BTS make history at Mexico’s National Palace as 50,000 fans gather
BTS drew around 50,000 fans to Mexico City’s Zócalo after meeting President Claudia Sheinbaum at the National Palace.
South Korea’s seven-member boy band BTS have created a sensation in Mexico, drawing a crowd of nearly 50,000 people who gathered to welcome them as they appeared on the balcony of the National Palace, or Palacio Nacional, in the heart of Mexico City’s Zócalo square.
The seven members — Kim Nam-joon (RM), Kim Seok-jin (Jin), Min Yoon-gi (Suga), Jung Ho-seok (J-Hope), Park Ji-min (Jimin), Kim Tae-hyung (V) and Jeon Jung-kook (Jung Kook) — were invited by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to visit the National Palace as distinguished guests.
They were also given the opportunity to greet the crowds who had packed the Zócalo, creating a historic scene for the modern music industry. The moment recalled Beatlemania in the 1960s, when The Beatles appeared on the balcony of the St George Hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, on June 20, 1964.
It also evoked iconic moments from the 1990s, when the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, would often step out onto hotel balconies to wave to vast crowds of fans during concert tours around the world.
Boosting the local economy and bridging cultures
BTS visited Mexico’s National Palace for about 40 minutes at the invitation of President Sheinbaum, who presented the group with a commemorative plaque. The inscription said BTS had “inspired Mexican youth through music and contributed to the building of communities founded on respect for culture, empathy, diversity and peace”.
Appearances on the balcony of Mexico’s National Palace are normally reserved for major national occasions, such as Independence Day. An appearance by foreign artists at the site was unprecedented in Mexican history.
Sheinbaum described the event as a “historic moment” and praised BTS as a group that sends messages of friendship, peace and love to people around the world.
BTS appeared on the balcony for about five minutes and spoke in Spanish and English to thank ARMY, the name of the group’s fandom, for waiting for hours in the sun to support them.
RM, the group’s leader, said: “We can’t wait to perform at tomorrow’s concert. Let’s have fun together. Te amo. Te quiero. Muchas gracias.”
V said that although he was not very good at Spanish, he wanted to try speaking the language. “We miss you. We really missed Mexico. The energy here is amazing. Thank you so much for loving us. See you next time,” he said.
Before heading back inside, V also shouted in Spanish: “Mucho picante!” — meaning “very spicy” — followed by Jung Kook, the group’s youngest member, who thanked fans in Spanish by saying “gracias”.
The Mexico Chamber of Commerce expects BTS’s three concerts at Estadio GNP Seguros on May 7, 9 and 10 to generate around US$107.5 million, or more than 3.4 billion baht, for the local economy.
‘Blue dot fever’ as weak economy weighs on concerts
At the same time, several global artists, including Post Malone, Meghan Trainor, Zayn Malik and The Pussycat Dolls, have announced concert-tour cancellations in several cities. Several K-pop acts have also made similar moves, including (G)I-DLE, which cancelled its entire North American tour this year.
Although the artists cited different reasons in official announcements from their labels, including health concerns and logistical issues, leading entertainment media have reported that the real reason was low ticket sales that made the tours financially unviable.
Page Six News cited industry insiders as saying that Post Malone and several other artists had been hit by “blue dot fever”, a term used to describe unsold tickets. The phrase refers to the blue dots that appear on Ticketmaster seating charts to show seats that remain available.
Against the backdrop of a sluggish global economy, audiences’ purchasing power has also weakened. As a result, only artists with large and highly loyal fan bases, such as Taylor Swift and BTS, are seen as capable of selling out stadium-scale concerts.
For BTS, who announced 82 concert dates worldwide in 2026 after an almost four-year group hiatus while the members completed mandatory military service, every announced show has sold out. This has given rise to the term “BTSnomics” — a blend of BTS and economics — to describe the global economic impact generated by the group.
