On Jan. 13, Korean-pop sensation BTS formally announced their comeback with a new album and\u00a0a\u00a0highly\u00a0anticipated\u00a0tour.\u00a0The group is\u00a0set to\u00a0uphold\u00a0their title\u00a0as the world\u2019s biggest boy band,\u00a0and for the first time in their career,\u00a0their\u00a0world tour\u00a0will include\u00a0a stop in the Sun City.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2022, millions\u00a0of fans\u00a0were devastated to learn that\u00a0each\u00a0member of BTS would\u00a0have to\u00a0complete the 18-month\u00a0mandatory\u00a0military service\u00a0required of\u00a0South Korean men,\u00a0resulting\u00a0in a\u00a0nearly four-year\u00a0band hiatus. Last year, Jimin, RM, Jungkook, V\u00a0and Suga were discharged, following Jin and J-Hope in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The members pursued solo projects during the hiatus, but nothing compares to witnessing all seven together, according to\u00a0senior\u00a0Arielle Alonzo\u00a0who has\u00a0followed\u00a0the group since 2015.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs someone who has been able to experience both a BTS concert and the members\u2019 solo concerts, I could say that while it\u2019s amazing to see how each individual shines, seeing them all together is just a different type of energy,\u201d Alonzo said. \u201cAll the members are like pieces of a puzzle, and not one is complete without the other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alonzo\u00a0said she initially assumed it was a prank when she\u00a0heard that the band would be performing at UTEP\u2019s Sun Bowl stadium\u00a0on\u00a0May\u00a02 and 3.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was completely shocked, and I thought that it was fake because, \u2018What do you mean the BTS is coming here?\u2019\u201d Alonzo\u00a0said.\u00a0\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until\u00a0FitFam\u00a0had posted the news that it really clicked that they were truly coming here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Due to financial constraints, academic\u00a0obligations\u00a0and other commitments, many students\u00a0knew\u00a0traveling to see the band\u00a0would not\u00a0be possible. However, when the El Paso concert dates were\u00a0announced,\u00a0the opportunity\u00a0became a reality for students like\u00a0junior\u00a0Adriana Arenas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was ecstatic to see that among the tour dates was El Paso,\u201d Arenas said.\u00a0\u201dI\u00a0screamed and ran to tell my partner that BTS was coming here for not one date but two. I\u00a0immediately\u00a0began to make plans with my best friends to secure tickets as a group.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Online,\u00a0El Paso\u00a0has been\u00a0viewed\u00a0as the\u00a0unexpected stop on\u00a0the tour schedule, given that\u00a0larger\u00a0Texas cities\u00a0such as\u00a0Houston and San Antonio\u00a0are not currently listed.\u00a0While this\u00a0contradicts the saying \u201cnothing happens in El Paso,\u201d\u00a0hosting the\u00a0concert in the border region is\u00a0seen as a\u00a0strategic\u00a0marketing move, attracting\u00a0a binational audience\u00a0from\u00a0both the United States and Mexico.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moreover, a rise in visitors, hospitality and sales during the week of the event is anticipated to boost El Paso\u2019s economy. In June of last year, a record-breaking attendance of two Coldplay shows at the Sun Bowl stadium brought in\u00a0$6 million<\/a>\u00a0for the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sophomore\u00a0Annapaula Lopez,\u00a0who has waited\u00a0years to see\u00a0BTS perform\u00a0live,\u00a0said\u00a0the\u00a0concert will\u00a0be\u00a0especially\u00a0memorable because it\u00a0is being\u00a0held at UTEP.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI feel so proud that BTS is coming to my school,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cThey are people who have worked very hard to achieve what they have; they have helped so many people in so many ways, and the fact that they are coming to the place where I study is something very special and important to me, and I know it is for many [miners] too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Tickets for the BTS 2026 World Tour\u00a0went\u00a0on sale to the\u00a0general public\u00a0on Jan.\u00a024.\u00a0While securing\u00a0seats before they\u00a0sold\u00a0out\u00a0was\u00a0a challenge, the news of their debut appearance on El Paso grounds has already delivered an unexpected flash of joy\u00a0to students\u00a0across campus.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The band\u2019s\u00a0arrival\u00a0further\u00a0establishes\u00a0El Paso\u00a0as\u00a0an emerging\u00a0destination\u00a0for major\u00a0artists\u00a0on\u00a0tours.\u00a0<\/p>\n