BTS performs at Wembley, landmark for top musicians

BTS began the European leg of "LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF" concert tour at Wembley Stadium in London, Saturday.

The stadium is a landmark venue for pop singers ― top musicians including Michael Jackson and Queen have played the iconic stage there ― and BTS became the first Korean group to hit the venue.

The seven-member boy band, made up of RM, Suga, Jimin, Jin, J-hope, V and Jungkook, performed in front of about 90,000 fans, who sang along from the first song, "Dionysus."

BTS performed for two hours and 40 minutes, showcasing 24 of its most popular songs such as "Boy With Luv," "FAKE LOVE" and "Dope."

"Today is a beautiful night. Welcome to our concert," RM said with a strong "British accent." Jin mimicked RM's accent and Jungkook bantered, commenting, "Jin's British accent is not as bad as I thought."

The stage was filled with AR technology for RM's "Trivia: Love" and "Anpanman." The K-pop group used aerial props from Aero Ballon Robot including balloons, a big sphere and slides, as members communicated with fans going back and forth from a main and secondary stage.

Jin, who said he had watched "Bohemian Rhapsody," a film based on the legendary rock band Queen, sung "Ey-oh," which ARMY ― the fans of BTS ― chanted with him, as he mimicked Freddie Mercury stretching his vocal chords at the Live Aid concert held in Wembley in 1985.

After the concert, BTS held a press conference, expressing its hope to work with British bands, especially Coldplay and Paul McCartney.

"The most prominent musicians are from England, and we feel honored to perform here at this place," Jin said.

V said, "I have loved Coldplay's music for a long time. I usually listen to their music when I come to the U.K., and I hope to work with them if there is a chance."

RM said, "I went to Paul McCartney's concert a few months ago with J-hope. We would be honored to collaborate with him."

The concert was aired live on the V Live website, Sunday morning (KST).

Suga said, "Performing at Wembley Stadium holds big significance for us. I also grew up watching reruns of the Live Aid show. I wanted to spread that touching moment when I entered this stadium."


"We thought showing the stadium performance to people on the other side of the world would be a very unusual and innovative challenge. We were also very inspired," RM said, explaining why the group decided to stream the concert live.

BTS performed again on Sunday, and will perform in Paris at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, Friday and Saturday.