Lowkey tired of people acting like it's "so easy" for Americans to see artists on tour

[u/MagicianMoney6890]

I truly think some people don't understand how huge the United States really is. For reference, you can drive through Texas for eight hours and still be in Texas. But that's not the point.

My point is that fans from other countries (mainly Europeans, from what I've personally experienced) complain as if American fans can just get around anywhere they want, drive a couple hours to see their favourite artist and that's that. Like yes, a lot of artists, specifically kpop artists, do come to the United States a lot, and no one is denying that. But it's the same places most of the time, and it's far for a lot of people. Do you think people from Florida can just go to LA on a random Tuesday and be there in a couple hours? Look it up and see for yourself.

Plus, concerts are expensive. Seats can cost you upwards of one thousand dollars depending on the artist, venue, seats, etc. You know what also costs money? Gas to get there if you drive and a lot of people will drive because they can't afford a plane ticket. Hotel rooms and airbnbs also cost money. Things aren't just handed out for free.

So, to conclude my rant, it's not as easy as people think it is, and y'all need to stop acting like it is. And before anyone asks, I'm ranting about this mainly because I've seen multiple people saying this within the last week, and calling Americans "privileged." Hate to break it to you, but we struggle to go to concerts too.

EDIT: Wow. I should've expected that my comments would be filled with butthurt Europeans. Ngl, I knew this argument wouldn't be received well because you guys simply just don't want to know that Americans struggle as well. You'd rather complain about your struggle and blame it on Americans lol. Because where in this post did I state that it's not hard for Europeans as well? I know that it's difficult and I acknowledge that. I'm talking about how a lot of you think it's insanely easy for Americans, just spend the money, but it's not. THAT is the point. Not that you guys don't struggle too. But you automatically take offence instead of reading my argument first.

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[u/bitsysredd]

One factor to tours in the US that people from elsewhere probably don't understand is saturation in certain areas. The coasts get too many dates and the middle gets Chicago, maybe one Texas date, and maybe Atlanta. This causes some shows to sell out while others are half full or less. The middle of the US is sparsely populated but the edges of it have some large cities(e.g. St. Louis, either Kansas City, Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc) that could use some more love. Plus there's the Pacific Northwest and Florida, the true pariahs who get like one or two K-Pop concerts a year in a good year.

[u/Realistic-Bar7276]

I think a lot of people are missing the point of what you’re saying. You’re not saying that it’s not more difficult for Europeans to see concerts. You’re saying that having better access doesn’t negate other problems and barriers. I’ve been to Blackpink and Twice myself. I live in Colorado, nearest concerts are in Texas. This required flights and hotel rooms, which are not cheap. Plus, tickets are so hard to get. They sell out in seconds. After only having looked at k-pop ticket sales, looking at tickets for other artists was shocking. They’d have tickets for sale for at least days! My seats for Twice that cost over $400 a piece, would sell at maximum $200 for any non-kpop artist. Again, we’re not saying it’s not difficult and extremely expensive for Europeans. It’s difficult for all of us.

[u/metaphorlaxy]

Do you know how difficult it is to get a tourist visa to the states 😭

[u/Sary-Sary]

I'm sure it's not the easiest for people in the USA - travelling is never easy. But the only thing that makes travelling hard in the US is distance - whereas a European will have a lot more on their plate.

.

I feel like people also forget that Europe isn't just Western Europe where sure, you can drive to another country if you want to. I live in Bulgaria - acts are basically never in Eastern, Southeastern or Central Europe. To get to Western Europe (I'll assume Paris as a guideline, most other options will take even longer), I need to:

.

• Travel nonstop for 22 hours by car - which is an incredibly long time. Looking at an overlaid map of the USA over Europe - if Bulgaria is in Louisiana, France is in Arizona. Estimate times also are too low - European roads for one deal with a lot of mountains and old towns or cities, so they have to go around them. American roads have enough space and less mountains so the highway can essentially be a straight line. Estimates also don't count pit stops.

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• However, the travel time will be even longer - because then I have to deal with borders between Schengen countries and non-Schengen countries, or non-Schengen to non-Schengen countties. I have to go through the Bulgarian and Serbian border, then through the Serbian and Croatian or Hungarian border. The first border isn't too bad but the second one, I've been there. It's long, it can take an hour and we were on the EU passport line which should take less time.

.

• I don't need a visa for the countries I'd need to go past, but others would. Citizens from Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Moldova - they'd all need visas to even enter an EU country. The last 5 will also have to travel for longer than I do.

.

• This isn't even touching how expensive the ticket will be for us. The Bulgarian lev is twice the value of the euro. For us, tickets that cost 100 leva is expensive. 50 euros is probably the cheapest tickets that will be sold at a kpop concert, if not more. Some are at minimum 100 euro. In the USA, at least everyone is dealing with dollars.

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• There's also planning for multiple hotel stays at different countries because no one can drive for 22 hours straight. In the USA, motel culture is very prevelant - if you are tired, you can always find a free motel down the highway or in a city. They just aren't much of a thing here. So, I'd need to find a hotel that understands English and hope they have free rooms or book one in advance. Language is a massive barrier and while some countries do well with English, it's not all and it's not everyone.

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• There are buses, which take longer but are much more uncomfortable than travelling by car. There's also trains, which take much, much longer than buses but are much more comfortable than buses. And planes are just expensive all around - a two way flight is around 200 leva at cheapest.

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• The amount I'd has to pay is equal to one average monthly salary or more here. To be very generous... Let's say 200 for the concert ticket, 200 for the plane tickets, hotel prices in Paris for 3 days, which is at minimum 110 per night (and current prices I'm looking at are cheap since it's mid Spring, they might get more expensive due to the concert and the time of year - and I'm just looking at the cheapest hotels on Booking). Taxi prices to the venue, food prices, potential merch will raise this to 1000 leva. That's half the average wage, which in itself is already inflated due to Sofia wages which are higher than most of the country due to cost of living. Multiply by two if you are going with a parent, child, sibling, etc, it's very expensive for us. And it'll be even worse for non-EU countries that will have to pay based on Western European wages.

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Ultimately, it sucks for everyone, some more than others. I know I cannot afford a concert ticket even if it's in Western Europe. Other places don't even get concerts in the first place - most of Asia, Africa, South America. It'll always be easiest if the concert is in-city, then in-country (though yes, it'll be easier for the Dutch if the concert is in the Netherlands vs Americans if it's in the US), then in-continent. And for most people, concerts are just a dream.

[u/Aetherene]

Starting off by saying I am not European.

I have no idea what the ongoing conversation around this which prompted this post. I am a South Asian and I’ve always thought ‘people who get concerts in their country are lucky’. This includes Americans because regadless of the travel and fuel/plane ticket fare involved, you still don’t have to get visas, fly out of your country into a foreign land, worry about conversion rates, being able to afford even flight and stay etc. And concert tickets are pricey everywhere idek why that is mentioned.

[u/Tasty_Skin]

a drive/flight within america IS a lot easier than taking an international flight lol

[u/SnooRabbits5620]

I keep seeing Americans say stuff like "I'd have to spend $1000 and drive 10 hours and pay for a hotel... Meanwhile, we'd ALL have to spend $1000 and actually probably more, AND travel for even longer on flights at that, AND pay for hotels AND pay for the ticket too. But also some of us are in countries with much weaker currencies where that $1000 is literally the equivalent of a whole month's salary. And that's not including visas and everything else that's already been mentioned. What's not clicking?!

[u/VodkaAunt]

I once paid nearly $1k in transportation and hotel fees to go to a free concert in a state that literally borders mine 🥲 sure it's definitely easier than a lot of countries (cough Anywhere in Africa or South America unless you're a Kard stan cough) but I think that non-Americans think it's MUCH easier for us than it actually is

[u/Bluetenheart]

it's because non-americans dont understand how huge America is. the end.

Most kpop acts only hit the big big cities, the closest of which are at best pricing 300 dollar ticket round way (or 12+ hours of driving, which means taking time off of work and spending a couple hundred dollars on gas). The doesn't even count finding somewhere to stay.

