Around 50,000 fans of K-pop superstars BTS gathered outside Mexico's National Palace on Wednesday to get a look at the group, who waved to the crowd from a balcony after meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum.
BTS will perform shows in Mexico City on May 7, 9 and 10, with more than 135,000 tickets for the stadium showcase getting snapped up in a matter of minutes.
The group returned to the world spotlight in March after an almost four-year pause so its members could carry out their obligatory military service.
Kim Nam-joon, one of the members of the group, said to the crowd in Spanish: "I love you, I adore you. Thank you very much!"
"I already told them they have to come back next year," Sheinbaum said, later posting a photo with the group and holding their latest album "ARIRANG."
Lizeth Zarate, a coordinator for the Zocalo – Mexico City's main square located in front of the presidential palace – said the Wednesday crowd was around 50,000.
"They're my whole world," Estefany Victoriano, a 25-year-old secretary, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Another onlooker, 18-year-old Zoe Perez, was on the verge of tears.
"I'm speechless, and it's a very beautiful feeling to see them in person. Since I couldn't get tickets, well, it makes me a little emotional," she said.
