Korean Singalongs and Tears as Purple Cheers Sweep Across LA
At BTS’ First Full-Group LA Concert Since 2021
70,000 fans celebrate BTS’ full-group return
“We trusted their promise to come back”
Fans forge bonds by sharing handmade merchandise
BTS concert in Los Angeles filled SoFi Stadium with Korean singalongs, tears and deafening cheers as the K-pop superstars returned to the city’s stage as a full group for the first time in nearly five years.
Fans had waited and waited. It had been nearly five years.
As the silhouettes of the BTS members appeared onstage, tens of thousands of fans erupted in unison. A teenage fan from Mexico wept uncontrollably. It was the moment a long wait—prolonged by the COVID-19 pandemic and the members’ mandatory military service—finally came to an end.
On Sept. 1, SoFi Stadium in Inglewood was packed with more than 70,000 members of BTS’ fandom, known as ARMY, who had been awaiting the group’s return. It was BTS’ first full-group performance in Los Angeles since 2021.
BTS Concert in Los Angeles Ends a Years-Long Wait
Amaia Miramontes, 14, discovered BTS in 2022, around the time Jin announced that he would begin his military service. She effectively entered the fandom just as the group’s military hiatus began.
“I trusted the members when they promised they would return, but I was also worried that they might not be able to perform together again as a full group,” she said. “That makes today even more emotional and joyful.”
Amaia traveled from Mexico with her family to attend the concert.
Her father, Sergio Miramontes, 58, said the family decided to make the trip to Los Angeles after failing to secure tickets for BTS’ concert in Mexico in May.
“We couldn’t go because all the tickets sold out, so we made the big decision to come to LA,” he said.
His wife, Adriana Rosas, 49, smiled as she added, “People our age also love BTS’ music and come to their concerts.”
Strangers Become Friends Through ARMY Culture
BTS fans share a distinctive culture. The name “ARMY” alone can quickly bring strangers together.
Even before the concert began, fans welcomed one another by exchanging handmade slogans, keychains, bracelets and photo cards. Purple merchandise symbolizing BTS and ARMY was also visible throughout the venue.
Whenever someone walked by or paused to rest in the shade, another fan would approach with a smile and offer a handmade gift. Before long, the reporter’s hands were filled with an assortment of merchandise.
Giving away free fan-made items is a familiar tradition within the ARMY community. Through these exchanges, fans share a sense of belonging and their connection as supporters of BTS.
Annie Tran, 33, of Arcadia handed out merchandise she had made for the concert.
“It is a way of passing on to other fans the connection and comfort I felt through BTS’ music,” Tran said. “BTS helped me endure a personally difficult period, and I think other ARMY members can relate to that feeling.”
For many fans, the hiatus had been a test of patience.
Megan Diaz-Landa, 23, Noemi Huerta, 19, and Sarai Huerta, 23, traveled from Modesto. Looking back on the past four years, they described it as “a sad and heartbreaking time.”
“We promised one another that when BTS returned to the stage as a full group, we would go to a concert together,” they said. “That is why we came to this show.”
Korean Lyrics Echo Throughout SoFi Stadium
According to BTS’ agency, HYBE, more than 70,000 people attended the BTS concert in Los Angeles that day.
Fans of different backgrounds chanted each member’s name with unmistakable clarity. They sang along in unison—even to rapid-fire Korean rap verses. For a moment, it was easy to forget that the stadium was in Los Angeles rather than Korea.
The cool LA evening offered little relief inside the venue. Just 10 minutes after the performance began, jackets had to come off.
The crowd’s thunderous cheers, the music blasting from massive speakers and the energy radiating from BTS’ performance could be felt directly in the chest.
After nearly five years of waiting, the concert marked a flawless full-group return to the LA stage—one that instantly painted the City of Angels purple.