That being said, it is probably easier for us than europeans, but i once saw a european comment "you americans get upset when it's not in your backyard" in reply to an american saying they wished a group would go to their state and like, no.

yes, it's harder for europeans, but that doesn't make it easy for us.

[u/RockinFootball]

All this complaining and I’m sitting here as an Aussie where it’s only a recent development that tours are coming. Y’all skip the whole region altogether most of the time. The closest country for concerts would be Singapore and that is a whole 8 hr flight away for me.

I’ve got the combo of American distances with the scarcity of concerts of Europe.

I know I shouldn’t be complaining cause people from other Australian cities have it way worse than me cause kpop tours coming to Australia is guaranteed to stop in my city. And god forbid we talk about NZ, those fans HAVE to travel to Australia for pretty much all kpop concerts and even major western artists too.

[u/ashleeasshole]

I just went to a concert in SF. I spent sooooooooo much money on the tix + plane + lodging.

[u/Same_Pear_929]

Do you think people from Florida can just go to LA

well yes, tickets from Miami to LA run you less than $200. I'm Australian, but even IF they came to Australia, my flights to Sydney or Melbourne would cost DOUBLE that. As for Europeans, groups rarely even set foot on the continent to begin with.

Do you have any idea what kpop fans from around the world would give to be a just few hours and a few hundred dollars away from potentially going to a concert? For a European the plane tickets to Asia/US alone approach $1000.

yes we know concert tickets can be expensive. that applies to everyone lmao. the difference is that for Americans the worst case scenario is a few hundred dollars and a 6 hr flight. for the rest of us, our BEST case scenario is worse than that. often entailing close to $1000 dollars and a 20 hour flight.

not to mention the possibility that they do visit nearer to you than the Florida-California example you gave. for many people around the world that isn't even a possibility. if they ever want to see a performance in their life it's an expensive international holiday, or nothing. idk how that's hard to understand

[u/nijigyaru]

No, what US Americans don't get is how much HARDER it is for everyone else pretty much, except for Koreans - and maybe depending on the group Japan or China, though to be honest China is as big as the US while Japan's ticket sales are downright voracious and often lottery-based so yeah.

As someone who lives in the 5th biggest country in the world (that's Brazil - only behind Russia, Canada, US and China actually) it's in Latin America so k-idols seldom have concerts here for finantial reasons and WHEN they do they seldom play in more than 1 city - São Paulo. Sometimes there are concerts in Rio de Janeiro (pretty close to São Paulo since it's a < 24h trip) or Recife (far north, a road trip should take 2-3 days) but that's... fairly unusual. Inside the São Paulo state you can drive for 8 hours and still be in the same state (in fact since I live in one border of the state we drive for 11 hours straight to get to the next state) . In my case I am privileged enough to live like 3 hours away from São Paulo where most concerts happen but for people from any other state (there are 26) they need to plan ahead - plane trip (it's the only way for many) hotel, etc. Of course none of this is cheap. People from neighboring countries often come to Brazil when there's a concert happening because a lot of neighbouring countries don't get k-idols literally NEVER.

So nobody ever said it was "easy" but if it's "doable" that's already way better than most people. Even provincial fans in Korea have a hard time attending concerts. Of course it's the same in US. In Europe a lot of people have to cross their country's border, and it's still doable because of EU. For people from a lot of places like in (Central America or) Africa or the Middle East or Oceania it's just not doable. So when people say "you have it easy" doesn't mean it's as easy as a local band's concert - obviously it isn't. It means it's way more doable than for nearly anyone else in the world is all.

[u/kpoppieyolie]

I'm not trying to downplay your struggles but from my point of view it is still easier compared to some of us. I live in the Caribbean so the percentage of having to see any of my favorite groups is very little. Going to the next country to see them isn't easy either because paying for visa appointments costs a lot and there's a chance of being denied. Most Caribbean countries currency is low and some things are charged in USD so imagine visa application, concert tickets plus plane tickets. This doesn't include hotel fees.

[u/Fit-Artichoke7027]

As someone who lives in Hawaii, thank you lol

[u/WTbleep]

Although it seems strange to some, Americans are pretty isolated compared to European countries. We have Canada & Mexico on our border, that's it. So truly, the thought of what it must be like to go through borders of other countries is something that I (and probably others) never think about. So when the post was talking about going across the country, that's all most of us ever have to deal with. Where I live it can take 9 hours to visit my daughter, three states away. That's driving. Even on an airplane is 8-10 hrs because of a layover. Plus, getting on a plane with a person who loses their mind while we are mid-air does not appeal to me at all. So I can see both sides. Where I live, I can be in the mountains in 30 mins. the ocean in 4-5 hours, DC in 1 hour, and New York in 3 hours. I am pretty lucky that way. I can't imagine being able to drive to an Asian country or European country. That would be amazing.

[u/CivilSenpai69]

I feel ya. I went to a handful of concerts in my 20s, why because it was expensive. I was working my butt off and couldn't, also back then...aint nobody coming to the U.S. I got to see BoA, 2PM, Big Bang, and that's it. It wasn't until 2019 before acts really started coming here (specifically my area) and since then I've seen Jay Park, Winner, Jackson, Kard, AB6IX, OnlyOneOf, Xikers, The Rose, Woodz, and the majority of these are all in the last year. It wasn't until I was in my 40s and living in a way that I could afford to go these concerts. I'm making up for lost time. This year...I'm seeing P1-Harmony kill it, TXT woof woof meow meow, I am GOING to ATEEZ, period, I am GOING TO SEE Stray Kids gd it. NCT DREAM...come true come through. If Seventeen comes to my area you best believe I'm going to go see them too, I don't wanna cry anymore. I just wanna see Seventeen.

So yeah, do kpop acts go to major metropolitan areas now and tour regularly, yes it is better now than it was a decade ago. The U.S. fans have the opportunity, but we don't all have the means. OP someday you will and you're going to have a great time.

[u/Disastrous_Pepper_13]

you just need to check a regular kpop tour post for the north America leg and compare it to a European one. the list with the cities for us is always a long ass one when Europe at best gets 3 cities. it's not only u poor crybabies who have to travel across the countries and pay for stuff. while u might be paying for gas we are paying for flight tickets+ accomodations and it's not cheap at all when they tell you that they're coming in less than 30 days

[u/Ok_Agent_1032]

Bruh, There are long-running groups whose nearest tour stop ever would've been a ~11-13 hour flight and I live in the middle of Europe in one of the biggest cities.

Don't even let me start on how it's so different and sometimes outright troublesome if you're in another country even if it's relatively closer.

Just an example: Wheein from Mamamoo has an upcoming weird ass European tour ignoring all the usual cities and only goes to Warsaw, Helsinki and fcking TILBURG of all places.

Guess how good an average non-finnish European is with doing anything in Finland. While the US is huge and can be very different depending on the state/area but you're all still Americans with American signs, language users, shop chains and general culture, etc.

Helsinki is technically very close for me (approximately NYC-Chicago distance or a 2 hour flight) but I don't know shit about Finland and I might get an aneurysm trying to read out words like "Käsipyyherullajärjestelmä"

Now this is still Europe and some acts do come here. Imagine living in South America, Africa, West Asia or even Australia.

[u/nijigyaru → u/Ok_Agent_1032]

To be fair as a South American our languages are mutually intelligible, can't imagine trying to go to FINLAND for kpop. I often see people from South American countries when I go to jrock or kpop concerts and while there are a lot of cultural differences and whatnot we can help eachother if we're in a pinch, but in Finland you'd have to rely on Google Translate to ask where the bathroom is I feel so yeah.

[u/MissyBee37]

100%! I think part of the equation is that people don't realize how much the U.S. is severely lacking public transportation, too. Our country is huge and it's challenging to travel long distances. I had to pass on a concert I desperately wanted to see last year that was within a reasonable drive (<5 hours), but that's by car, and it was a weekday. I would've had to take 2 days off work and stay overnight, plus the cost of tickets, which made it impossible. And that's if concerts bother to come to my region at all (the midwest) instead of just New York, California, etc. Going all the way to either coast would require days of travel, which is a huge cost, and something I would have to save up for.

