BTS's ARMY invades Vegas but takes no gambles

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BTS's ARMY invades Vegas but takes no gambles

Published: 10 Apr. 2022, 15:37 Updated: 10 Apr. 2022, 16:45

Iconic Las Vegas landmarks turn purple in honor of BTS playing four concerts in the city on April 8,9,15 and 16. [HYBE]

LAS VEGAS, Nevada — In scenes reminiscent of Beatlemania, the doors of the BTS exhibit “Behind the Stage: Permission to Dance” hadn’t even opened and fans were already passing out.

Well, it was one fan and the glaring Nevada sun certainly played a part. But the young BTS fan refused to give up her place in line and instead sipped on a bottle of water while waiting her turn to enter what is described as “5,000 square feet of intimate access to the band's studio-to-stage journey.”

From April 5 to 17, BTS fans in Las Vegas or willing to travel can “Feel the energy of being in the crowd and take a look at exclusive photographs of BTS as they prepare, perform and play,” according to the event’s website.

Tickets are $25 dollars, or $38 if you go for a package that includes postcards. While this may seem steep considering there is another BTS-themed pop-up literally across the street, featuring similar photo ops but free of charge, cost is clearly not an issue to ARMY, the preferred collective moniker for die-hard fans of BTS.

Fans check out behind-the-scenes photos of BTS members preparing for "BTS Permission to Dance On Stage - Las Vegas" concert at the "Behind the Stage: Permission to Dance" exhibition in Las Vegas. [HYBE]

At the head of the line for “Behind the Stage” were a group of four teens who had driven six hours from their hometown in Utah to attend both of the band's live performances at the Allegiant Stadium on April 8 and 9.

Asked how much their trip was costing, 18-year-old Ashlee Hardy said she had done the math.

“Altogether, with like gas and everything, individually I added it up and it was like seven-hundred-something not counting gas so probably about $800 with gas.”

Jasmine Sahu, 17, said she’d been a fan of BTS since 2015 or 2016, while the others only became ARMY conscripts last summer.

“They’re such hard workers,” said 18-year-old Brooklyn Stay.

“I feel like they’re role models in every aspect so I just look up to them a lot,” added Hardy.

“They’re amazing!” the foursome chimed in unison.

Visitors to "BTS Pop-up: Permission to Dance” queue to purchase merchandise such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, blankets and towels. Many items had already sold-out just a few days after the pop-up opened. [HYBE]

In an adjacent lot is "BTS Pop-up: Permission to Dance,” which invites visitors “to dance through multiple installations, interactive experiences […] Starting with a thrilling journey through the band's iconic moments, music videos, and personalities brought to life.” Both exhibits are operated by HYBE, the company behind BTS.

“Our Vegas pop-up is a significantly larger space compared to previous pop-ups,” said Scott Manson, the president of business solutions at HYBE America during a press conference on April 10. "We wanted to be able to host as many local fans and those that traveled to Las Vegas specifically for the concert […] Our immersive experience is on track to host up to 100,00 fans during its run here.

“We wanted to create an experience for the fans to connect with their favorite band by becoming a part of large-scale installations inspired by the music videos of BTS’s biggest hits from their most recent album.”

Also running from April 5 to 17, the pop-up is free and there was already a long line by 10:30 a.m. last Friday.

The entrance to "BTS Pop-up: Permission to Dance,” an immersive exhibition featuring large-scale installations inspired by the music videos of BTS’s biggest hits from its most recent album. [HYBE]

Thalia Juarez, an employee at the merchandise store, said every day had been busy since the opening but things were expected to get “wild” from Friday, when BTS does the first of its four concerts in Las Vegas. She said certain t-shirts, blankets and bucket hats were completely sold out and on average visitors were spending $600 per transaction.

