In El Paso, the entire city was immersed in a festive atmosphere as BTS set foot here for the first time to hold a concert, marking their return to performing in the United States after four years. The city government even presented BTS with a special award called “Estimado Amigo” (Esteemed Friend), while officially declaring the concert dates (from May 2 to May 3) as “El Paso BTS Weekend.”

Needless to say, fans grew even more excited as the performance date approached. Local fans in El Paso had already organized welcoming activities in advance, notably fundraising efforts to light up the “Star on the Mountain” — a symbol of the city — in BTS’s signature purple to greet the group. Meanwhile, on May 2, many hours before the concert began, fans had already gathered around the stadium to take photos, shop, and prepare to enter.

However, in stark contrast to the early excitement, an υиєχρє¢тє∂ incident occurred that significantly dampened the mood: the first day of the concert could not start on time as scheduled (8 PM local time, equivalent to 11 AM KST) and was delayed by nearly 50 minutes.

According to on-site reports, the main cause of the delay lay in the stadium’s organization and entry control. Even close to showtime, hundreds of ARMYs were still lined up outside waiting to check in. This entire entry process should have been completed before the show, ideally at least 15 minutes prior to the start. In response to the situation, BTS ultimately decided to wait until most ticket-holding fans had entered and settled before beginning the performance.

Another serious issue arising from the congestion was the looseness in security procedures. As time became increasingly tight, checks on attendees and their bags were rushed and lacked thoroughness, raising concerns about safety for both the crowd and the artists.

One fan shared her firsthand experience: “Gosh I'd be crying as fυ¢к if I'm attending a concert and I have to still stand out while the concert started inside due to stadium disorganisation… they waited for almost an hour and the stadium still couldn't let all in??? how can it be that bad arrangement.”

Meanwhile, other attendees pointed out that part of the chaos during check-in on the first day in El Paso stemmed from individuals without tickets deliberately blending into the crowd, while ticketed fans were also lining up, and the stadium had too few entry points. One ARMY reported: “Floor doesn’t even have protection for when they come out. Literally not even a plastic security line NOTHING.”

Another fan witnessed that some individuals had even successfully slipped in without tickets, laughing and discussing how easy it was to get through. Yet another fan added: “Not only that, there are many of them walking around the esplanade inside the stadium. Security has told them several times to go sit down and they won't do it. There are no security barriers. Those gringas are an embarrαѕѕment, a total disaster.”

Many opinions also suggested that part of the problem came from the fact that the stadium is more accustomed to hosting sports events, where crowd behavior and arrival times are less concentrated than at concerts. Particularly for K-pop shows, where fans tend to arrive very early and gather all at once, many venues lack experience in handling such scale and dynamics.

On the other hand, due to their familiarity with coordinating sports events—where queuing culture is generally more relaxed—security teams at these stadiums often appear unprepared and unsure how to handle a mαѕѕive influx of people arriving simultaneously. The lack of protective barriers and specialized crowd management procedures turned the venue into a logistical disaster, worsening the fan experience and compromising safety.

Although the love and enthusiasm that fans have for BTS were not diminished by this incident, what angered them most was how the stadium disrupted the completeness of the emotional experience for both ARMYs and BTS, leaving a negative impression despite local fans having waited a long time for this opportunity. They expressed their frustration:

- They couldn't delay it any longer due to contractual issues. I hope the organizers of El Paso don't repeat this situation tomorrow

- This is their first impression with El paso, trust me they ain't coming back. A complete organizational disaster 

- This is crazy. Do they never organized any concert before? Wtf does El paso management is doing  

- Events like this, especially, require thorough planning. Security and management must come first

- The least positive thing I'm expecting from El Paso is to give my boys good concert experience

- They had so much time, yet from the very start, they haven't been able to do even half of what Tampa did. I just hope nothing happens to the boys

- It's outrageous that they had days to put together a good organization, and all they did was stupid things for social media... Hopefully, this will serve as a lesson for other countries and they will start organizing things properly for the good of the fans and BTS.

- I hope most army were able to get inside the venue. I can imagine having to still wait outside while the concert is going on

- El Paso must not have celebrities EVERRRRRRR cause they way everyone acting there omggggggggggg

- Honestly, I don't think they'll come back. The disorganization was just too much, on top of all the harαѕѕment

- What an awful organization. I feel bad for fans still being outside