A little cold weather is no match for ARMY — especially if it’s in the way of seeing BTS live.
After returning from a hiatus with their new album Arirang on Friday (March 20), BTS put on their first U.S. show in four years at Manhattan’s Pier 17 on Monday (March 23). The performance was part of an invite-only event put on in collaboration between the band and Spotify called “Spotify x BTS: Swimside.”
Though New York City experienced some unusually warm weather the week leading up to the show, by Monday, temperatures were in the 40s (Fahrenheit) and below. An outdoor rooftop venue overlooking Manhattan’s Seaport neighborhood, Pier 17 is particularly vulnerable to any drops in temperature. Tack on light rain and fog, and the conditions for Swimside certainly weren’t favorable.
Despite the less-than-stellar weather, after ARMY learned about the show’s location earlier in the day, many of them queued up outside the venue hoping to snag a spot close to the stage. In the end, 1,000 fans lucky enough to be invited braved the cold and rain and made their way to the Seaport to see their favorite K-pop group. In return, they were treated to a Q&A with BTS hosted by British singer-songwriter Suki Waterhouse and a live performance of three of BTS’ new tracks.
Although they were under bright stage lights for the show, BTS was not immune to the cold weather that their fans endured for them. On Tuesday (March 24), Jimin sent out a message via Hybe’s social platform Weverse acknowledging the low temperatures and thanking fans for coming out anyway.
“I thought I was too cold during yesterday’s concert, so I was worried,” the singer wrote before saying he’s sure that fans were also cold and apologizing. “Thank you so much for waiting for us.” He closed with a final word of gratitude to the fans: “Thank you ARMY.”
BTS will embark on a massive world tour next month, putting on 79 concerts across 34 regions. While we hope that the weather conditions are perfect for each show, we know that either way, ARMY will show up and show out.
