K-pop sensation BTS to return to US for in-person concerts

BTS poses at the carpet during arrivals ahead of iHeartRadio Jingle Ball concert at The Forum, in Inglewood, California, U.S., Dec. 3, 2021. Image: Reuters/Mario Anzuoni

SEOUL — South Korean boy band BTS will return to the United States for a series of concerts in Las Vegas in April, their agency said on Wednesday.

The concerts, part of their “Permission to Dance on Stage” tour that has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, will be held on April 8 to 9 and 15 to 16, with the last show live-streamed, Bit Hit Music said in a statement.

Since debuting in 2013, BTS has spearheaded a global K-pop craze with catchy, upbeat music and dances, as well as lyrics and social campaigns aimed at empowering young people, many of whom have formed massive online fan bases.

The seven-member group played its first in-person concerts since the onset of the pandemic in November, in Los Angeles, and last week announced it would put on the first shows for their home fans since the pandemic began, with three concerts in the capital, Seoul, next month.

On Tuesday, Big Hit said V, the band’s singer and songwriter whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, had recovered from a coronavirus infection.

He was the band’s fifth member to contract COVID-19, including three who tested positive in December shortly after their return from the U.S. shows.

As the pandemic spread in 2020, the band postponed and then called off what was meant to be their biggest international tour involving nearly 40 concerts. They held some online shows instead. JB

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