BTS are currently on a short break before heading to North αмєяι¢α for the next leg of their world tour. According to the plan, BTS will kick off their North αмєяι¢α leg on April 25 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The group will hold three consecutive shows there before moving on to El Paso in early next month.

Initially, the schedule only included two nights on April 25 and 26. However, due to tickets selling out rapidly and overwhelming fan demand, the company decided to add a third show. This will also mark the first time BTS meet ARMY in Tampa, making the anticipation among fans more electrifying than ever.

Fans’ excitement has quickly translated into posts sharing concert-going tips across social media platforms. Many local ARMY have proactively reminded others about the harsh weather conditions, saying: “To Armys who are not from Florida, just a reminder that RayJay is an open stadium… I recommend bringing a small rechargeable fan and a hat… Hydrate yourself.” In addition, fans have also been warning each other about strict regulations regarding bag and backpack sizes when entering the venue.

Meanwhile, just days before the tour begins, BIGHIT MUSIC posted an important notice on X to warn fans about the illegal sale of merchandise. “In conjunction with the upcoming BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ in North αмєяι¢α beginning Saturday, April 25 in Tampa, Florida and running through Wednesday, May 20 in Las Vegas, Nevada, we will be carrying out on-site monitoring near the venue, surrounding areas, and in the cities to protect the BTS’s intellectual property and the interests of our fans.”

The notice clearly states that these measures are intended to prevent the production, distribution, and sale of products that unlawfully use BTS’s image, name, or trademarks. At the same time, the company urges ARMY not to purchase unofficial or unauthorized goods.

It is known that during previous BTS tours, as well as solo tours by the members, ticket scalping and the sale of counterfeit or unofficial merchandise have been quite common. Many individuals have taken advantage of the group’s popularity to sell products of unclear origin or those that violate trademark rights at high prices. Others line up early to purchase large quantities of official merchandise at booths, only to resell them later at heavily inflated prices.

Another fan shared what they recently witnessed at BTS’s concert in Goyang: “When i was at goyang, resellers where there. there’s also a certain demographic as well who does this and they are very organized. they operate in groups which i feel is why they can buy loads of the merch and sell it.”

Notably, these activities go beyond illegal trading and have negatively affected the overall fan experience. There have been multiple reports of vendors aggressively soliciting, disturbing, or even harαѕѕing concertgoers around the venue.

One fan recounted their experience: “In NYC the vendors selling unofficial merch was insane the last few times I went for the members solo concerts. They would literally harαѕѕ ppl walking towards the venue and ppl in line. I can only imagine how much worse it would be now.”

Therefore, BIGHIT MUSIC’s latest announcement on strengthening monitoring and enforcement is seen as a necessary step to ensure a safe, orderly, and fair concert environment for all fans. However, in reality, many fans have also pointed out that announcements like these from BigHit have not had as much practical impact as the company claims. Some fans have also expressed their opinions following this new notice:

- Thousands of people are making money off the logo and army logo and bts members names without being cracked down on. Push them into jail

- Go after the scalpers and bootleg merch, sure. But alienate fans by going after freebies and we'll turn you right back into that little no budget label you started as

- It’s good that they are cracking down on people selling fake merchandise outside the venue

- I hope that includes scalpers! Karma for those who hoard not giving other ARMYS opportunity to buy a ticket or resale to profit

- Not to be mean, but you guys need to do a better job managing official merch. At the Goyang concert, I saw Chinese resellers stockpiling items and selling them for two or three times the original price

- You issued a crackdown notice for the Goyang concert too, but the streets were still flooded with illegal merchandise sellers as soon as you нιт Daehwa Station. Are you actually cracking down on them? Or are you just looking around the perimeter of the venue?