BTS Cancels ‘Map of The Soul Tour’ World Tour
After nearly two years of postponement, the pop titans have officially pulled the plug on their tour over safety and logistical concerns
Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Following the cancelation of the Seoul leg of their tour last year in February, BTS have officially called off the entire ‘Map Of The Soul Tour’ over growing concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group’s label Big Hit Music asked fans to hold on to the tickets they had earlier purchased, in case a possibility of rescheduling emerged. This was not to be, however, as the label has announced the official cancellation of the entire tour, citing a difficulty in “resuming performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned.”
In the statement released this morning, the company apologized to those who held onto their tickets for nearly two years and assured the team’s commitment to working on a “viable schedule and performance format that can meet your [BTS ARMY’s] expectations.”
Announced in January 2020, the ‘Map Of The Soul Tour’ included 37 shows in 17 cities, most of them based in North America, Europe and Asia. With Seoul kick-starting things with four shows in April, BTS were all set to perform hits from their chart-topping album Map of the Soul: 7. Unfortunately, due to the rise in COVID-19 cases and orders from the South Korean government calling for a ban on large gatherings, the group called off their Seoul shows in February 2020, followed by a postponement of the American dates. The European and Japanese legs of the tour were postponed even before the tickets hit the market.
Determined to perform for their fans, BTS employed state-of-the-art technology like AR (Augmented Reality) and XR (Extended Reality) to host ‘Map of the Soul ON:E’–an offline version of their world tour– on October 10th and 11th, 2020. Viewed by over 993,000 people from 191 different regions around the world, the show gave fans a chance to appear on the screen and cheer for BTS as they performed several hits from their discography, including tracks from Map of the Soul: 7.
Known for their high-production value and enthralling live performances, BTS’ concerts have attracted a diverse set of fans hailing from different age groups, races and identities. Their last tour, ‘Love Yourself World Tour followed’ by the ‘Love Yourself Speak Yourself Tour’ saw over 2,019,800 attendees spread across 42 shows. While it’s commendable the group has taken the necessary measures to safeguard the health of their staff, attendees and ensure the ‘BTS standard’ of live performances are met, the news has particularly affected those who had managed to score tickets that are known to sell like hotcakes and were looking forward to seeing the group live on stage again.
While BTS are one of the artists to call off their tours, music festivals– like Lollapalooza–have gone in the opposite direction, choosing to organize their gigs on American soil. Despite Chicago health officials tracing over 200 COVID cases to the recent Lollapalooza event (which saw more than 385,000 music-lovers attend the four-day festival,) EDM extravaganza TomorrowLand has reportedly started working towards its own return in March 2022.
Read BigHit Music’s full statement on the cancellation of the ‘Map Of The Soul Tour’ below:
Hello.
This is BIGHIT MUSIC.
We would like to provide some information regarding “BTS MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR.”
Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour. However, due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become difficult to resume performances at the same scale and timeline as previously planned. Therefore we must announce the cancellation of the BTS MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR.
The tour’s concerts in Seoul were previously canceled in February of last year, followed by the postponement of the North American leg in March; dates in Europe and Japan were postponed prior to the start of ticket sales in those regions. We regret that we must now inform you of the formal cancellation of the tour. For fans who have reserved tickets for the North American shows, you will receive an email from your original point of purchase regarding refunds.
Once again, please allow us to offer our sincere apology to all fans who have waited for the BTS MAP OF THE SOUL TOUR to resume. We are working to prepare a viable schedule and performance format that can meet your expectations, and we will provide updated notices as soon as possible.
Thank you.
