International News: BTS Comeback Backlash; CMC Rocks Sets Record & More

ASIA

by Phil Brasor

KOREA

Backlash After BTS Comeback Show

K-pop juggernaut BTS’s big comeback outdoor concert, which took place in the middle of the South Korean capital of Seoul on March 21 and was livestreamed all over the world, was deemed a success by almost everyone who saw it, whether in the flesh or via Netflix, but according to the Korea Herald there was some backlash from certain parties.

Most of the controversy had to do with crowd control around Gwanghwamun Square, the historical district where the stage was erected, disruption of public functions and “allegations of excessive state mobilization.” Citing the Itaewon crowd crush, which happened in October 2022 killing 159 people, many social media users said the heightened security and crowd control measures in the vicinity of the concert were justified, though such measures greatly inconvenienced people who were in the area but were not interested in the concert. 

Projections of crowd numbers turned out to be much higher than reality. Prior to the show, both the authorities and the organizers had predicted as many as 260,000 fans would gather at the site, and so security forces patrolled a 2-kilometer stretch of central Seoul. However, after the show finished, organizers reduced the estimate to 104,000 fans, while the city itself said the number was even lower, around 48,000. Thus there were more security personnel than were needed. The police said they dispatched 6,700 officers and about 10,000 other public officials worked the streets. In addition, the main organizer, Hybe, which manages BTS, hired an additional 4,800 security personnel. At least one fan site commented that the number discrepancy seems to fit a pattern that suggests Hybe inflates concert attendance numbers. 

Some citizens were angry at the amount of public funds spent on the concert, which was free. Herald estimates that overtime alone will cost Korean taxpayers an additional 400 million won ($265,000). Some media reported that the fire department brought in emergency vehicles from surrounding cities. As it happened there was a factory fire in Daejon the day before the concert that killed 14 people, though local fire authorities said the dispatch of fire fighters to Seoul did not affect its firefighting capabilities. 

In addition, the Korean Government Employees Union complained about having public workers mobilized for an event that benefited a private enterprise, namely Hybe, saying it was “an abuse of administrative power” that “can lead to gaps in public service.”

Nevertheless, most of the commentary said the concert was, overall, good for the city and for Korea. The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute has estimated that a single BTS concert can have an economic impact of as much as 1.2 trillion won. In addition, the event successfully tested the authorities’ new crowd control measures that were implemented in the wake of the Itaewon disaster. One father who accompanied his daughter to the concert wrote on social media, “Safety must not be compromised and must be ensured even it if means excessive measures.” 

Another group that was less than impressed with the concert was investors. Hybe’s stock price dropped by as much as 15 percent the Monday after the concert when traders learned that the show attracted fewer fans than originally anticipated. 

JAPAN

Arashi’s FInal Tour Underway

Across the sea in Japan, another boy band was making news with its final concert tour. Arashi, which announced back in 2019 that it would suspend its activities the following year after 20 years as a working enterprise, went on hiatus for five years before saying it would embark on one last stadium tour of Japan in the spring of 2026. The tour started last week in Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido, and will take in three more cities before finishing up at the Tokyo Dome on May 31. 

However, there has been some controversy over the concerts, at least online, where foreign fans of the group complained that they came to Japan to see the shows but were unable to attend because tickets were limited to people who lived in Japan. 

In addition, the shows have sparked a mad rush for accommodations, with demand outstripping supply. This problem was especially dire in Sapporo since the concerts coincided with university entrance exams. Potential students who wanted to sit for the Hokkaido University exam had problem securing hotel rooms because the exam took place on the same day as one of the concerts. Fortunately, several travel agencies were able to reserve blocks of rooms for the test-takers, though the fee was rather steep. 

Arashi fans will also encounter resistance once the tour hits Fukuoka at the other end of the archipelago. The concert dates are the same as those of another big veteran J-pop act, Dreams Come True. Competition for rooms in Fukuoka on the night of April 25, when both groups perform, sent room prices into the stratosphere. Trains to the city are also already fully booked, thus leaving ticketed fans with little choice but to drive. 

