BTS superfan surprised with tickets
You’re never too old to find your new favorite music artist, and Linda Goldman got the best birthday gift from a friend with surprise tickets to BTS’ ARIRANG World Tour stop in Tampa. FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo reports.
TAMPA, Fla. – You’re never too old to find your new favorite music artist, and Linda Goldman got the best birthday gift from a friend with surprise tickets to BTS’ ARIRANG World Tour stop in Tampa.
The backstory:
Learning the group members’ names of K-pop global sensation BTS was just the start for Linda Goldman. She first discovered the South Korean music group years ago after watching K-dramas and going down a rabbit hole to learn more.Â
“I love big band music. I’ve always loved every kind of music. I even like rap a little bit,” Goldman said.Â
Goldman and her longtime friend Marie Rinaldi watched a BTS documentary about the members while they began their stint of mandatory military service, and Rinaldi said she wanted to check attending a BTS concert off Goldman’s bucket list.Â
“When we heard that BTS was coming to Tampa, I knew right then and there, I had to take her [to] that concert. And she’s celebrating her 83rd birthday next week, so that’s her 83rd birthday present from me,” Rinaldi, Goldman’s friend, said.
Dig deeper:
Rinaldi and Goldman will attend the concert with a third friend on Sunday during BTS’s three-show stop in Tampa, kicking off their North American tour.Â
“I think it means a lot to me, and you know, you have certain things you want to do in life. To me, I had a good life. So, it’s the little things now,” Goldman said.
They will have their BTS light stick and coordinating purple outfits to represent ARMY, the fan group for BTS. Rinaldi said she was a little surprised when she first learned about Goldman’s interest in BTS, but she quickly became a fan of their music too.
Goldman said she loves watching the members of BTS dance on stage and during other performances. She was a dancer herself back in the day.
Big picture view:
Now a two-time breast cancer survivor, Goldman appreciates the community that BTS creates. She may be older, but the soon-to-be 83-year-old’s love for K-pop fits right in at Raymond James Stadium, making the birthday bucket list a hit.
“I don’t have any more things to check off. I’m going to have to write some new ones,” Goldman said.
The Source: The information in this story came from interviews with BTS fans attending the concert Sunday, and it was gathered by FOX 13’s Briona Arradondo.