Live Nation Philippines is pulling out all the stops for BTS Arirang World Tour in Manila.
In an exclusive interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), Live Nation Philippines's managing director Rhiza Pascua gave details about the scale of mounting a concert for the world-renowned super group.
The sold-out three-night concert will take place on March 13, 14, and 16, 2027, at Philippine Sports Stadium in Bulacan.
This will mark the return of BTS nearly 10 years since they last visited the country in 2017.
Live Nation Global holds the exclusive touring rights for BTS, which might suggest that cities where the company operates would automatically be included in the ongoing Arirang tour.
Rhiza, however, pointed out that it is not as simple as that.
"This is how it works. For example, with BTS, Live Nation Korea kind of calls the shots. Kanila ito, e. Sila naka-discover dito, e.
"So we deal with Live Nation Korea, and it's still their say if they want BTS to go to a specific place.
"So there's still some courting and convincing and wining and dining. 'Hey, can we bring them to Manila? They're really big in the Philippines.'"
Rhiza said this was how the process unfolded each time she met with Steven King, her counterpart at Live Nation Korea, over the past few years.
She went on to describe how managing directors of regional counterparts of Live Nation Global would hold a "conference" three times a year.
It's how they build relationships at work, making it easier to make plans and close deals to bring in-demand international artists to a certain country.
"My situation is different from the other offices because I own half of the company still," Rhiza explains.
She founded Music Management International (MMI), the concert promoter that brought Madonna, U2, Coldplay, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, and Dua Lipa in Manila.
In 2022, Live Nation Global acquired half of MMI, and this partnership gave birth to Live Nation Philippines.
Elaborating: "Most of the Live Nation offices are solely owned by Live Nation. So sometimes, I feel that hindi nila ako priority kasi hindi naman ako 100% owned by Live Nation, e.
"But I do what I have to do. Text, tawag, kulit... The way you would make kulit an agent or a manager. There's still that process."
"So I still went through that."
As early as January 13, 2026, Live Nation Philippines announced the highly anticipated return of BTS in Manila.
Tickets went on sale from June 9 to 11, with prices amounting to PHP25,000 for VIP and soundcheck, PHP20,000 for floor standing, PHP13,500 for lower-level elevated seating, and P7,500 for standard-level elevated seating.
The tickets sold out in just three days, proving that not even oil crisis can stop ARMY from showing up for their idols.
Since the Arirang World Tour kicked off in South Korea on April 9, BTS has delivered nearly 50 concert performances, treating fans across the globe to massive productions, elaborate choreography, and stunning visuals at every stop.
Rhiza confirms that putting together a concert of that magnitude is certainly expensive.
"BTS iyan, e. They're the biggest act in the world right now. People are talking about them everywhere.
"Based on this album that they're touring, kasi di ba, that's how it works, you make an album, and then based on that album, you create a tour.
"So kung ano yung theme nung album mo, ididikit mo yung theme nung production mo, yung story nung concert mo, ganun.
"From the album to the production to their performance, if there's something different, it would be the boys themselves. Parang they gave more of themselves to the album and to the tour."
And Filipino ARMY can hardly wait for their turn to witness this much-waited comeback.
BTS CONCERT: VENUE IN the philippines
Live Nation Philippines picked the Philippine Sports Stadium because BTS "specifically requested for an open-air venue."
Fancams from other legs on the Arirang World Tour showed that the concert set-up features a revolving central stage with 360-degree visibility, extending into four catwalks that bring BTS closer to fans and offer a better view of the group's performamnces and interactions with the audience.
There were also dramatic pyro effects, flame jets, and fireworks display that highlighted the energy and sentimental vibe of the group's elaborate numbers for songs like "Hooligan" and "Into The Sun."
And Philippine Sports Stadium can accomodate those extensive outdoor configurations.
Rhiza acknowleges that finding the right venue for the BTS concert was quite a challenge since the super group's concerts could easily bring in 60,000 to 100,000 fans in just one night.
