BTS’ Comeback Concert Draws Record-Breaking Audience in Seoul

Over 250,000 fans congregated in Seoul on Saturday to witness BTS’ comeback show, an audience that set the record for the largest-ever public concert in South Korea.

While only 22,000 fans were given a “Golden Ticket” in the designated seating area at the group’s first full gig in four years, over 10 times that many more gathered in the vicinity to watch the free concert on video screens, CNN reports.

The Comeback Live – Arirang, which also streamed live on Netflix, featured the debut performance of eight songs off BTS’ just-released new album Arirang — including “Body to Body,” “Aliens,” “Normal,” and “2.0” — as well as the group’s past hits like “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and “Mic Drop.”

The concert took place despite a last-minute injury to BTS member RM, who was confined to a chair while his band mates danced around the stage; earlier this week, BTS’ label Big Hit said that RM suffered “a sprain of the accessory navicular, a partial ligament tear, and a talus contusion (which includes ligament damage and inflammation,” and that “RM’s on-stage performance, including choreography, will be partially limited.”

Following the release of their fifth studio album Arirang on Friday, BTS is also set to embark on an 82-date world tour beginning April 9. Ahead of the tour, BTS are also slated perform in the U.S. on March 23 for the Spotify x BTS: SWIMSIDE event, their first gig stateside since the band went on hiatus due to South Korea’s mandatory military service, as well as visit The Tonight Show.