Patiently waiting for two hours to get into the BTS pop-up were Angela and Dorothy Diaz, a mother-daughter duo who traveled from Florida for a BTS-filled weekend. Fifteen-year-old Angela was the original fan. But after Mom accompanied her to the KIIS FM Jingle Ball concert in Los Angeles in December 2021, “I saw them and fell in love with Jin," Dorothy, 45, said. "I was like, ‘Oh my God, he’s so beautiful.'”

While some fans want certain members of BTS, others want to be them.

A 15-minute drive from the two BTS experiences in a vast conference room in the Mandalay Bay resort and casino, hundreds of hopefuls lined-up, all waiting for their chance to audition for seven labels under HYBE Entertainment — Big Hit Music, Belift Lab, Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, KOZ Entertainment, HYBE Labels Japan and HYBE America — over a period of four days.

Hopefuls line up to audition for Big Hit Music, Belift Lab, Source Music, Pledis Entertainment, KOZ Entertainment, HYBE Labels Japan and HYBE America at Mandalay casino and resort. [HYBE]

“About 13,000 signed up online,” said John Jernstad, a member of HYBE America’s communications team. “They don’t audition for a specific label, we set it up so that they can show themselves and their talents to as many labels as possible.

“BTS’s choreographer Son Sung-deuk is actually here today as a special judge,” Jernstad revealed.

“I found out about the audition like three days ago,” said 24-year-old Sade Whittier who traveled from New York City with her mom to audition, plus go to the BTS concert on Friday.

“When I was in school I had a lot of friends from Korea that taught me a lot about the culture and the music that they like so I ended up learning the language and then just getting deeper into it," she said. "I ended up making a whole lot of music that’s K-pop. I have a song that I wrote […] and then I ended up changing some of the lyrics and putting some of the lyrics in Korean. Just in case I prepared a rap too!”

Also in Mandalay Bay is “Café in the City,” a pop-up restaurant with a menu featuring “BTS’ favorites.”

A selection of dishes on offer at “Café in the City,” a pop-up restaurant at Mandalay Bay casino and resort. [HYBE]

The pop-up is the first if its kind in the hotel and the set menu comes with a variety of choices for appetizers, including tteokbooki (spicy rice cake) and gimbap (rice roll), mains such as beef ramyeon and kimchi fried rice and desserts like Korean shaved ice.

While the $60 price tag seems hefty considering that the dishes on the menu would be considered street food in Korea, according to Emmanuel Cornet, the Vice President for Food and Beverage at Mandalay Bay, the cafe has been a hit with all tables booked over the weekend of the band’s first concert.

Clearly ARMY's devotion to BTS runs deep into their wallets.

At the MGM Grand Garden Arena, thousands of fans gathered Friday night to watch “Permission to Dance on Stage Live Play.”

“Live Play” is an in-person live streaming event that takes place every night of BTS’s four Vegas concerts. It's like a parallel concert, with lights and pyrotechnics that mirrored those of the actual concert taking place at the Allegiant Stadium and large screens showing the band’s performance as it happens.

On Friday, ARMY’s energy at the MGM Grand could not be dampened despite almost an hour delay before the show started. They waved their light sticks in unison with fans at the Allegiant Stadium and their screams were deafening when the seven members finally appeared on the big screens.

Fans take pictures at the “Café in the City" pop-up restaurant. [HYBE]

Ten-year-old Devorah Villineva, who lives in Las Vegas, has been a fan of BTS since watching “Squid Game” and falling down a rabbit hole of K-content on TikTok.

She was in the middle of talking about her favorite member Jin when suddenly the crowd went wild as a black-and-white video of the members posing for mugshots began playing.

Tickets to this live-screening start at $60 and go all the way to $170, so there isn’t a huge amount of money to be saved considering prices for the actual concert range between $60 and $275 — although many fans paid much more.

But for many ARMY this was just another BTS event, among the many the so-called entertainment capital of the world is currently hosting, that was worth the price tag.

BY ALANNAH HILL [hill.alannah@gmail.com]