The Philippines, however, doesn't have enough stadiums that could fit such a massive turnout of fans.
With the Manila stop, Live Nation Philippines has put a cap of roughly 40,000 plus pax for each of the three-night BTS concert.
Rhiza explained that this is aligned with Live Nation Global's strict safety protocol in setting a limit to the number of people that can fit in a certain venue.
To avoid crowding, only two and a half persons are allowed to occupy per one square meter of open space in the standing section.
"Live Nation has a security and safety department, so before using a venue, they fly out and visit.
"[They say], 'We can only have this much people. Hindi na safe pag more than this.'
"We calculate palagi yung merong two and a half [persons] per square meter. Hindi ko alam yung 'and a half.' Siguro isang mapayat. Sometimes they do two persons [only] per square meter.
"Pinipilit namin is three, because there's still space naman kahit three [persons], saka, Filipinos or Asians in general are petite, di ba?"
She added: "So sometimes kahit sinasabing sold out, there are still spaces in the back [of a standing section] because that's how Live Nation Safety Department wants it para safe."
bts concert: equipment & logistics
No stranger to mounting big concert productions, Rhiza says Live Nation Philippines has already set in motion whatever it takes to put the show together.
"Because we've done a lot of big shows from Madonna to Coldplay to U2 to the Koreans, Blackpink, Twice...
"Koreans are known to be very big in production, di ba? Nagbabago na lang yung equipment na nire-require or the sound system that they require.
"Kunwari, they change from this one to this new one that just came out. Mas gusto pala nila yun. Medyo magbabago yung price points niya, ganyan."
When it comes to preparing the set-up, equipment, and other logistics for the production, which is the most costly to deliver?
Rhiza answer: "I just cannot pinpoint if it's the LED. Sometimes kasi they bring in their own and that would also require a lot of costs kasi yung shipping papunta dito, pagkuha mo sa Customs, you have to pay taxes for it.
"Especially if they have their own LED made, ganun. So sometimes, the LED."
In other legs of the Arirang Tour, cinematic LED screens were hung above the stage to show close-ups of their performances.
Continuing: "Sometimes, the lifts that they bring or the instruments. Or yung mga machines, the equipment that they require, yung pang-control nila ng sounds, yung nasa control booth. Technical stuff that they bring in—audio, video, pyro [pyrotechnic display]. It depends on their requirements talaga.
"We don't know yet if they will change some of the requirements because sometimes they change it according to the venue."
ON TALENT FEES AND TICKET PRICES
Since Rhiza has worked with a lot of big international acts, PEP asks who among them has the highest talent fee.
She simply replies: "As far as the talent fees are concerned, basta malaki sila, mahal sila.
"Minsan, pare-pareho naman ang fees."
The talent fee, she says, would also depend on the number of days the artist would perform in the country.
With Live Nation Global acting as Live Nation Phippines' "older brother," Rhiza adds that negotiating for the artist's fees is much smoother.
"To say that I'm very happy with my partnership with Live Nation is an understatement.
"They also protect kasi. Yung parang, 'That will be too expensive for Filipinos.' Minsan nanggagaling na sa kanila yun. Or when I tell them, they believe me.
"It's just that sometimes, mahal talaga yung artist."
So if the artist's asking fee is steep, then the ticket price would be affected.
It happened in the case of Madonna when Live Nation Philippines charged as much as PHP57,750 for the SVIP section in 2016.
"Wala kaming magawa, e, kaysa hindi magkaroon ng Madonna dito," Rhiza remarks.
"Other artists naman think this way, 'Mas malaking venue ko, dapat mas malaki ang talent fee ko.'
"Or, 'If you sell, if you go above 80%, you give me a bonus.' Parang taking the risk with you, ganoon."
THE CONCERT SCENE LANDCAPE
Rhiza points out that while the Philippine live scene is as exciting as ever, economic realities keep it unpredictable.
