El Paso welcomed BTS and Fans

By Daisy Rodriguez

Contributing Reviewer

Tejano Tribune

BTS left a long-lasting impression on El Paso, thousands of fans showed up for this two-day event that took place on Saturday May 2 and SundayMay 3. Fans came all the way from San Fransico, Austin, Dallas and several fans crossing from Ciudad Juarez Mexico.

El Paso gave BTS a warm welcoming by lighting the city’s “Star on the Mountain” purple for a week, from April 28 to May 4.

 Other business also gave BTS a big welcome, one being Kaedama Ramen located near the Sunbowl Stadium, the Korean pop stars dined here on Thursday before its shows. The restaurant revered the dining room for the singers which is something they never do, but they made an exception. Kaedama also offered a special “K pop Ramyeon” meal. They also said K pop visit one of their busiest days, busier than when Coldplay performed.

Other businesses by the UTEP and Mesa area also supported BTS and had an economic boost. Such as the Litte Shack and Fubatea who parted with an El Paso artist to design BTS merchandise and a themed menu. Several businesses also hosted BTS themed events including karaoke, pre-games and parties. These businesses made the overall BTS experience fun and memorable for their community and tourists.

According to Destination El Paso, the BTS two-day sold-out event was expected to generate between $75 million and $95 million in economic impacts. About 14,000 hotel rooms were reserved for the concert, however fans did report getting their hotel reservations cancelled suddenly. Transportation and hotel reservations were in high demand as well. Thousands of fans were left scrambling looking for other stay options. Some were left frantic and anxious; El Paso hotels must work hard on prepping for reservations and Airbnb’s as well.

Traffic and technology problems arose as crowds of fans overwhelmed the stadium. The process of scanning tickets was disrupted, and one entrance experienced a huge overflow of people. The line exceeded one mile and some fans waited between one to three hours. Some claiming they waited since 3am. Saturday’s show was delayed by over 40 minutes, and Sundays show by 20 minutes. The event was a bit disorganized and chaotic, the Sunbowl Stadium and their crew must work hard to organize their better, to be prepared for thousands of fans, weeks in advance.

However, BTS filled the Sun Bowl Stadium and the city with high energy and emotion.

Many fans claim the event was worth waiting for and enjoyed their overall experience. The performance had fireworks and the singers even spoke in Spanish for the border land city. With BTS performing here, I believe this will pave the way for other major artists to come other than Karol G, Usher and Chris Brown. However, El Paso must be organized for major upcoming events. Their visits are likely to boost El Paso's economy and attract more tourists. I'm excited to see how El Paso will evolve and adapt to these changes.