[Sportschosun reporter Lee Ji-hyun] BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) sent a message through music at the first stop of its North American tour after boycotting the Grammy Awards, while fans around the world joined in solidarity by holding up signs reading, "There are no outsiders in art."
According to JTBC on the 3rd, BTS announced that it would skip next year's Grammy Awards and then kicked off its North American tour on the 1st local time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. MetLife Stadium is a symbolic venue where major stars of American pop music perform, and it also hosted the FIFA World Cup final halftime show just two weeks ago.
The concert drew a total of 160,000 spectators over two days. The songs performed on stage went beyond a simple show and became a message in themselves. In particular, leader RM added meaning by changing the lyrics of the 9-year-old hit "MIC Drop" to fit the performance, singing, "People who curse will keep cursing anyway, and we'll just keep going our own way. We were born in Korea, so they don't really know us."
At the end of the concert, the BTS fandom ARMY (ARMY) raised signs prepared in advance to cheer on BTS. Messages such as "BTS brought unity, and the Grammys brought division," "What use is the Grammys when we have ARMY?" and "Beyond labels, music belongs to us" drew attention at the venue.
Earlier, the Grammy Awards created a separate category for Asian music. In response, BTS declined to take part in the ceremony, saying, "We hope music can be loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language."
Support from fans has since grown even stronger. BTS's song "Aliens" has been reexamined for its message criticizing a society that separates "outsiders" from the "mainstream," and it has climbed back up the charts four months after its release.
Hashtags and posters such as "There are no outsiders in art" and "We support BTS" have also been widely shared on social media, continuing a wave of solidarity among fans worldwide.
Meanwhile, BTS opened the second leg of its North American tour in East Rutherford. The next concert will be held on the 5th and 6th at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, the United States. BTS is the first Korean artist to hold a solo concert at Gillette Stadium.
olzllovely@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
