BTS, Chicago Soldier Field World Tour 'Arirang'... Illinois designates 'BTS Day'

BTS received a special welcome from the state of Illinois ahead of their world tour ’ARIRANG’ performance at Soldier Field in Chicago. According to their agency Big Hit Music, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker designated August 27 and 28 (local time) as ’BTS Day in Illinois.’ The state of Illinois, through an official proclamation, praised BTS for contributing to the spread of various social values such as raising mental health awareness, self-love, and charitable activities, stating that their message aligns with the civic values of Illinois residents. It also emphasized that BTS inspires millions of fans worldwide to participate in community service and donation activities. BTS began their social contribution activities by officially partnering with the UNICEF Korea Committee in 2017 and launching the ’LOVE MYSELF’ campaign. In 2020, they donated $1 million to Live Nation’s ’Crew Nation’ campaign, among other efforts. Illinois expects thousands of tourists and fans to visit Chicago through this concert. This is not the first official welcome at the local government level. Toronto, Canada, designated August 22-23 as ’BTS Weekend’ and temporarily named a portion of a road ’BTS Boulevard’ to coincide with BTS’s visit. Maryland Governor Wes Moore released a welcome video with Korean subtitles ahead of the Baltimore concert, and El Paso County in Texas declared the concert period as ’El Paso BTS Weekend’ and awarded the ’Estimado Amigo’ prize. Additionally, Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico City, personally met BTS and presented a government-issued commemorative plaque, while French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife attended the Stade de France concert in Paris. BTS’s performance at Soldier Field in Chicago marks their first concert there in about 7 years and 3 months since May 2019’s ’BTS WORLD TOUR ’LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF’.’ At that time, BTS became the first Korean artist to hold a solo concert at the venue.