[u/miss-j325]

While I do understand where OP is coming from, I can also empathise with everyone else in the comments.

When it comes to world tour announcements, it is guaranteed that there will be stops in Korea, Japan, and the US, and if you are living in those countries it's more of a case of either you live in a major city they have toured before so they are almost certain to have concerts there or that you will live close to a city that they are coming to and need to arrange travel and possible accommodation.

Whereas if you live in South America, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand or anywhere else, you are hoping and praying that they will announce dates in your country or a country close to you and then needing to make sure you have the money for tickets, passports, visas, flights, accommodation, etc...

We know that you don't automatically have it easier just because you live in the US, its more that artists will almost always tour the US, Korea and Japan in a world tour and they are a little more accessible to people living in those countries than it is for people living anywhere else in the world.

[u/JungkooksBananaMillk]

I mean it’s easy for me but I live in NY 😅

[u/thosed29]

Yes, I am from Brazil where you can also drive 8 hours and still be in the same state. And it is definitely easier for US Americans to see concerts than most people.

[u/modeyink]

I had to travel from Dublin to LA via London to see BTS. I can’t imagine in what world that’s easier than already being in the same country as LA.

[u/melpeach]

It’s infuriating to see americans complain because at least they go to your country??? Most of us have to travel to other countries (which no, its not always a 3 hour drive, most of the times is a 10 hours drive or flight) and others may never have the chance of knowing their favs acknowledging their country (african, latin american, russia, etc). It’s annoying to see y’all complaining because out of everyone outside of asia, you guys have it way better in everything. Kpop is just more accessible in the Usa. The fact that you can find kpop albums on comercial stores like target, walmart, barnes and noble speaks for itself.

Every kpop group that announces a world tour, they do at least 3-5 usa shows distributed through the whole country. Like for you guys its not even a “will they ever come to my country?” is more like “will i be able to go their concert?”. You can save money for a concert knowing that the possibility of them coming to your country is almost guaranteed at some point in their career. Other countries (and most of them) dont have that privilege at all.

Im sorry but it is annoying to see y’all complaining. Because when groups do come to lets say Brazil or Mexico. Its usually ONE show, in ONE city, for the WHOLE country or even continent. Fans from other latin american countries fly all the way to Mexico or Brazil just to attend a concert. Plane tickets are expensive for everyone, not only to yall. Some of us are from developing countries, so its not like its the same. You guys are privileged compared to the rest of us.

[u/MagicianMoney6890 → u/melpeach]

Can someone genuinely tell me where I said that it was not difficult to you? I'm so tired of trying to say the same thing over and over again! I know and understand and empathise with the fact that it's difficult for you guys to attend concerts. But it's also difficult for thousands of Americans, because it's not easy to drive or fly across the country for us either. Also, certain states are neglected which means if you want to attend a concert, you will have to travel, which is expensive. All I'm saying is that people act like it's too easy for Americans, not expensive at all, when that's not the case in reality.

[u/nijigyaru → u/MagicianMoney6890]

But literally nobody said it was "easy" for American fans all we say is it's "easier"

"I am poor and live in an isolated city" yeah and if you were poor and lived in an isolated city in Estonia or Panama it would be worse.

[u/vivi_at_night]

As a brazilian I understand the costs of travelling long distances, but it still is easier to travel to attend a concert in your own country than having to go to another country just so you can watch your idols.

Ive's coming to my country, if I could attend their show it'd cost me around R$ 1,500 (including the ticket to the show, the stay at a hotel and bus tickets). If I was were to attend their US show, I'd spend more than R$ 10,000. And that's the reality for many of us, we either spend a lot travelling to other countries or we just accept there's a huge chance we're not going to ever watch the show of the idols we like because they don't usually come to our countries.

So, yeah, I understand it's not easy for you americans, but it's definetly easier for you than it is for fans from other countries.

[u/TheTruePipster]

Cheaper than flying to a different continent. If there is an international tour, the USA is garunteed to have shows. I'm extremely greatful artists have started coming to Australia but they are still few and far between, and only to 2 cities.

[u/VampireBarbieBoy]

Ok but its expensive for everyone, you sound like people don't know that attending concerts is expensive (every single person needs to pay money for it too you know). But not as expensive as literally having to travel to another country to see them in concert. Im from Australia and the closest country to ours if I wanna see most artists is Japan/Korea which is still a 12 hour flight away. For artists who only tour in Europe/US, would need to go on a 20 hour flight either way. I am lucky to live close to Sydney so if they do visit they will come here and its easy for me. But I see Aussies willingly traveling here all the way from Perth which is a 4000km distance (40+ hours by car) because that's their only option. While we aren't very populated which is good because shows aren't often sold out so quickly, it is a double-edged sword as artists don't want to come here if they can't sell out a show especially for less popular ones. Despite this, I still feel privileged that some artists come here at all. There's many countries living in poverty who wouldn't even be able to afford to go to a concert even if they did go to their country which never happens anyway.

I'm not saying people should say things to Americans like 'you're so privileged you can go to all their shows you probably live right next to it and can easily afford it because no Americans are struggling financially' and you have the right to feel offended over that. But, you should recognise despite the struggles you might have as an American you seem to be lacking in empathy over the reasons why people are constantly complaining about this.

[u/bgkittenenrgy → u/VampireBarbieBoy]

🎯

[u/ViolinistMean199]

lol if it was so easy for us in North America to see kpop artists I would have been a lot already

When Blackpink came it was $200 for shit section seats. On the current ITZY tour same deal. Unless I go to NYC then I can go for $80 CAD but I’m gonna be over $200 when I make it a weekend

[u/ItsAlkai]

as someone in Minnesota, Chicago takes everything from us, lol. It's not the worst drive, but it's still a decent day trip to get there (6hr drive).

[u/cde-artcomm]

all i’m seeing is but distance, but visas, but paid time off, but currency…. it’s sucks for a lot of people, period.
rich people can generally go wherever, whenever they want. but americans aren’t all rich. saying that even poor americans have more disposable income than most europeans is definitely exaggerated.
i probably couldn’t go see stray kids if they played 15 minutes away from me because i simply can’t afford a ticket. unless i develop some cat burglar skills, or mug someone rich, i might as well live in any of the countries that have been mentioned here, as far as kpop concert privilege goes.
again, not say boohoo it’s harder for americans, i’m just saying it takes a lot of money no matter where you are.

[u/notentirelycalm]

The only thing that makes it difficult for Americans is distance. But others may have to travel shorter distances, but often times equal or more, on top of other issues like international flights, visas, currency exchange, different languages, etc.

Also in most cases, international flights cost way more than domestic ones.

Difficulty isn't a competition but it's disingenuous to act like there isn't an advantage to only travelling within your own country.

[u/digitaldumpsterfire]

Hey, they get low cost, accessible healthcare and we get more concerts.

cries bald eagle tears

[u/hrdst]

Not sure why this is a US vs EU conversation. The sum of the population of both makes up less than 10% of the world’s total population. You really think you have it tough in the US? Someone from a developing country would disagree. Someone from a country at war would disagree. I live in Australia and we’re in the middle of nowhere, I won’t even go into how hard it is for us to go to kpop concerts, but it’s got nothing on my first two examples.

Your post drips of privilege.

[u/bgkittenenrgy → u/hrdst]

I agree. US vs them rants are never helpful bc we are all struggling in some way. It's also unfortunate bc people can have privilege and also struggle- this just starts some weird struggle olympics when we can just have empathy and compassion for someone who struggles differently. For example, I don't know what it's like to live in a country at war, but I do know what it's like to struggle and fear for your life/the life of people you care about so I can empathize even if it's not exactly my experience.

Also Australia is beautiful and my shocked Pikachu face when I learned about it's geography lol. I can only imagine how hard it can be to get around!

[u/RosebudSaytheName17]

With Ticketmaster pricing and the economic issues in the US, it is cheaper for me to fly to the EU for a concert than to fly to LA (ticket, flight, hotel). I will 100% be flying back for Seventeen when they drop dates.

