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Music & Entertainment

BTS, TWICE to lead restart of K-pop global live concerts

BTS to perform in LA from Nov. 27; TWICE to kick off world tour in Seoul on Nov. 24

By Nov 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)

2 Min read

BTS performs at the BTS Permission to Dance on Stage online concert held Oct. 24 (Courtesy of Big Hit Music, the label under HYBE)
BTS performs at the BTS Permission to Dance on Stage online concert held Oct. 24 (Courtesy of Big Hit Music, the label under HYBE)

K-pop artists such as BTS and TWICE are set to resume global live concerts – suspended by the global pandemic for about two years – as countries around the world begin to relax their anti-COVID-19 measures.

South Korean entertainment companies’ earnings are expected to significantly improve as concerts usually contribute the most to profits in the music industry, analysts said.

BTS, the world’s top boy band, is scheduled to hold a series of concerts in Los Angeles, titled BTS Permission to Dance on Stage-LA on Nov. 27-28 and Dec. 1-2 at the city’s SoFi Stadium, according to its agency HYBE Co. The last time BTS opened a live concert was in October of 2019, prior to the spread of the pandemic, in Seoul.

Members of ARMY, its global fandom, are whipped into a frenzy as they have been desperately waiting for the band’s live concerts. Tickets for the show were sold out almost simultaneously with the start of pre-orders last month. Resale tickets were traded at up to tens of thousands of dollars. Most of the accommodation near the SoFi Stadium was also fully booked.

Artists of JYP Entertainment Inc. and SM Entertainment Co. also plan to resume live concerts. TWICE is set to kick off a world tour starting with a concert at Olympic Park KSPO DOME in Seoul on Nov. 24-26. The nine-member girl band plans to hold concerts in five major US cities – LA, Oakland, Dallas, Atlanta and New York – in February 2022.
BTS, TWICE to lead restart of K-pop global live concerts


Boy band NCT 127 is slated to hold its second world tour beginning with a concert titled NCT 127 2ND Tour NEO CITY: Seoul - The Link on Nov. 17-19 in the capital of South Korea.

A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL

ATEEZ, an eight-member boy group, also plans a world tour, with a concert in Seoul in January of next year and 12 cities around the globe such as LA, New York, London, Paris and Madrid. Other musicians including MONSTA X and VERYVERY announced global concert plans.

K-pop artists have already treated South Korean music fans to live concerts. About 3,000 audience members gathered for the 2021 World K-Pop Concert in the country on Nov. 14 where singers such as aespa and SHINee Key performed.

The restart of live concerts is expected to improve local entertainment companies’ earnings, analysts said.

“Concert tours usually generate large profits with the highest unit price in the music industry, but they have been suspended for about two years,” said HI Investment & Securities analyst Park Da-gyum.

“K-pop artists’ planned world tours will grow to a whole different level from ones before COVID-19, given the potential influx of new fandom that will be confirmed by long pent-up demand and a rise in album exports.”

Write to Soo-Young Seong at syoung@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.
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