AUSTRALASIA

by Christie Eliezer

AUSTRALIA

Record Attendance For CMC Rocks 

The largest country music festival in the southern hemisphere, CMC Rocks in Queensland, posted its biggest ever attendance in 2026 (March 20 to 22).

It drew 25,000 each day to Willowbank Raceway, its home since 2015. The figures are up from 23,000 a day. Extra space was created at the site to increase capacity.

“Despite there being more people on site, there was still a lot of space,” noted Michael Chugg, chair of Chugg Entertainment, which puts on the event with Potts Entertainment and Frontier Touring.

“The whole festival was just a magnificent experience. We had no problems, we never do. The threatened hurricanes didn’t eventuate although it rained a little on last day.

“We sold 13,000 tickets before we announced the bill. Food sales, bar sales and merch sales were up.”

Artists included USA’s Old Dominion, Riley Green, Dasha, Carly Pearce, Tucker Wetmore, Gavin Adcock, Tyler Braden and Hudson Westbrook and Aussies Casey Barnes, James Johnston, Wade Forster and Sarah Berki.

Half the crowd was from outside Queensland, with 2,500 from the US, UK and New Zealand.

Ipswich City Council previously estimated CMC Rocks previously generated A$14 million ($9.77 million) for Queensland businesses and tourist operators.

There were also 15 international promoters, agents and label execs in attendance.

CMC Rocks celebrates its 20^th anniversary in 2027. “We have some big plans for next March,” Chugg told Pollstar.

Mixed Messages, Tours Cancelations, After Bluesfest Collapse

Earth Wind & Fire, Erykah Badu, Buddy Guy,  Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and a Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew team-up were among those who pulled out of Bluesfest sideshows after the axing of the April 2—5 festival three weeks out.

However the Black Crowes, Sublime, the Wailers, the Pogues and Marcus King Band confirmed reshuffled dates.

A week after the March 13 cancellation, there remained mixed messages about the amount of monies available for refunding, with industry leaders from Frontier Touring, Legends Global, TEG and the Australian Live Music Business Council (ALMBC) expressing “serious concern”.

Liquidator Jason Bettles, of insolvency firm Worrells, initially told the estimated 20,000 ticket holders, “At this stage it seems unlikely that you will be refunded from the liquidation any money.”

PayPal said March 23 those who bought tix via its platform “may be eligible for a refund under PayPal’s Buyer Protection policy if an event is cancelled, or if tickets are fake or do not arrive.”

According to Bettles, festival director Peter Noble’s estimate in a report to the Australian Securities & Investment Commission of ticketholders owed $23 million ($16 million) was a calculation mistake. 

Bluesfest’s system had recorded some purchases in duplicate or triplicate, and the figure was A$5.17 million ($3.16 million).

An 11-month investigation by The Australian unveiled a bullying culture, which Noble refuted.

NEW ZEALAND

Linkin Park Sets New Record At Spark Arena

Linkin Park set a new single-show record March 18 at Auckland’s Spark Arena.

 Their shifting of 12,736 tickets as part of their From Zero World Tour was the highest since the arena opened 2007.

Before the sell-out show, Spark Arena executives presented them with a plaque acknowledging their presence in NZ.

Mark Gosling, GM of Spark Arena, said: “The atmosphere on the night underscored why Auckland remains a premier destination for global tours. 

“To break a nearly twenty-year attendance record is a testament to the band’s enduring connection with their fans and the strength of New Zealand’s live music scene.”

Linkin Park’s eight shows through Australia and NZ shifted 110,000 stubs, Live Nation reported.

A review of their Melbourne show at the Rod Laver Arena by Pollstar writer Chris Somerville noted the age difference of the audience – from original fans to first-timers.

The sing-alongs highs of “Numb” and “In The End” was a blueprint for an act that could move with the times while preserving its legacy as one of rock’s most influential acts in the last two decades.