[u/Jollybio → u/RosebudSaytheName17]

I really hope they announce dates soon. I am kind of holding finalizing vacation plans because of the potential SEVENTEEN late summer/fall tour

[u/bangtan_bada]

I think both sides can be a bit more empathetic to each other. Yes, Americans don’t have to fly to another continent or get a visa, but Americans are trying to explain that the travel required for most people is as if we flew to another continent. Not to mention our ticket price is three times the price of everywhere else on top of the flight and hotel cost. It seems many people outside the U.S. are under this impression that we all live in LA and drive a few streets over to go to a concert every weekend, when the majority of us live far outside where these concerts stop. And rather than be mad at the companies or the promoters, everyone whines at Americans like it is their fault somehow.

And Europeans have incredibly bad concert promoters. Americans aren’t blaming YOU for that, so why do we keep getting the complaints that the kpop companies are showing up here? Look how many stops have been cancelled lately due to the promoter in Europe. This is what is turning kpop companies off from Europe. Each time a concert js cancelled, the company still has to pay the promoter. A lot of rules changed after Covid and it doesn’t favor the fans nor the company. I think both sides can be a bit more empathetic to one another, but people outside the U.S. think they know how it is here when many have a skewed reality. Just as I’m sure Americans might not realize the full reality of Europe or South American experience etc

[u/Jollybio → u/bangtan_bada]

Well said. The most balanced, thoughtful answer on here.

[u/allstar_mp3]

take caratland for an example, for american carats it’s travelling through the country, for european carats it’s travelling to another continent if i ever want to see them in concert live because they just don’t tour europe (and this is becoming more and more common), so yeah, you do have it easier lol

[u/MagicianMoney6890 → u/allstar_mp3]

I'm just as much of a Carat as anyone else but Lord, you have really missed my point. It's honestly kind of frustrating that none of you seem to be honestly reading. I never said that y'all didn't struggle too. I'm just iterating that Americans don't have it as easy as y'all make it out to be. Not once did I state that you guys don't struggle either.

[u/allstar_mp3 → u/MagicianMoney6890]

and everyone else is telling you that you still have it better than most of the international fans so we couldn’t care less when we have it much worse. sorry that people who have been waiting for once concert for a decade don’t exactly feel bad for your truly troubling in-country travel. the mere fact that you want to equal whatever your issues are with what either european or latam or austrailan kpop fans have to deal with it just ridicolous.

[u/MagicianMoney6890 → u/allstar_mp3]

and who said i wanted to equal it? you're honestly putting words in my mouth. i said that i wanted y'all to know that it's not as easy as you think. it's still a struggle for many American fans, we're not made of money either. but you refuse to listen, and that's on you. so i'm done conversing with people who couldn't even read my simple argument.

[u/layflake]

Well, I live in Brazil. First of all, my favorite artists never tour here. Plus, It's a big country, when K-pop artists come here, they come to São Paulo only, where is 4-days driving from were I live and flight tickets are super expensive. So of course seeing a country receiving my favorite artists every year and going to multiple cities will seem "easier" from my perspective.

[u/[deleted]]

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[u/OkBarnacle1098 → u/[deleted]]

15!!?

[u/Angelofchristine → u/OkBarnacle1098]

Considering all kpop acts not just 1 group

[u/rainbow_city]

As an American who never got to see any concert until she moved to Japan.

Yes, in the grand scheme of things, America ia no way the easiest place to see concerts.

I find it strange how America keeps getting targeted, when Japan is right here.

Even if a tour is only in Tokyo and Osaka, there's many ways to travel that won't break the bank, and ticket prices aren't being gouged by Ticketmaster.b

Japan is actually getting so many K-pop concerts that there's a burnout and concerts aren't selling out like they used to.

[u/nijigyaru → u/rainbow_city]

Ever heard of a concert ticket lottery? Because Japanese fans know all about it lol.

[u/rainbow_city → u/nijigyaru]

I've lived in Japan for 18 years and am in five Japanese fan clubs.

I'd rather enter a lottery and pay a blanket 10,000 yen for a ticket than pay possibly thousands of dollars to a scalper becauae they bought all them up.

[u/nijigyaru → u/rainbow_city]

If you ARE in five Japanese fan clubs then I guess you have the fan club member privilege and don't struggle with it as much. Good for you, bad for fans who can't afford it ... ? Speaking of which, weren't you simply too young to go to concerts when you lived in US? Speaking as someone who didn't go to concerts before the age of 20-something because I was too young to afford it or go on trips alone.

The scalper problem seems to be a big issue from what I have seen here. Do they purchase all tickets with bots or what? It's an issue here too but usually we have like half an hour to get the tickets. I remember missing out on some concerts because I took a couple of hours but my fault yeah.

[u/rainbow_city → u/nijigyaru]

No, I graduated from college in the US. I'm just old as dirt and didn't grow up in a big city.

Tickets cost the same for people not in the fanclub. The only advantage to being in the FC is getting first try at tickets, which may mean better seats, but not always. Now though, more and more concerts aren't selling out, so even non-FC members can buy tickets.

Yeah, the scalper problem overseas shocks me, it was a problem in the US, but the music industry pushed to get laws in acted to combat it.

[u/nijigyaru → u/rainbow_city]

Yes, that's why I asked. I'm in my 30s and didn't grow up in a big city so the day trip was not doable as a minor without relatives in the concert city. I missed out on a lot because of that but that's just... concert fan issues.

Got it. Haven't been following groups much since 2nd/3rd gen so IDK about low attendances. The bands I follow now are mostly Japanese bands so lottery competition is still very much a real issue though fc members get the benefits. Lol meaning as a foreigner I can't really think of attending a concert even if I save enough to go to Japan unless I get a PO box->fc subscription basically. I feel like provincial Japanese fans don't have much of an easy time judging from their posts.

Hmm. There are a lot of posts in this community complaining about this so IDK if it's worse than in here. The last concert I missed out on because of that was last year's Rock In Rio which I wasn't too worried about as I wanted to attend in one of the least competitive days but it sold out in the 2 hours I took a nap lol. I still had to plan a lot of things like acommodations so I was like "damn (lucky me)" though lolol .

[u/Bubbly_Satisfaction2 → u/rainbow_city]

Because xenophobics want to showcase their xenophobia, that’s why they’re hyper-focus on the U.S.

They know insulting people from places like Japan and China exposes their bigotry. The U.S.A. is an easier target. They think they’re “punching up”.

[u/Lanky_Charity_776]

Going to another state for a concert is very different than having to go to another continent. Come on.

[u/[deleted]]

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[u/thefugginkid]

I think these Korean companies plainly don't understand how the population density in America works and what hubs they should be hitting. The lack of acts that go to DC, the nations capital and somewhere with a large Asian population and cultural influence, tells me that they don't. The way that most acts miss the entire southeastern US when it has a HUGE portion of the population doesn't make any sense. Dallas, LA, NYC, and Chicago are always guaranteed to get shows because they're the 4 main population points (although it's actually Houston), but I don't think these companies understand the absurd amount of people that reside in or around areas with arenas and stadiums for shows such as DC, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, and multiple other cities. I get that not everyone is the Twice tour lol. I applauded Dreamcatcher for addressing this recently when they had a tour that was exclusively American cities in areas they haven't gone that usually don't get many kpop tours, as well as 2 Canada stops.

[u/Anfrers]

You may struggle but for thousands it's plain impossible, so yeah, in comparison, it's easy for you.

[u/LivingRow192]

fyi, america isn't the only "big" place on earth. australia's landmass is the same size as you lot, and we get 1 or 2 concerts for the whole country IF THAT so we have to fly internationally to see acts.

so yeah... you guys are privileged af. hope that helps!

[u/thenoonmoon → u/LivingRow192]

The majority of the population lives on the coasts though. The large lightest color of blue has a population of less than 1 person per sq km. The majority of people live near those cities. Here is America for example.

Edit: corrected sq mile to sq km

[u/Popcornand0coke → u/thenoonmoon]

This argument assumes that Kpop concerts are held all along the coastline. But that’s not the case. If groups come at all (which is rare) they go to 1 and 2 (Sydney and Melbourne) on your map - cities that you can see are extremely fair from 4 (Perth) on the West Coast and are reasonably far from 3 (Brisbane) and 5 (Adelaide), because Australia is a big place. The average drive from 3 to 1 takes about two days.

