On the first day of BTS's concert in Busan, the entire city was awash in purple. From the Busan Asiad Main Stadium, where the concert was held, to Busan Station and major tourist attractions, ARMYs from both кσяєα and around the world poured into the city, turning Busan into what felt like one giant concert venue. As the Busan shows coincided with the group's 13th anniversary, fans had even higher expectations for the stage BTS would present.
BTS did not disappoint. The group delivered a flawless 180-minute live performance featuring songs from their new album alongside some of the most iconic tracks of their career. In particular, they surprised fans by bringing back two beloved songs, "Paldogangsan" and "Ma City," while also adding "One More Night" to the setlist. Their brand-new opening outfits and the stunning visual production also became major highlights that received widespread praise from the au∂ιєnce.
While BTS's performance was virtually flawless and the concert concluded on a high note, an υиєχρє¢тє∂ behind-the-scenes story quickly caught people's attention: the group was reportedly on the verge of incurring additional venue-related costs because the concert had been significantly delayed!
According to some local fans, many stadiums in South кσяєα have strict venue operating hours designed to minimize disruptions to traffic and nearby residential areas. For BTS's concert, the critical cutoff time was said to be around 10:30 p.m. If the show had not ended before then, the organizers would reportedly have been required to pay additional overtime venue fees and face heavy penalties due to venue costs and functional curfews. Fortunately, despite the delayed start and the compressed schedule, BTS successfully completed the concert's entire timeline, wrapping everything up at approximately 10:27 p.m.
Notably, the reason BTS nearly faced these additional costs was that the concert was delayed by approximately one hour and fifteen minutes due to organizational issues. The show was supposed to begin at 7:00 p.m. and conclude around 9:00 p.m. However, because a large number of attendees had still not completed the entry process by the scheduled start time, BTS had to wait until the situation was resolved before taking the stage. As a result, the group did not begin performing until around 8:15 p.m.
According to reports from кσяєαn media, at approximately 7:05 p.m.—five minutes after the concert was originally scheduled to begin—crowds were still streaming toward the entrance gates while on-site staff announced a temporary suspension of admissions. They explained that there were not enough gifts prepared for attendees and that additional supplies were being transported to the venue, asking fans to wait.
However, criticism quickly mounted, with many arguing that the entry process had been poorly managed long before the concert was supposed to start. Across social media platforms, numerous posts accused the organizers of serious mismanagement, with comments such as: "The metal detectors weren't working, the lines were chaotic, everything was completely disorganized," "I still can't get in because they're out of wristbands," "The entrance was so chaotic that it nearly caused a safety α¢¢ι∂єит," and "There weren't enough staff outside directing people, so I had no idea where to go." Some fans at the venue also reported that many attendees became impatient and began pushing their way forward, causing the queues and barricades to break down. There were even claims that some individuals without tickets managed to enter the stadium.
The BTS members themselves also appeared disappointed with how the situation was handled, expressing their feelings through a series of comments during the Weverse Live broadcast while waiting backstage before going on stage. Meanwhile, following the concert, BigHit Music apologized to fans, writing: "We extend our deepest and most sincere apologies once again to all the au∂ιєnce members who waited for a long time to watch the performance, for causing such great disappointment and inconvenience," and adding that "we will thoroughly review and improve all aspects of on-site operations."
In the end, despite a difficult and frustrating start, BTS and ARMY still came together to create a memorable night. The fact that the concert concluded at approximately 10:27 p.m. ultimately became one of the moments that allowed both the artists and the fans to breathe a sigh of relief. However, that did not mean fans were any less disappointed by the problems caused by the event organizers, with many commenting: "They're pros. They made it perfectly but F*ck busan govt", "Bet they did on purpose. Next time Daegu pls", "It's really understandable why they were in a rush! Yet they maintained professionalism! As expected, BTS", "Busan management is fcked up honestly", "But the one who manages the venue is the cause of the delay. That’s so unfair. Anyways glad they were able to end on time", "hmmm was the delay a coincidence or not? charot",...