Sharing her thoughts on the ever-changing demand for concerts, she explains: "Before the pandemic, people just didn't care. The concert market was very strong. People wanted to be entertained. And then the pandemic came.
"But the post-pandemic entertainment scene happened.
"All the concerts that we brought in, whether they were Live Nation or promoted by other concert promoters, ang lalakas. Parang lahat ng tao gusto lumabas. They were just spending left and right."
A lot of acts that got cancelled during the pandemic were rescheduled post-pandemic.
"Maybe this was half of 2022 and 2023. Sobrang lakas. People were just crazy.
"Even the not-so-popular acts were selling.
"Ewan, baka ganyan talaga yung Pinoy, mag-good time or masyadong na-deprive yung mga tao. Also, they probably missed posting on social media.
"Well, not just naman in the entertainment scene, also the restaurants were back.
"So at that time, people were posting on social media that they're watching this, they're eating here, they're traveling there."
Then the revenge spending reached a standstill when economic uncertainties persisted.
"But then in 2024, reality had set in. Companies that thought they were gonna be able to bounce back after the pandemic closed down.
"A lot of companies closed down. A lot of people lost their jobs. People were trying to pivot, but still finding their way in.
"The telecoms don't sponsor anymore like they used to. Why? Because they found out during the pandemic that they can go straight to their target market using Facebook ads. They didn't have to sponsor millions of dollars to foreign acts.
"So, in 2024, we were also having a hard time.There was a big decline on ticket sales, big decline on ticket sales. So that was 2024."
Rhiza continues: "In 2025, people already knew what they were gonna do. So companies were opening and people realized that they can work from home.
"And companies didn't really have to have high operational expenses, di ba? They didn't have to rent office spaces. So parang 2025, people were realizing na meron palang solution dun sa mga problema nila.
"So people were wanting to be entertained again. Kahit sino na naman dalhin namin...
"Kasi nagre-recover na yung market, e. People were shopping again. So okay na siya, 2025, it was a good year for a lot of people.
"We still had a high contribution sa GDP ng Philippines... I know in 2023 when people were crazily spending, 18% yung contribution ni Live Nation Philippines.
"I can't speak for the other companies. But since we had the bigger artists at that time, meron kaming Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Harry Styles, sunod-sunod iyan, e."
But wars were breaking out in other parts of the world, triggering a prolonged oil crisis, which affect people from different parts of the world.
"In 2026, this year started strong. Okay naman. But nagkaroon ng war kasi. So nagkaroon ng oil crisis.
"So again, people became selective. Our shows are still selling out, but people are more selective.
"Hindi na puwede yung tatlong shows yung dadalhin mo na puro malalaki, e."
Rhiza admits that Live Nation Philippines was forced to cancel two shows when the oil crisis broke out.
But soon after that, the company "sold out" three shows of Daniel Caesar and three shows of Laufey in "three days."
"Maybe because of the ticket prices. Mababa ang ticket prices," Rhiza remarks about the unpredictable behavior of concertgoers.
Then she adds: "And a few weeks after, we sold BTS tickets na. So yun yung na-crazy yung mga tao doon. BTS sold out three days also.
"So doon na ako nalilito. Ano ba, selective ba talaga yung mga tao? Or timing lang na gusto nila yung Live Nation artists?
"So I guess, artist-based, at the same time because people don't want to spend, [so] they're very selective."
In the case of BTS, the super group clearly has a solid fanbase who practically grew up with its beloved members.
Rhiza underlines, "I think the secret here is engaging on social media, consistently telling your life story."
With group members giving a glimpse of their lives beyond the stage, fans get to know them on a deeper level and are able to relate to their stories and struggles that are also depicted in BTS's music.
It naturally forms a bond that comes from shared experiences in life.
Referring to the success of BTS concerts: "So ganyan yung nangyari sa BTS."
BTS has 11 remaining cities (a total of 33 concerts) left for the Arirang World Tour, which already reached a milestone for surpassing US$500 million in cumulative ticket sales, according to data released by Billboard US.
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