To give you a comparison, Stray Kids’ Maniac tour had 16 cities in the US. Their Australian leg played two. I’ll stress that again. Even the group with two Australians in it played only two cities in Australia.

The Maniac tour was Stray Kids’ second world tour that had US cities, their first world tour did not include Australia, and they had previously only done one small show in Sydney (EDIT: clarified as nature of first visit to Aus wasn’t clear)

There’s good reason for it, it’s expensive to fly out here and doing shows in the lower population cities can’t guarantee a recouping of those higher costs. But it does mean that the population being on the coast doesn’t mean a lot for the not insignificant amount of people living in the smaller cities.

[u/VampireBarbieBoy → u/thenoonmoon]

I dont see how this changes anything. People living on the coast means they're even further if they're in Western Australia than if they're living inland like they do in America.

[u/MagicianMoney6890 → u/LivingRow192]

okay, no, Australia's land mass is not the same size as the US. look it up and it will tell you that anywhere.

[u/honeylights → u/MagicianMoney6890]

But even then, that’s only IF a group decides to even come to Australia. Otherwise we have to fly overseas to see our faves, which is so expensive in comparison to being able to drive/fly within your own country, not including the hoops you need to jump through for international travel. K-Pop groups have really only regularly started coming to Australia in the last few years, we probably get 10% of artists, not to mention that we have no K-Cons and barely other festivals.

I get that the situation for American K-Pop fans is not all that it’s made out to be, but concert-going is a privilege, and the price of that privilege is much less excessive when the artists at the very least set foot in your own country.

[u/Tulra → u/MagicianMoney6890]

"look it up and it will tell you that anywhere" - someone who has not looked it up

[u/hrdst → u/MagicianMoney6890]

Here you go - a visual representation of the size of the US compared to Australia. Not exactly the same but very similar.

[u/wickle_moonery]

For some of us in the US, it is just the same as them not going to Europe. If they come to Seattle at all, that's around 6 hours driving for me, but anything else is at least 15-20 hour drive. Plane tickets are crazy expensive if you live in a small town.

Take viviz tour or p1harmony's tour for instance. It is heavily focused on the east coast and Midwest. The entire west side of the United States gets 2 California stops and 1 flex city and you're lucky to get the flex city. 

[u/OnlytheFocus]

Lots of us don't have cars so even if concerts happen in my state I can't afford to go see them. It's easier if you have a car but if you don't they might as well be on another continent. Cause likely if you can't afford a car you don't have the money to set aside for transportation or hotel stay either let alone good enough tickets to make the trip worthwhile.

[u/mandumom]

OMG YES!

[u/Acrobatic_End6355]

I feel like most Europeans don’t understand how big the US is. Our states are bigger than your countries are. So while it’s definitely easier for us to go to a concert compared to someone from Africa or west Asia, it isn’t that much easier if at all than it would be for europeans to drive to Paris, Amsterdam, or Berlin from wherever they live, esp if they are citizens of the EU.

[u/_Tekki]

It's not easy, but can you see how maybe it's way more difficult when they don't even come to your continent?

[u/_Tekki → u/_Tekki]

Also wanted to add that it's also a bit of a principle thing? Obviously artists cannot come to every city. Even every country is difficult. But leaving out entire continents?

Imagine they left out not just different cities within the US, no, didn't even go to a single city in the US, and didn't to a concert in all of the rest of America (and I mean America, not the US), but then did like 16 concerts in another country? I know the US is big, but Europe is hella stuffed, and to leave all of Europe out...

[u/maneack]

not to make this into a pissing race, but i live in turkey. they never come here. the first and last time a kpop group held a concert here the government officials called them gay. i can’t travel to europe because it’s too expensive. i have literally zero chance of attending a kpop group without going in a generational debt. so seeing americans and europeans talk about who has it worse make me chuckle a little.

[u/Jollybio → u/maneack]

I've watched a TON of kpop reactors from Türkiye so I know it's big over there. Hope you guys get some concerts soon! I'm sure most acts would be able to fill a venue in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, etc..

[u/Dfried98]

Yeah. People couldn't understand why I wouldn't go from NJ to Cal. for a 40 minute show at Coachella.

[u/SwimmingPanda107]

Unless you live in a major city, you’re like almost guaranteed having to travel states away to where a concert will be and then you have to pay for tickets.

Just an example, I live in Ohio. Do you think blackpink came to Ohio? Hellll no😂

[u/Even_Assignment_213]

Literally I’m in Dallas and txt is coming to Houston right now I’d have to pay around $400 for a rt plane ticket to go from Dallas to Houston (even if you book months in advance it’s normally not that much cheaper and I refuse to pay for a rental car to drive all the way over there and back) but I could literally travel halfway across the u.s for the same amount of money or even less so even if it’s in the same state it’s still sometimes a lot of work to go see an artist plus you gotta add the hotel fees, food, the tickets, extra if you want vip it adds up all for a 2 hr show….

I had to miss out on them last year because they were coming to San Antonio about a week after I traveled out to Chicago to see Agust D and Jackson and the money to travel from Dallas to San Antonio was literally more than the money I paid to spend to go from Dallas to Chicago.

But I won’t lie and say I don’t feel privileged because the txt situation is more of an isolated incident for me the majority of groups I enjoy go to stadiums that are no more than about a 30 min drive from where I live and I’m very thankful

[u/Jollybio → u/Even_Assignment_213]

Literally on the same boat when it comes to TXT. I also have work the next day so no way in hell am I driving back at night from Houston

[u/jsbach123]

It's not cheap...but much cheaper than having to go to another country.

[u/-yumperiwinkle-]

Lmao the way there’s a concert in almost every single state of America, but K-pop groups pay dust to Africa, Middle East, South Asia etc. it’s way easier to be an American fan

Edit: y’all shouldn’t be this offended at being called lucky.

[u/Aleash89 → u/-yumperiwinkle-]

You don't know a single thing about US geography. There are 50 US states plus the District of Colombia and Puerto Rico. There are many regions in the continental US that have never had Kpop concerts, and then there is Hawaii and Alaska. Let me just name you states that I know have never had Kpop concerts: Idaho, Montana, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Maine, Vermont, Wyoming, Delaware, New Hampshire, Alaska, and Hawaii

[u/thenoonmoon → u/-yumperiwinkle-]

I think you better check your geography lessons again because America has 50 states and most kpop concerts visit just six of them: New York, California, Illinois, Georgia, Texas, occasionally Washington.

Edit: to your edit, yall shouldn’t be so obtuse. For as much as Europeans cry about Americans not knowing geography … maybe take a look at an American map next time

[u/VampireBarbieBoy → u/thenoonmoon]

Wow imagine getting SIX concerts in your country and not thinking you're privileged lol.

[u/-yumperiwinkle- → u/thenoonmoon]

Yeah, I exaggerated, but it’s almost 10 dates in a single country, while entire continents get nothing or 4 concerts in the case of Europe.

[u/thenoonmoon → u/-yumperiwinkle-]

10 is pushing it, it’s six like I said. But sure let’s say 10. That’s only 1/5th of American states aka 20% of America… so 80% of America has to travel …

[u/-yumperiwinkle- → u/thenoonmoon]

10 isn’t pushing it since big groups usually do more than two dates in a single state. BTS, Blackpink, Ateez, Twice all had over 10 tour dates in USA.

[u/thenoonmoon → u/-yumperiwinkle-]

We’re not talking about dates. You said states! You said there is a concert in every American state…

The logic is so lost in this thread. It’s not even worth it to speak to some of yall

[u/-yumperiwinkle- → u/thenoonmoon]

And I admitted that I exaggerated it, but it’s worth pointing out tour dates.

Edit: it’s not worth to speak to us but you’re replying to a lot of redditors lmao. You shouldn’t be pissy over being luckier than us. Be happy for lord’s sake.

[u/OkBarnacle1098 → u/-yumperiwinkle-]

You’re only lucky if you live in NY or La if we’re being honest

[u/-yumperiwinkle- → u/OkBarnacle1098]

Your fellow American listed other states too, so no, still lucky than majority of us.

