @AllegiantStadm! Some fans have been here since 5 am to purchase merchandise. All four shows have been sold out! #bts #BTSARMY #BTS_THE_CITY_LasVegas #btsfans #lasvegas @KTNV pic.twitter.com/ZcCMdMRcvp
— Abel Garcia (@abelgarcianews) April 8, 2022
"It's crazy that they have four days here and, like, have the whole city turn into a BTS festival.”
Amanda Le has lived in Las Vegas for five years and now can finally see them in her hometown.
"I was kind of expecting it because there are so many thousands of ARMYs coming to Vegas, so it'd be weird if they didn't,” Le said.
Las Vegas is going all-in on BTS. The official Twitter account changed its name to “Borahaegas."
Dropping borafication lights here for your viewing pleasure, starting with @HighRollerVegas reminding us the wild ride this weekend will be!#VegasTurnsPurpleForBTS#Borahaegas#BTS_THE_CITY_LasVegas#PTD_THE_CITY_LV pic.twitter.com/xtBWZw6lhf
— Borahaegas⁷ (@Vegas) April 8, 2022
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Borahae, meaning “purple love” in Korean, is a motto of the band. Anthony Curtis with LasVegasAdvisor.com says this can be compared to the frenzy over U2 (times 10), with tickets selling out in hours.
"It's not usually for four sold-out arena nights. So, I'd say it's the biggest of that sort I've ever heard of,” he said.
Back by popular demand, tonight City Hall will turn purple again for @bts_bighit! 💜
— City of Las Vegas (@CityOfLasVegas) April 7, 2022
It's to welcome the #Kpop superstars & their fans, @BTS_ARMY, to #Vegas.
The group's #Vegas leg of their "Permission to Dance" tour kicks off April 8 at @AllegiantStadm. #BTS #BTSARMY pic.twitter.com/11k2UG1PL5
It is reported that BTS contributed $4.9 billion to the South Korean economy, on par with a company like Korean Air. Curtis says Las Vegas will benefit from this financial juggernaut.
"They may not be a gambling demographic, but everyone's got to eat and they're doing it in two successive weekends — and presumably people will be going to both and staying the entire week,” he said.
All for the chance to see their idols in person.
"Just to see them up close is like a dream come true,” said Cici Chen, a BTS fan from Canada.
