BTS, who are currently on their world tour, are set to hold two concerts in Baltimore, the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland, on the 10th and 11th. Ahead of the two shows at M&T Bank Stadium, local transportation authorities even had to push back the last train departure and add extra services. A music event that could actually change an entire city’s transportation system.
This not only highlights BTS’ immense popularity in the U.S., but such scenes have also become less unusual across the country in recent years. Industry experts have even dubbed this the “Golden Age of Live Performance” to describe the concert boom fueled by BTS that is sweeping across the United States.
Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Wes Moore shared a one-minute video on his social media account on the 9th. Set to BTS’ нιт song “Butter,” Governor Moore, wearing wнιтe headphones, began by showering BTS with praise. It is already unusual for a governor to personally welcome a music act, but the video even featured кσяєαn subtitles alongside the English ones. This shows just how much the local authorities are expecting from the event in terms of its economic and cultural impact.
However, just as excitement among local residents and fans was reaching its peak ahead of the event, a severe weather incident struck, significantly affecting the opening stages of the concert, particularly the highly anticipated soundcheck!
Specifically, at around 4:14 p.m. on the 10th local time, about an hour before the soundcheck was scheduled to begin, the Baltimore area received a notable warning from the National Weather Service (NWS): “TORNADO WARNING in this area until 4:45 PM EDT.” Residents were also urged to take necessary precautions. The warning was issued after weather radar detected signs of rotation that could potentially produce a tornado.
At the time, preparations to welcome concertgoers were already underway at M&T Bank Stadium. However, along with the tornado warning, heavy rain, strong winds, and dark, gray skies were reported around the venue. Fans who had already arrived and were ready for the event were also forced to quickly evacuate to designated shelter areas both outside and inside the stadium.
In response to the situation, M&T Bank Stadium immediately posted an announcement on its official social media account: “Due to inclement weather conditions, BTS VIP soundcheck today has been cancelled. The concert is still scheduled to take place as planned.” The venue also encouraged fans to continue monitoring its official channels for the latest updates.
For fans who had waited for hours to see BTS at the soundcheck, the cancellation was understandably disappointing, and the members of BTS appeared to share the same feelings. After the cancellation was announced, j-hope posted on Instagram with a crying-face emoji, seemingly expressing his disappointment over the υиєχρє¢тє∂ situation. However, the idol also made sure to remind fans to “Stay safe.”
j-hope’s brief message quickly resonated with ARMY. Although мιѕѕιиg the soundcheck was certainly soмєтнing no one wanted, many fans agreed that the safety of both BTS and the au∂ιєnce had to come first.
Meanwhile, in addition to the soundcheck cancellation, the stadium also announced that the gates for general concertgoers would open later than originally scheduled, with the opening time pushed back from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Seeing the worsening weather conditions and these schedule changes, many fans initially feared that not only the soundcheck but the concert itself could be affected, or even canceled if the severe weather continued.
Fortunately, the situation eventually took a positive turn. At 4:22 p.m., the warning area was adjusted, and the tornado warning was officially lifted at 4:45 p.m. Surprisingly, before the concert began, the rain had completely stopped, the winds had ∂ιєd down, and the sky had also begun to clear. As a result, BTS’ first concert night in Baltimore went ahead as scheduled.
One of the most highly anticipated parts of the pre-concert experience could not take place, but more importantly, BTS and thousands of fans were able to safely enjoy the main event they had been looking forward to so much!
