The global performance director who staged last year’s Super Bowl halftime show, Hamish Hamilton, has been tapped to helm BTS’s highly anticipated comeback concert in Gwanghwamun, Seoul.
Netflix announced on February 4 that Hamilton will direct “BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG,” set to take place at 8 PM on March 21 in Gwanghwamun Square. Dubbed the “king of live events,” the UK-born director is renowned for leading the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, as well as major international awards shows including the Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys. In February last year, Hamilton drew worldwide attention for directing Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance at the NFL Super Bowl. He also served as director for the recent Grammy Awards ceremony, where “Golden,” a track from Netflix’s animated series ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters,’ became the first K-pop song to win a Grammy.
BTS’s comeback performance will be livestreamed via Netflix to audiences in more than 190 countries. Tens of thousands of fans are expected to gather at the venue. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Government stated it will operate a disaster and safety control center to monitor crowd density in real time, implement non-stop subway pass-throughs at nearby stations, and crack down on illegal street vendors. Additional measures under review include broadcasting safety messages in multiple languages on screens and electronic boards at Seoul Plaza to accommodate international visitors.
Meanwhile, BTS’s fifth full-length album ‘ARIRANG,’ set for release one day ahead of the Gwanghwamun concert, is already generating intense global interest. According to BigHit Music, as of February 4, the album had surpassed 3 million pre-saves on Spotify. The milestone was reached just 19 days after the group officially announced their comeback on January 16. The current all-time pre-save record belongs to Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album “The Life of a Showgirl,” which logged approximately 6 million pre-saves prior to its release in October last year.
