BTS Love Yourself Tour sends K-Pop message to Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - Wednesday night, Oracle Arena was filled with 12,000 fans who attended a sold out K-pop concert with BTS, a Korean Boy band.

Many fans say they paid a lot for their tickets. There was a long line to get into the concert, mostly teenage girls and their mothers. All of them were enthusiastic. Many held images of their favorite member of BTS. 

Fans sang their praises. Many relate to the band's lyrics about difficult issues young people cope with such as mental health and self esteem. 

"Throughout the lyrics they tell you to love yourself because even though you're not perfect in the eyes of others, you are perfect as to who you are," said Samantha Perez, a 17-year-old fan from Oakland. 

Press was not allowed inside Oracle Arena for Wednesday's concert. 

BTS is 7 young men. They sing primarily in Korean. But fans say their music videos on YouTube often have subtitles. One teen says the K-pop band helped her get through a difficult period.

"The time I found BTS was the best time for me because I was going through a really tough depressing moment and they, I really believe, saved me," said Akiyah Jones, a 16-year-old from Oakland. 

The face value of tickets ranged from $63 to $262. But many fans tell KTVU they paid up to $700 for a ticket. 

There were mothers who are fans along with their daughters. 

"They're very good at dancing and they're all handsome. I just got to give it to them," said Jan Roeung, a mother from Stockton. 

A family from Utah says they spent about $6,000 for the trip to the Bay Area and tickets to the concert 
One fan says the group has inspired her to learn a new language to understand the lyrics.

"It made me learn Korean. It taught me so much about the hardships they've been through," said Alex Shields, a 15-year-old fan from Utah. 

Fans lined up early, hours before the show. Tents were set up in the parking lot for people to buy merchandise.

Most items sold out. By show time, what was left were devices called the army bomb, lights that sync with the music for $55 each. 　

"It'll also blink through the song when it's playing during the concert," said Nicole Dickman, a fan from Salinas.

Many say they love the diverse fan base of BTS. The band's next stop is Fort Worth, Texas where they'll be playing Saturday and Sunday.