TNT Concerts to Shut Roads Near Shanghai Stadium

Roads around Shanghai Stadium in Xuhui District will close on four nights from Sunday as Chinese boy band TNT wraps up its national tour.

Nearby residents should plan extra travel time or take the metro instead of driving.

The band, known in Chinese as Shidai Shaonian Tuan (时代少年团), plays at Shanghai Stadium on August 2, 3, 5 and 6. Police expect more than 240,000 fans over the four shows, and more than a quarter of them are minors.

Who is TNT

TNT stands for "Teens in Times." The seven-member group formed through a reality competition show and made its official debut in November 2019.

The band was created by Time Fengjun Entertainment, the same agency behind the earlier boy band TFBoys.

The members were recruited as young teenagers and trained for years in singing and dancing before their debut, a system common in the Chinese and South Korean entertainment industries.

It works much like the trainee system behind K-pop groups such as BTS, or the way British-Irish band One Direction was assembled on the talent show "The X Factor."

Except TNT's members were scouted even younger, some still in middle school. Fans followed their training and growth for years before they ever performed, which builds a loyalty rarely seen with fully formed adult bands.

That loyalty explains the huge, mostly teenage and young-female crowd expected for the shows.

What the shows are called

The tour is titled "Jiaguanli," or "Capping Ceremony" – a reference to a traditional Chinese rite once held for young men turning 20, marking their passage into adulthood. The Shanghai dates are the tour's finale.

Road closures

On all four show dates, from 4pm to 7pm and again from 9:30pm to 11pm, police will fully close the loop of roads ringing the stadium: Zhongshan Road S2, Caoxi Road N., Lingling Road and Tianyaoqiao Road.

A wider zone around the stadium – bounded by Wanping Road S., Xietu Road, Nandan Road E., Yishan Road, Qinzhou Road, Caobao Road, Longcao Road, Longwu Road and Longhua Road W. – will see traffic controls if needed.

Private cars may be barred from entering this area during peak times. Police, fire and ambulance vehicles are exempt from all closures.

Police recommend parking nearby and switching to the metro. Navigation apps Amap and Baidu Maps are working with police to reroute drivers around the area.

Metro changes

On show days, several exits at Shanghai Gymnasium Station close from noon, then reopen selectively after the show for one-way exit-only or entry-only flow.

Metro riders heading to or from the area on show nights should expect some exits closed and others one-way only.

Exit controls at three metro stations will start at noon instead of 8am, as they did last year – giving commuters extra hours of normal access:

• Shanghai Gymnasium Station (Lines 1 and 4)

• Shanghai Stadium Station (Line 4)

• Shanghai Swimming Pool Station (Line 11)

What else is different this year

Police have added a "parent-child reunion point" at the stadium's plaza, marked with color-coded floor stickers, to help parents find children after the show.

Two waiting areas for parents – at Aerobic Park and adidas Football Park – will have misting stations to keep people cool and mobile toilets. The gymnasium's main hall is reserved as an emergency shelter in case of extreme weather.

At least 95 percent of security screeners at every entrance will be women, given the mostly young, female audience. Eleven medical stations and seven standby ambulances will be on site.

Nearby businesses stay open. Xuhui Sports Park's gym, inside the security perimeter, will operate on a real-name reservation system, with a dedicated entrance for customers with bookings.