BTS Army, it’s almost time to get in formation.
With just weeks to go before BTS arrives at Rogers Stadium for two sold-out nights, concert promoter Live Nation is giving fans their first glimpse at the concert experience, which includes a dedicated merchandise day and fan activities around the venue.
The K-pop superstars will make their Toronto debut with concerts on Aug. 22 and 23, but the festivities begin long before a single note is performed. On Aug. 21, fans will have the chance to shop for hoodies, shirts and other tour merchandise during a special pre-show shopping day.
Live Nation says opening merchandise sales a day early is intended to give fans a chance to stock up before concert day and help ease long lineups at the on-site booths.
Fans hoping to camp overnight outside the 50,000-capacity venue will have to make other plans. Rogers Stadium says its longstanding ban on overnight camping and lineups will remain in place, although the grounds will open early on both concert days. Additional details, including gate opening times, will be shared through the Rogers Stadium app and emailed to ticketholders in the weeks leading up to the shows.
Rogers Stadium itself will also look a little different. Its usual concert configuration will be transformed to accommodate BTS’s signature 360-degree stage, which has travelled with the group throughout its Arirang World Tour.
Organizers said the stadium will include expanded merchandise areas, themed photo opportunities and other fan experiences throughout the venue.
The updates come as Rogers Stadium enters one of the busiest stretches of its inaugural season on Wednesday, with Colombian superstar Karol G kicking off a run of blockbuster concerts that also includes Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses and BTS next month.
Live Nation has spent the past few months addressing complaints about the stadium, which include some residents saying the noise was travelling as far away as Thornhill. Other improvements have been made, including adding more shaded areas around the facilities and shortening the amount of time it takes for concertgoers to exit the property.
For 21-year-old BTS fan Gabriella Graham, the countdown to the upcoming concerts has been years in the making.
“It’s one of those things that I’ve been waiting for since I was a kid,” she told the Star.
Graham had tickets to see BTS in Toronto six years ago, before the pandemic forced those concerts to be cancelled. Since then, she’s waited for the group to complete its mandatory military service and return to touring. She bought tickets for the second Toronto show at about $500 each.
This time, she’s bringing her sister along partly, she joked, as emotional support.
“I know from the moment that concert starts, I’ll cry,” Graham said.
“That’s why I didn’t want to make a crazy outfit, because I know my makeup isn’t going to last.”
Anticipation for the BTS performances has been building, including at city hall. Last week, two councillors introduced a motion to temporarily rename a stretch of Yonge Street from North York Boulevard to Finch Avenue as “BTS Boulevard.”
Coun. Lily Cheng introduced the motion, which was seconded by Coun. James Pasternak and also called for the Toronto sign to be lit purple on show nights.
