In case you didn’t know, K-Pop mega group BTS is currently on a huge World Tour…and my entire family spent two nights in a row witnessing this event in our hometown of El Paso.

Now, there will be likely be those (without reading this post) who will comment “they aren’t real music and they look like girls”. That’s fine. You don’t have to like them. But do know they worked their butts off to get where they are, and are accomplished producers and multi instrumentalists. Plus these “girls” are all now military veterans including a drill sergeant, a Special Forces member, and an MP. One of them is also an boxer.

My oldest daughter was already into KPop when these men were still boys, and drew us all in before well before the explosion that it is having now. This show was the most energy-filled, feel-good experience I (as a longtime concertgoer) have ever been to, and it wasn’t just the group itself.

It was the BTS ARMY (fandom) literally glowing throughout the stadium with their “BTS Bomb” light sticks syncing to the music. Yes, we own three. It was the handing out and trading of freebies (many homemade) to everyone who wanted it. It was the concert outfits some people spent months to create. It was the handmade signs and pennants from those hoping to catch the eye of their bias.

Most of all, it was about connections. Two nights of successful shows brought a record-breaking 101,000+ people to the Sun Bowl over the weekend. And tickets weren’t cheap. That’s not an easy feat. When people can “just watch on YouTube” or balk at spending money on movie tickets, BTS drew people out of their homes and their safe “eww, people” environments, to travel to a desert city from all over the world to be part of a concert.

Was this event without it’s snags? Of course, not. We’re not that big of city, so there were issues with lines and hotel “supply and demand” price hikes. There was also a big comic con with several celebrity guests and two other music fests happening in town. It was pretty packed. Everything has its negatives. The bottom line for our city was, according to local officials and sites like Destination El Paso, BTS’s two-day jaunt at the Sun Bowl brought in about $75 million to $95 million to the community. Not to mention the smaller surrounding cities in West Texas and New Mexico getting some overflow. People visited museums, restaurants, saw some of the tourist sites spent some serious money.

When they left, ARMY continued to post their photos of the experience showing where they visited and friends they made. This included some posts from the members of BTS themselves. One simple photo of J-Hope at a local rib joint or ramen house is going to bring customers to these restaurants for a long time. It’s the ripple effect of musical acts being good capitalists, even when some American artists won’t admit it to save their lives.

THAT is the impact of BTS.

However, there is an aura of all live music, only concertgoers can appreciate.

I know there are people who, even before 2020’s little event, just do not enjoy being in big crowds. They like smaller gatherings out in quieter spaces. I respect that.

I went on a date night with my husband one night to a local speakeasy club, set up like the 1920s. It had a capacity of less than 100. A former student who was now a popular regional vocalist was performing This twentysomething sang in this small space with the presence and vocal of a young Frank Sinatra, and made me realize once again there are so much more talented people in this world than those who make it huge on a global scale. It was beautiful

This weekend, my oldest daughter wanted to see a goth band from Las Vegas. It was in a small basement club with no seats and I would say about a 150 standing capacity…filled. Tickets were an amazingly low $16 a pop, too. We planted ourselves up front and watched a really great band (and surprisingly refined opening act) who gave me some serious flashbacks of The Cure and darkwave of my youth.

These three performances couldn’t have been more different from each other, but they all had one thing in common: real people were out in public enjoying seeing real people on a stage. They were happy.

Good live music is a tonic. When you go to see a band you like, it is an amazing feeling of joy, and the K-Pop culture does it better than anyone right now.

Love it or hate it, live music of all genres brings people together.

So here’s where I break my own rule and get a very slight trace of political. Nothing is more pretentious and ignorant than ANY musician on any side of an issue saying “If you voted for who I didn’t , you can’t listen to my music.” Guess what? I do what I want. If your politics are so overboard, I might not want to listen to you…but I can. It is my choice.

ALL music…of ALL genres…is for ALL people of ALL ages, backgrounds and opinions. We, the listeners decide what we want to hear or don’t for any reason.

That’s why BTS was such an experience beyond anything. There were ALL people of ALL ages, backgrounds and likely politics there, but they were all ARMY. Those who weren’t fans when they came into the show certainly left as ones.

This is why, when many artists are experiencing the “blue dot fever” of cancelling concerts and not filling arenas, BTS is selling out in droves.

BTS gets it. They know this experience is uniting people and reaching people who need a connection. Whether you hit an amphitheater in a park to hear a philharmonic orchestra, gather in a beer garden to listen to a blues ensemble, go to a country, metal or alternative music festival, or use a favorite band performing in a nearby city as an excuse for a road trip, connections will happen.

Go experience live music. Go support the local economy around the venue. Go make that connection with other fans, even if just during the show.

And that connection with other people, more than ever, matters.