It starts the same way every time. Long queues, millions of K-pop fans around the world with laptops open, and a clock ticking down by the second. When the countdown hits zero, everyone gets brought into the virtual waiting room. Then, the queue number appears, often with hundreds of thousands of people ahead. From there, it turns into simple math. If a venue only holds tens of thousands of seats, chances drop fast.

Because of this pressure, some K-pop fans, particularly from BTS known as ARMYs, have started treating ticket battles as something to train for. During BTS’s ticket sales for the Arirang World Tour, many ARMYs conducted practice runs by joining other high-demand sales, just to see how the system worked. One particular example fans mentioned was Bruno Mars’s concert. Fans practiced checkout speed, queue timing, and whether Ticketmaster would flag multiple devices. Online, some fans were extremely proud, sharing screenshots of their strategy and experience.

Still, not everyone found it impressive. Some fans genuinely don’t think waiting in line for hours is a good use of their time.

“I buy resale, I don’t think stressing out is worth the money I’m going to save,” junior Lydia Xu says. 

Similar reactions show up online, where commenters call the efforts excessive. But for many, it is also a hobby. With K-pop artists growing in numbers, it may be the best way to compete against scalpers and bots scrambling for the same seats.

The K-pop concert experience itself also pushes fans to go the extra mile. They include more interactive features than Western shows. Fans arrive hours early to line up, trade photocards, and visit the merch booth. Many tours don’t have an opening act, keeping fans engaged with the main artist from the very start. Since the artist starts closer to the listed time, being seated on time matters more, creating a stronger sense of anticipation and energy. Lightsticks are also a big part of the atmosphere, devices with changing colors and flashes to match the beat of the songs, turning the audience into a part of the act and a synchronized visual. 

For K-pop fans, ticketing is all about planning, strategy, and luck, all compressed into a couple of stressful minutes. The feeling of “finally seeing someone you’ve been listening to on Spotify for so long in person,” is what drives K-pop fans, sophomore Johnny Tao states.