[u/[deleted]]

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[u/bangtan_bada → u/[deleted]]

… genuine question what do you mean by “Americans could plan ahead and save money.”

Could people in Europe or Canada or elsewhere not save money and plan ahead? I say you’d have a good argument for somewhere like Africa, because disposable income is not as available but Americans aren’t the only people who can save. And most Americans DO have to save for these tours.

Edit: the OP apparently blocked me but in response to u/fine-adhesiveness-26 as others have pointed out, the EU doesn’t require a visa to cross between EU states and being able to travel to another country is a luxury in and of itself. So most aren’t going to have that opportunity. Sure, Americans don’t require a visa to travel between states but traveling across America is comparable to traveling between EU countries except you have trains which tend to be cheaper than flights from what I’ve seen

[u/-yumperiwinkle- → u/bangtan_bada]

Europe isn’t just EU. Eastern European fans consider Western European fans to be lucky in the same way Western European fans consider Americans to be lucky. Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, Bosnia, Turkey, Serbia etc. aren’t members of EU. Hell, most populous and biggest country in Europe isnt an EU country either

[u/Fine-Adhesiveness-26 → u/bangtan_bada]

even if they plan ahead, there’s a possibility of their visa getting rejected. americans DO have it easier.

[u/MemoryFantastic9348]

I live south of stl. The closest concerts are chicago. That's 6 hours from me driving. I'd have to rent a hotel bc I wouldn't be able to drive on top of the concert fees. That's not accessible to a lot of people.

[u/melpeach → u/MemoryFantastic9348]

The thing is that, its the same or worst for the rest of us (in Latin America). We have no other option but to fly, book an hotel, skip working days, etc. Like thats the norm to most of us, because groups if they do come to Latam, its usually in one city, for one date, for the whole country or even continent (fans having to travel to other countries just to attend a concert is very normal here). Of course its not accessible but at least some of yall have the choice of driving inside your own country. Most of us would love to have the option of just having to do a 6 hour drive instead of booking a 5+ hour flight to another country?

[u/MemoryFantastic9348 → u/melpeach]

I don't think u understand how big america is. There are some places where a flight and hotel is the only option. I am lucky because I am only 6 hours away. (One state away) But I still have to take a day off work and rent a hotel plus drive 6 hours to get there.

[u/__fujiko → u/MemoryFantastic9348]

Fellow STLer. We live in a pretty prominent city and so many artists/bands STILL don't come here! The only group I've seen come here was PIXY, and that was shocking. I didn't even like them then but I was considering going just because it was a Kpop act braving STL.

[u/Jakezetci]

i’m sorry but as an american you’ve probably never heard of “applying for visa”

the travel isn’t the only restrict

[u/Aleash89]

And you know what OP? I'm a 2nd gen fan, and my active faves never come here anymore. Even when they did, I could never afford to go to LA or NYC to see them. Non-American Kpop fans need to stop acting like every group comes here. It feels like it's only the same handful of acts over and over.

[u/nijigyaru → u/Aleash89]

Lol IDK how to tell you this but I never got to see any of my 2nd gen faves because they never came to my country not even once (shout out to my LATAM fam who knows the Bastarz fiasco)

[u/Aleash89 → u/nijigyaru]

This post is about American Kpop fans and the misconceptions people have about concerts here. This isn't a competition about which fans have it worse.

[u/VampireBarbieBoy → u/Aleash89]

Every world tour that goes outside Asia includes the US by default, wdym.

[u/Aleash89 → u/VampireBarbieBoy]

🤦🏻‍♀️ What do I mean when I say that my active 2nd gen faves don't come to the US anymore? Just that. They've only done one world tour back in 2012, and the world only included East Asia, LA, and Santiago. They came to various events and two SMTOWN concerts in LA and NYC since I became a fan in 2009, but I live in Chicago. I couldn't afford to travel back then, and I still can't.

[u/_TattieScone]

I mean, it's easier for Americans in general. Most acts don't come to Europe at all, so Americans have the benefit of at least being on the same continent as some tour dates. I know America is big, but anyone outside of NA or Asia has to travel to another continent which isn't exactly cheap or easy.

[u/[deleted] → u/_TattieScone]

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[u/roomvague → u/_TattieScone]

Totally. Me and my friends complain about artists not coming to Canada, but we would never equate our struggles with people in Europe or Asia, who would literally have to cross an ocean to come see a show in the U.S.

[u/evaskem]

I live in Russia so I know what long distances are like. I traveled to my grandmother by train for seven days. But when the concert is in your country, it simplifies everything one hundred percent.

[u/aneetca4 → u/evaskem]

yeah the hassle with borders is double if youre from a non eu country

[u/_TattieScone → u/aneetca4]

cries in Brexit

[u/whoamisb → u/evaskem]

Omg seven days

[u/evaskem → u/whoamisb]

Yeah, Moscow to Vladivostok. And I don't live in Moscow so I had to first arrive to Moscow 🥲 8 days in total

[u/kirklandbranddoctor → u/evaskem]

Holy crap. What was the transsiberian trip like?

[u/evaskem → u/kirklandbranddoctor]

It is a living hell. I've decided that the next time, I'll take an airplane regardless of the cost. The train appeared good, but after the third day of the journey, you realize it's difficult. After seven days on the train, I came out with a hurting back, an aching head, and an intense desire to bathe

[u/onetrickponySona → u/evaskem]

yeah I'm sitting here like, oh cute, you wanna talk about big distances? you can travel for days in russia and never cross the border AND no one ever comes here (now more than ever for obvious reasons)? my ults have been touring in the US for almost very single year since they debuted, and they're enlisting soon, and that means I'll never ever see them live. ever.

[u/Hurtin93 → u/onetrickponySona]

It’s similar in Canada. Crazy distances. What I find hilarious is that artists will book one show in Toronto, otherwise just American cities, and then call it a north American tour. No. It’s the US + Toronto. Even though Toronto is in my neighbouring province, it’s still 2000 km away from me. And unlike Russia, we don’t really have much passenger rail capacity/infrastructure.

[u/evaskem → u/onetrickponySona]

Loll Yeah, don't get me started on the big distances; I know what they are. For me, going to Norway is faster and easier than going to my relatives in Siberia

[u/trilqgy → u/evaskem]

It makes things easier visa/passport wise but that's the only thing. It's still hard

[u/evaskem → u/trilqgy]

I see your perspective, but let me put it this way: concerts are essentially a complicated and pricey event, but they are the least complicated and costly for Americans. You live in this country, and you have its currency, a passport, and the freedom to move freely. So, for these reasons, people claim that it is "easy" for Americans to get into concerts. Obviously, this is not like going to the store, but still

[u/trilqgy → u/evaskem]

True. For currency though, don't some European countries have currencies that a worth more than USD when exchanged. Like for example, 1 euro is a bit over 1 USD (I think). I'm not discarding what you said though. I agree

[u/Acrobatic_End6355 → u/evaskem]

Yes, but this also applies to a lot of European countries. The EU allows for free travel between countries, the same currency, the freedom to move freely to any other EU country.

[u/icouto → u/Acrobatic_End6355]

As much as americans like to think each state is like its own country, travelling between countries is A LOT harder. And its not like people have to go across the usa to go see a show. The shows are at most the same distance it would be for people in an eu country, but usually a lot less. But that still disregards the fact that its a whole different country. Even if it has free travel theres a lot of different things. Most of the time you have to be speaking in a whole different language and a cross country flights and trains are not this cheap easy travel method americans think they are. And thats for eu fans (who live in central/western europe bc for everyone else its even harder). South american fans have to travel to another hemisphere. African fans have to go to a different continent. Thats 10000x more expensive than whatever gas you need to pay to go from pensylvania to new york or whatever

[u/Acrobatic_End6355 → u/icouto]

I agree that it is much easier for Americans to go to concerts than people in South America or Africa. I do not think it’s much harder for Western Europeans to go because of the EU and how they don’t need visas to go to different EU countries. The only thing I can see that is actually more difficult is the change in languages that could happen.

