The New York City heat was no match for hundreds of BTS fans.
Devotees of the K-pop group -or the “Army” as they call themselves- began lining up as early as last Monday morning outside Central Park along 5th Avenue to see BTS singer and heartthrob Jungkook perform on “Good Morning America” Summer Concert Series on Friday morning.
Laura had come all the way from Denmark to see Jungkook’s solo debut on Rumsey Playfield in Central Park. She arrived Wednesday morning and shared an air mattress with her new-found friend Raquel from Florida.
They met through Twitter after Raquel had posted on the social media network that she had an extra ticket for the concert. Laura jumped on the chance to see Jungkook hitting the stage even though she was scared to tell her mom about her adventure.
“I was like, ‘Oh, she’s gonna think I’m so irresponsible.’ But she was actually very happy for me,” Laura said.
Raquel said Jungkook was “the most amazing person ever.”
“He makes me so happy, and his music is just so beautiful and helps me when I feel bad,” she said.
Some, like friends Ty, Catherine, and Vicenta from Austin, Texas, had rented a hotel room and took turns holding a spot in a line that stretched from 72nd Street down 65th Street while the others went for a bathroom break or a shower.
The three met through a BTS Facebook group and have been going to events together.
“It’s just kind of not only as a fan [of] their music but also kind of for me, I’m a fan of just the fan base,” Vincenta explained. “Because you just really meet some amazing people [at] these events.”
The first group in line wasn’t too keen on sharing their names because they were skipping work and didn’t want their bosses to find out they had been camping outside Central Park since Monday. However, one shared that some of the 14 Jungkook fanatics were local, and some hailed from Texas and Los Angeles, and that they had been killing time “working remotely.”
While most fans stood in line personally, others had hired “Same Ole Line Dudes, LLC,” a company that provides professional line sitters to stand in line for them until Friday morning.
Robert Samuel, the company’s founder and CEO, told amNewYork in a phone interview that he has been in business for ten years, and the rate was $25 an hour, with a minimum of two hours.
“If somebody has to wait on the sidewalk for anything, people call us,” Samual said. “We have some people that are [at Central Park] now, and we have about four or five more people coming in the next hour or two.”
When asked what was so appealing about BTS and Jungkook, the overwhelming response was the positive messages the pop group’s songs convey and the solidarity among BTS fans.
19-year-old Chanel has been a BTS fan since 2015. The Boston resident started camping out late Wednesday afternoon after she arrived from Beantown by bus.
Chanel said BTS and Jungkook gave her confidence and allowed her to be herself and love herself.
“They make the world a better place,” Chanel said.
Heather and Brianna hailed from Virginia and Maryland, respectively, and shared that they are in a 36-member strong BTS group chat. The youngest is 20, and the oldest is 73.
“We have sleepovers and parties and whatnot,” 20-year-old Brianna said. “All of us get along super well, and like, it’s just really interesting because the majority of my friend group is like 30 years plus.”
Unfortunately, those who were in attendance were unable to enjoy a full show due to the weather. Due to torrential downpours, the concert was unable to go on live. Fan-favorite Jungkook bypassed soundcheck, performing three songs before audiences were abruptly asked to leave for safety concerns.
Ty, Catherine, and Vicenta arrived Thurday morning from Austin, Texas, to see Yungkook perform in Central Park on Fridaya. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
