Following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, Kpop fans saw many of the privileges they took for granted stripped away. Starting with the banning of live audiences during music broadcasts like Inkigayo and MusicBank, to the postponement or complete cancellation of concerts and world tours. At first many thought covid would be a quick passing wave, but as it continued to worsen and spread many found themselves asking “When will we enjoy live music again?” Well, with the new year 2022 brings new hope as Kpop concerts are slowly being announced in more and more locations - let’s explore the situation in different locales.

USA & North America

The USA was one of the first countries in the world to do away with mask mandates and reduce the restrictions on large gathers despite the ever growing number of infections. While many questioned the government’s haste, the reasoning for their decision is clearer when you consider how big gatherings are an integral part of American culture; from huge sports events like The Super Bowl, to the fact that the USA hosts some of the world's biggest nights for cinema (The Oscars) and music (The Grammys.)

Many expected the reopening of big music events like Coachella to become super-spreader events, but so far this has not been the case. And as a result, many Kpop artists have started to flock to the states, announcing concerts all over with some even extending as far as the USA's northern neighbour, Canada. At present ATEEZ, TWICE, NCT 127, Monsta X, Epik High and more have announced or are currently touring in the US, and BTS also recently announced their plans to have 4 Las Vegas shows following The Grammys.

Europe

Though the virus originally started in China, Europe as a whole has been the epicentre for most of the pandemic with the UK and Italy being some of the hardest hit countries worldwide. As a result, things have definitely been slower to open up but it seems they are not far behind North America.

A handful of groups have announced their intentions to perform in a few select European countries as early as February 2022, and there are also plans for KPOP.FLEX, the first European Kpop mega-concert, to take place in Germany this coming spring with groups like ENHYPEN, G-IDLE and NCT Dream already confirmed in the lineup. However Eric Nam did announce last week that he was postponing the previously announced European leg of his tour to the summer due to the pandemic, so the question still remains as to when these events will be and what kind of restrictions will be put in place when events open. Still, ironically 2022 could become the most active year for Kpop concerts in Europe with lots of acts expressing their desire to meet their European fans.

Asia

A bit closer to home, it comes as a surprise to many Kpop fans that there is a lot less action regarding Kpop concerts in Asia. Although the Hallyu Wave spread in Asia much earlier than it did in the west, unfortunately many Asian countries still have strict restrictions when it comes to large gatherings. This can be chalked up primarily to cultural differences, and the government putting more focus on things like restoring education and the economy over personal enjoyment. Furthermore Asia just doesn’t have as many available venues to hold concerts when compared to North America and Europe.

At present, the only locations with Kpop concerts scheduled to take place are Japan and Korea which comes as a surprise to no one as they normally are the most active spots for Kpop activities in Asia. There is still hope for the rest of Asia by the end of 2022 though; the UAE have already held a number of concerts following their successful control of infection numbers and considering big acts like BTS have previously had successful shows in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi has hosted KCON in the past, there is no reason the same can’t happen again in future.

Korea

Finally in the home of Kpop itself, Kpop concerts seem like a given but surprisingly Korea still has the strictest rules when it comes to live music shows. At present any form of cheering, shouting, singing or dancing are strictly forbidden as the government worries extra aspiration in confined spaces could potentially lead to a faster spread of the virus. What’s more is the extreme limits on the number of attendees, while the US is filling stadiums of up to 80,000 spectators, Korea currently has the cap at 4,000 attendees for indoor events.

However, the Korean government did just make an exception for BTS to hold a concert with 15,000 attendees this March as it takes place in an outdoors venue; giving many fans hope that if BTS can hold their concert successfully, then restrictions may be loosened soon for other artists to follow suit in future months. Still, considering the sudden and extreme uptick in infections as Omicron ravages Korea, the loud and playful concerts of the past still seem like a far away dream...

While we’ve looked at some of the most popular locations for Kpop concerts, what are gathering restrictions like where you’re from? Do you think things are being opened up too soon, or do you think the void left by the last two years will finally be filled again as Kpop concerts return in all their glory to stages worldwide by the end of 2022? And if so, which artists are you dying to see on tour?

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