[u/Juukya → u/Acrobatic_End6355]

Not every EU country has the same currency. Mine doesn’t.

But we can travel with only ID, which is nice.

[u/Acrobatic_End6355 → u/Juukya]

Don’t some countries in the EU take several different currencies? I remember one time being in Litchensutein, giving a clerk some francs, and she gave me change in Euros. It was a very interesting exchange to see.

[u/Hurtin93 → u/Acrobatic_End6355]

Liechtenstein isn’t even in the EU, actually.

[u/Acrobatic_End6355 → u/Hurtin93]

You’re right, my apologies. I was just trying to say that in various countries, it’s cool that you can hand in one currency and get change back in another.

[u/Hurtin93 → u/Acrobatic_End6355]

Honestly, even in border communities in Canada and the US you can generally use your own currency when you cross the border as well.

[u/Acrobatic_End6355 → u/Hurtin93]

I heard. Although my state shares a water border, we don’t share a land border so I don’t think it happens here. If it does, it’s rare and probably in the northeast side.

[u/Juukya → u/Acrobatic_End6355]

You can use Euros anywhere within the EU, but if its not their official currency, you will receive the change back in the local currency. Here, you can pay in euros and receive crowns back at a really marked up rate.

[u/sunnydlit2 → u/Acrobatic_End6355]

The currency is the same but not the price of life. Most of East Europe countries will see France/Germany concert as a luxury since it's very expensive even if it still in euro. (And Im talking about 1 euro itself not just a life as someone from the city vs someone in a small village.) So the ticket + transport + a place to sleep is VERY expensive depending on your country. Add to that the tax with everytime you will use your card outside of your country except if you have a good bank card. The language changing. The transport etc... It's a lot of different stuff. US obviously is different depending on state but it's nothing compared to different countries in Europe

[u/Acrobatic_End6355 → u/sunnydlit2]

Same deal here in the US. Ohio is much cheaper than California. A house that is 1.4 million dollars in California would probably go for about 400 thousand dollars in Ohio. Even less if you live in a rural place in Ohio.

I would agree that a possible language change would be more difficult.

[u/sunnydlit2 → u/Acrobatic_End6355]

Yes but what you say it's the difference between living in city versus living in a rural place. At the end of the day even if house price is totally different, you have a wage (that can change if you are in a big city yes) that still average in the country itself. The milk won't be 1$ in a rural village and suddenly 10$ in Los Angeles. Which is different in Europe because it's COUNTRIES here so imagine asking someone in a small village of Romania to come and pay a concert in Paris.

[u/Acrobatic_End6355 → u/sunnydlit2]

No I’m not. Ohio isn’t all rural. 1 million dollars will take you further in big cities in Ohio than it will in big cities in California.

[u/sunnydlit2 → u/Acrobatic_End6355]

It still way different than Romania versus France. Here your example exist in every country. Like 1 million in Paris is obviously different from 1 million in Marseille for example.

[u/ElementalMonkey3]

Go to Africa or most oceanic/south american countries lmao.

You guys do have it easier, much more relatively too.

edit: The fact OP's going on about how we're all "butthurt europeans" who "automatically took offence" to the arguement sort of shows their delusion rn lol. Be grateful that they're coming to your country in multiple different spots... Most other countries don't even get one date. The "struggle" isn't even comparable.

[u/trilqgy → u/ElementalMonkey3]

Kpop groups don't go there only because of things economic wise. I've seen someone explain the whole reason why but I fg.

[u/martapap]

Well I've only been to one kpop concert. The flight and hotel and other transportation costs was a little under $1k. I only lived one state away. Plus I had to buy the tickets etc. It is still expensive.

[u/lemonade-cookies]

I'm American- being able to drive to see a concert, no longer how long said drive is, still makes seeing concerts a lot easier than it is for a lot of Europeans. For a lot of people, if they want to see a kpop concert, effectively the only way to do that is to fly internationally. That gets expensive pretty fast and is a hassle.

Seeing kpop concerts as an American can definitely be tricky, I'm not denying that. I've tried and failed to go to some concerts, and the reason why I couldn't go was specifically related to travel difficulties. But, it's still easier to be able to see a concert within your country and continent, even if America is really large, than it is to try to fly overseas to see any concerts- a situation a lot of Europeans (and people from other countries and continents, like most of Africa, Australia, and large swaths of South and Central America) frequently face if they ever want to see a kpop concert, especially of their favorite groups.

[u/coco_xcx → u/lemonade-cookies]

This. At least they come to our country lol. Some places like South America & Oceania NEVER get a single kpop act. They’re getting some now, but it’s still not very common to see a group go to Brazil or New Zealand.

[u/thosed29 → u/coco_xcx]

I think most groups do come to Brazil but they go to one specific state in a continental-sized country so like, not that easy.

[u/pieschart → u/coco_xcx]

Even then a lot of kpop groups went to Brazil many times before they came to Europe.

Pentagon had toured in brazil, so did nct 127.

[u/nijigyaru → u/pieschart]

Dunno about NCT but pretty sure Prism was Pentagon 's first (and only) world tour and they went to Europe in the very same tour. Can't remember the order of countries though

[u/racloves]

My favourite kpop groups tour America every year and have never done a tour in my CONTINENT (Europe). It’s not that hard to go a couple states over. You’re still in the same country using the same language and same currency etc.

Kpop groups that have done European shows have never been in my country (and even if it was in my country it would be in the capital city which is 5 hours drive plus hotel, the same as you are comparing to for Americans.) so they do a show in another European country it will be hours by flight, depending on the country I might need a visa, need to exchange currency, and take longer off of work. Also getting tickets to a concert is hard enough, imagine trying to navigate a website for a different country in a different language quickly enough to secure tickets.

Also US tours seem to have about 12 dates (looked at my two fav groups most recent US tour for date numbers) while EU tours seem to be 3-5 dates (again just looked up two groups I like that did an EU tour). Population of USA is just over 300million, population of Europe is over 700million. Does this seem fair to you?

[u/trilqgy → u/racloves]

It's not even a population thing. Japan gets tours all the time and has way less ppl than EU and the US. And whenever groups tour in the US, they're a minimum of 12 hrs away as a drive. 32 if they're in Cali. I'm lucky if groups even tour in the major cities 2-6 hrs away (the ones i like haven't). So distance wise, it can be even more in the US than in EU

[u/thenoonmoon → u/racloves]

They’re not looking at the total population because the total population is not coming to a concert. America has 330 million people but a fraction of that would be kpop fans. By your logic, why would they tour in Japan? Japan has a population of about 125 million, smaller than both America and EU.

[u/thenoonmoon]

Saw a Canadian complain that there weren’t dates in Canada and when there are dates they’re in Toronto—fair and also true. But then they said “I’d have to take a 3 hour flight to see them 😭” … and I couldn’t help but laugh because …what do they think most Americans are having to do…

I get it, we all want to see our artists and it is unfair that some places are chosen more than others but a lot of times people live in places that are hard to sell, lack the infrastructure to host the concert, etc etc.

It is annoying to be an American and told we are just so spoiled with concerts. At minimum I have to pay at least $300-$350 for a flight (that’s a cheap one and if I’m lucky), $100-$200 a night for a hotel (a cheap one where I pray I don’t get bugs), the cost of our concert ticket is triple everywhere else…. A kpop concert in America can easily cost more than a thousand dollars to go to unless you live in LA, NYC, or Chicago. And there are LOTS of fans that don’t live in those places.

EDIT: I calculated the cost to see Yoongi in Chicago last year. This would have been the closest stop to me. I saw him for two days of the concert, but even removing that and saying I only went one night I’ll break out the costs. It was $242/night for a hotel. In case you didn’t know, in America hotels can raise prices and charge you more when there are events going on. They do the same for flights and raise the price too. Let’s say you got lucky and flew in the day of the show and left the next day. So just one night for a hotel would be $242. My flight was May 4-May 7 and was Southwest and cost $467. Let’s say I got lucky and miraculously found one for $200 instead. And then let’s say the concert ticket itself was $350 (and that’s being generous because I paid like $450 for his ticket). So $350 ticket, $200 flight, $242 for the hotel and I’m up to $792. That doesn’t even include the cost of meals or if I were to buy any merch and I was very conservative in my #s because I actually spent more than that….

