NEWARK, NJ - Two teens were camping alongside dozens of others in tents outside the Prudential Center last evening with one goal in mind: to get a closer view of a K-pop boy band called BTS.

Tyler Swintosky and Sabrina Barker, both 14, flew from North Carolina with their parents in the wee hours of the morning yesterday to set up camp. The two girls had general admission tickets and pitching a tent would allow them to get first dibs on a closer spot to the stage.

“We want to be able to snatch them by the ankles and take them home,” said Swintosky, who had a ticket to see the band later tonight.

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BTS stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan in Korean, which translates to Bulletproof Boy Scouts. The seven-member band said they would also be known as Beyond the Scene last year.

The group debuted their first album in 2013 and is on a "Love Yourself" world tour right now. This week, they’ve appeared on Good Morning America and addressed the United Nations.

The band's devoted fans are known as the ARMY.

Barker and Swintosky said they’re good kids who stay on top of their school work, so their parents didn’t mind letting them miss some school for the opportunity to see one of their favorite bands. Their parents booked a hotel at the Courtyard by Marriott around the corner and were keeping tabs on them too.

The girls became close friends because of BTS, they said. Barker, who has bright blue hair, said the band’s message of acceptance helped her gain the confidence to dye it such a bold color.





“They’ve grown tremendously,” Barker said of BTS, later adding, “Since they’ve come so far, people are more and more determined to see them.”

People both young and old were camped on the blocks around the perimeter of the Prudential Center, but Broad Street was tent-free. A light rain last night didn't seem to faze the fans either, who were spotted knitting and chatting with friends.

BTS is playing shows today and tomorrow at the Prudential Center. Doors open for the first concert today at 8 p.m.

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