{"id":238720,"date":"2026-04-20T10:24:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/238720\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T10:24:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T10:24:06","slug":"usf-students-prepare-for-bts-concerts-after-four-year-hiatus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/238720\/","title":{"rendered":"USF students prepare for BTS concerts after four-year hiatus"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>K-pop group BTS will perform three shows in Tampa for its ARIRANG World Tour starting Saturday. ORACLE GRAPHIC\/ISABELLA CRUZ<\/p>\n

After a nearly four-year hiatus, boy band BTS<\/a> has returned to the stage through their ARIRANG World Tour<\/a>, which will land at Raymond James Stadium<\/a> on April 25, 26 and 28.<\/p>\n

For some USF students, this means having the opportunity to see the K-pop group up close and personal.<\/p>\n

For Olivia Pinilla, a senior biology major, attending the band\u2019s concert on Saturday is a chance to experience a \u201cbucket list\u201d performance before graduation.<\/p>\n

Pinilla said she became a fan about four years ago, drawn to the group\u2019s public mission<\/a> of spreading love through music \u2014\u00a0and is excited to see what the band will bring to Tampa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am looking forward to just the culture and the environment, but also just seeing their songs live,\u201d she said. \u201cTheir setlist in South Korea right now is basically their whole new album.\u201d<\/p>\n

BTS is a seven-member South Korean group that started in 2013 and consists of artists RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The K-pop band originally debuted with a hip-hop style<\/a> sound, but has since evolved to call its members \u201c21st Century Pop Icons,\u201d according to BTS\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The tour is named for the group\u2019s fifth studio album, ARIRANG<\/a>, which was released in March and features rap and R&B influences \u2014 reminiscent of the group\u2019s debut style, according to NPR<\/a>.<\/p>\n

BTS\u2019s ARIRANG World Tour<\/a> started in South Korea on April 9 and marks the group\u2019s first full-member performances in North America since its Permission to Dance on Stage<\/a> tour in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is also the group\u2019s first tour since the members began their mandatory military service<\/a> in South Korea in 2022, and finally all returned in mid 2025.<\/p>\n

Their stop in Tampa is also the first time all seven members perform together in Florida.<\/p>\n

While BTS was set to perform in Florida at Orlando\u2019s Camping World Stadium<\/a> in 2021, COVID-19 restrictions ultimately canceled the concert, according to Billboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related: USF Bullstock introduces students to new artists beyond The Driver Era<\/a><\/p>\n

Pinilla said she is attending the BTS concert with her boyfriend and his sister, and said securing a seat at Raymond James Stadium was a collaborative effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy boyfriend\u2019s sister is a huge fan, and she actually got [the tickets] for us,\u201d Pinilla said. \u201cIt was a surprise. I didn\u2019t even know we were going until she told me she managed to get them during the presale.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also said producers on ARIRANG\u2019s album caught her attention, particularly through the track \u201cMerry Go Round,\u201d which was produced with Tame Impala<\/a> \u2014 one of her favorite artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing how it\u2019s an homage to their original sound or style is really cool, because I didn\u2019t start listening to them early on,\u201d Pinilla said. \u201cComparing it and seeing it from a new perspective, now versus then, is really interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the music, Pinilla is looking forward to the physical experience of a stadium show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are ways to connect with people that you might not be able to connect with outside of just the concert,\u201d Pinilla said. \u201cI\u2019m also excited to see people\u2019s outfits. People get so creative with a favorite song, era or style.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also said that she already bought a light stick at Target \u2014 a handheld lamp used in K-pop concerts<\/a> to support artists \u2014 and is excited for the visual experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super excited for the light sticks \u2014 I\u2019ve never had one before,\u201d Pinilla said.<\/p>\n

Related: USF students prepare to welcome hometown star Doechii to Tampa<\/a><\/p>\n

Rachel Dang, a freshman cell and molecular biology major, has been a BTS fan since 2017, when she was in the fifth grade.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like their diversity,\u201d Dang said. \u201cI like how they stay true to themselves, especially early on. They have all these different sounds \u2014 they do rap, R&B and contemporary. They really are diverse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dang is attending the final Tampa performance on April 28, and said the opportunity was a last-minute surprise rather than a planned event.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy friend got tickets right when they dropped, and I was like, \u2018No, it\u2019s too expensive, I\u2019ll just watch it on YouTube,’\u201d Dang said. \u201cThen my parents were like, \u2018[You\u2019re] going to that concert.\u2019 They literally booked it at the end of spring break.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dang said that despite going with a friend, the high demand<\/a> for tickets means they will be sitting in separate sections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re across the stadium, but we\u2019re going to drive together and figure it out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Since Dang is attending the final Tampa concert, she said she is trying to stay off social media to avoid any setlist or surprise spoilers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so excited to see what they\u2019re going to bring, especially after coming back from the military,\u201d Dang said. \u201cThey are very experimental, but they also stay consistent. They have a sound, and you can recognize it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"K-pop group BTS will perform three shows in Tampa for its ARIRANG World Tour starting Saturday. ORACLE GRAPHIC\/ISABELLA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":238721,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-238720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238720"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238720\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}