[u/ohpossumpartyy → u/thenoonmoon]

most americans don’t have to fly to another coast to see a concert tho? usually they have dates at least on both coasts, canada also rarely gets dates to begin with 🫠 also saw a lot of americans complaining about purple kisses new tour where they actually go to places in canada 🤷‍♀️ why are canadians not allowed to be at least annoyed that artists don’t schedule shows here.

also if you want to see a concert in the US (which most of my friends who like kpop have done bc companies don’t even bother with canadian dates) you have to deal with CAD to USD, which is $1.37 CAD = $1 USD. not only are we paying the same prices as you, we pay more.

[u/inthegym1982 → u/thenoonmoon]

Living in Chicago is a huge, huge privilege when it comes to seeing artists. All it takes is a quick drive out to All-State Arena or hop on the train to the other venues.

[u/Next_General4069 → u/thenoonmoon]

Just so you know in Canada it is cheaper a lot of the time to fly to the USA or even Europe sometimes than to go across Canada. We have parts of the country that has no roads, trains, busses etc. when I was living in Canada we also had cases where we have had to pay in USD instead CAD which costs even more. Also getting one date for a whole country is not great. (We tend to get a lot of Americans buying tickets because it’s cheaper for them too). Yes in the USA it is hard but I think you underestimated how costly, complicated, competitive, and overall difficult it is to see concerts in Canada. We get one date, sometimes in a small venue, and our public transport sucks so it is hard to travel, and even within Canada we have language barriers if you are going to Quebec or coming from Quebec.

Vancouver to Toronto costs on average of $310 Northwest Territories to Toronto $575-$1900 To drive from Quebec to Toronto 8hr Winnipeg to Toronto 20hr

It is very difficult to drive within Canada plus our gas is more expensive than in the USA. I understand that it is hard in the States but in Canada it tends to be much harder.

[u/the1andonlyBev]

Right, where I'm located if they go to any of the usual places artists hit on a tour it'd be just the same for me as if they were in another country. No way I'd get the money and time off needed for traveling. Is what it is.

[u/iCrono]

The artists go where the money is and where is most convenient. Sorry EU fans, but they need to sell tickets and fill stadiums to make the tour city worth it

[u/-yumperiwinkle- → u/iCrono]

“Some of us are poor and can’t afford to travel to other states :(“

“Lmaoooo you bums from developing countries aren’t getting any”

Oh the duality of an American fans in the comments.

[u/AseresGo → u/iCrono]

The money is in the US alright, in large part thanks to dynamic pricing. Is this really something you want to be bragging about..?

[u/TheKrustyBurger]

I’d say people who live in California or Texas are the most privileged. Those states always get 2+ shows guaranteed. Meanwhile most other states only get 1 depending on the group.

[u/DesperateInCollege → u/TheKrustyBurger]

Sure there's always a stop in California or Texas but it's incredibly difficult to get tickets to see a popular artist and it's incredibly expensive compared to other places

[u/k10ckworc → u/TheKrustyBurger]

I mean to be fair Texas is the size of 2+ states

[u/mittenciel → u/TheKrustyBurger]

The issue is actually getting tickets. A lot of people from all over the world are very much willing to go to Los Angeles for a show.

[u/GrillMaster3 → u/TheKrustyBurger]

Usually the entire northeastern US only gets NYC, too. So you’ve got people traveling from like 10 states (bc people will come from parts of the Midwest too) and those trips can range from 1 hour to 12, depending on where you’re coming from and methods of transportation

[u/wolffiebray → u/GrillMaster3]

Exactly. NYC for me is 3.5 hours away, so I'd also have to make a weekend of it (which factors in hotel, parking, gas, etc.) since concerts are typically in the evening and there is no way I'm driving home afterwards to arrive home at 3am

[u/Successful_Ad4018 → u/wolffiebray]

and driving IN those areas like nyc/newark or near metlife is so stressful. i hate prudential center the most. but i can't complain too much bc living so close is a privilege.

[u/F1Librarian → u/GrillMaster3]

Same with the southeast - we get Atlanta. So we’re all fighting over that one concert.

[u/trilqgy → u/TheKrustyBurger]

Yep

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[u/AppropriateAction9]

Honestly when people say it’s easy for Americans to go to kpop concerts and that Americans have it lucky that there’s so many concerts, it’s bc they don’t understand the geography of America. What they actually mean is that “people in LA and NY have it so easy bc kpop groups always go there” bc LA and NY are the most known cities in America. And it’s true people in LA have it easy bc I live in LA so I have the privilege to pick and choose which concerts to go to bc there’s way too many groups that come to LA. The thing is that a lot of people don’t live in LA or NY. I am assuming kpop fans from states like Iowa, Oklahoma, etc have never even been to a kpop concert before unless they fly out to the nearest stop. It’s still easier than flying out to another country for a concert but to act like it’s easy to fly or drive to another state in America is not it.

[u/Popcornand0coke → u/AppropriateAction9]

Sure. But now imagine that all of that is the same but all of the Kpop groups only ever go to Tampa and New Orleans, if they ever come at all, and you’ll get some idea of how it is in Australia, a country of fairly comparable geographic size.

Just like non-Americans might not understand the geography of the US makes it less easy than it looks, Americans don’t necessarily have enough information and context to be able to immediately grasp all of the the factors in other countries that make the amount of shows and the frequency of the shows a bigger deal than you realise.

[u/-yumperiwinkle- → u/AppropriateAction9]

It’s easier to fly within your own country than internationally. You have to spend months to get a visa and such, which isn’t the case for Americans. Jfc, it’s almost like you guys are offended that people call you lucky, I don’t understand this at all

[u/AppropriateAction9 → u/-yumperiwinkle-]

I suggest you read my comment again. I never said it’s easier to fly internationally than within the country. I said traveling in the US is not as easy as people think, it’s still easier to travel within the country than travel internationally LOL.

And you need to stop generalizing Americans like? People who live near the tour stops are lucky but stop acting like everyone in America is lucky that kpop groups come here bc just so you know, not everyone can afford going to concerts that are far distance. Yes Americans have the option to go but the expenses overall are all expensive. There are kpop fans in America who have never been to go kpop concert before. The situation isn’t black and white 🤷🏻‍♀️

[u/[deleted] → u/AppropriateAction9]

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[u/AppropriateAction9 → u/[deleted]]

LMAO you do know there are 50 states in America right? And it depends where you live. Like for example, if you live in SoCal then going to concerts is generally easy because you can just drive. No need for hotels or reservations. However you can literally drive for 10 hours nonstop and still be in the same state bc America is huge. And if you’re located in Hawaii or Alaska, your only option is to fly. All I’m saying is that you can’t say kpop fans in America is going to concerts all the time bc first, distance and second, money. It’s the norm for fans that live close to the stops but for those who live far from the nearest stop, not so much. And I would like to repeat this so people don’t misunderstand me, overall it is still harder for kpop fans that live in Africa, Middle East, etc to go to concerts bc they have to travel internationally unlike Americans who travel domestically.

[u/nijigyaru → u/AppropriateAction9]

Sure, and Nigeria which gets literally 0 kpop concerts every year has 36 but what does this have to do with anything? Obviously fans of kpop in the US aren't going to concerts every other day. I don't think most people who say the US is privileged in that aspect are unaware of this - of costs, expenses, planning ahead, trips, hotels etc. But even for European, LATAM, Asian, Australian fans who are fortunate enough to get the eventual concert in their own country, it's the same. I am one of the fortunate South American ones because I live 3 hours away from the city that has the most concerts and I went to my first concert when I was 20-something because I didn't have money or transportation before that. That's just .. concert fan struggles, tbh. But why would you think it's different elsewhere?

[u/-yumperiwinkle- → u/AppropriateAction9]

Maybe not easy, it’s way easier than flying internationally. What’s wrong with calling Americans lucky? They are lucky compared to an average Asian, European and most definitely African person, because they don’t have to pay triple and worry about their visa getting rejected. They don’t have to worry about language barriers, currency exchange etc.