BTS, photo courtesy of|BigHit Music.

BTS (RM, Jimin, V, J-Hope, Jungkook, Jin, Suga) have started running again. Declaring that what remains unchanged are the seven BTS members, ARMY, and their heartfelt devotion to ARMY, they bathed the night of Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, in purple.

On the evening of the 11th, the BTS world tour ‘BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG IN GOYANG’ was held at the Main Stadium of Goyang Sports Complex in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang.

BTS, photo courtesy of|BigHit Music.

Held again for the first time in about six years, the concert was organized into three themes. The first theme, the beginning of ‘BTS’, was ‘Hooligan’. From the end of the thrust stage, dancers in sword-dance costumes came running to announce that the curtain had risen, and as massive fireworks exploded, the members appeared. Around 44,000 ARMY (fandom name), according to HYBE’s estimate, who had been warming up by chanting the members’ names even before the start, waved multicolored ‘ARMY Bombs’ and enjoyed BTS’s performance as the show kicked off. ‘Alien’ and ‘Run BTS’ followed without a break.

Jimin said in an excited voice, “I feel like I can hear ARMY’s voices so well today, and it makes me happy,” and added, “We are releasing a new album called ‘Arirang’ for the first time in four years and resuming a world tour after six and a half years. We have tried many new things with the album and this tour, so please enjoy them.”

Delivering five songs without pause, including ‘Like Animals’, ‘Fake Love’, and ‘Swim’, the members of BTS nailed both live vocals and choreography without the slightest wobble. They dashed freely across the 360-degree stage inspired by Gyeonghoeru, gradually raising the heat as they engaged with fans. Their efforts to infuse the stage with Korean elements were also evident. In ‘Merry Go Round’, they decorated the set with a large white cloth inspired by the traditional dance Seungmu, and they also projected reinterpreted images of Korean masks on the big screens.

BTS, photo courtesy of|BigHit Music.

The second theme, ‘Korea’, opened as dancers wearing blue and red capes formed a taegeuk. Standing among them, the BTS members soon performed ‘2.0’, heating up the stands, and then gifted fans with songs much loved by ARMY, including ‘Normal’, ‘Not Today’, ‘MIC Drop’, ‘Fire’, ‘Body to Body’, and ‘IDOL’. Especially during ‘Body to Body’, they powerfully sang the sampled ‘Arirang’ together with ARMY as fireworks filled the sky. During ‘IDOL’, the members circled the track to the music, and RM, who had injured his leg, rode in a palanquin to move, offering an unusual spectacle.

The final theme was ‘Arirang’. Just before that, the big screens showed placards from ARMY welcoming BTS’s return, and then the third theme opened with ‘Come Over’. Before singing ‘Butter’, RM introduced the track by saying, “A song that topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nearly ten weeks. The song that even your next-door neighbor’s dog, Cheolsu, knows.” The excitement raised by ‘Butter’ exploded during ‘Dynamite’. V, Jungkook, and the other members moved lightly on stage and became one with ARMY. The mass sing-along of more than 40,000 ARMY filled the stadium, and the members answered with bright smiles, as if satisfied.

BTS, photo courtesy of|BigHit Music.

They also confessed to their overwhelming feelings as they kick-start activities after completing each member’s military hiatus. RM said, “It really took a long time to come back like this; thank you sincerely for your support. You are the best,” and continued, “We released a song called ‘2.0’ and are showing you many changes. But what is truly important has not changed: the fact that the seven of us decided to do this together. Another is our sincere feelings for you. We will not take for granted, even for a moment, that you have filled the venue.” He added, “I first met Jungkook when he was 15, and now we are all over thirty. These are decisions we have made while working together as independent individuals. Please trust us a little more and generously watch our changes. Trust us just once. Thank you, and we love you. We will work hard.”

Jimin also said, “It has been six and a half years since we did a world tour. We missed you so much during that time. I really wanted to say thank you for waiting. Thank you,” and V expressed his affection: “I got so excited during the first show that I overused my voice. After it ended, the back of my neck hurt,” adding, “But seeing ARMY again, the pain disappears like magic, and it amazes me.”

The BTS world tour ‘BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG’ will span 85 shows across 34 cities, starting in Goyang and moving on to Tokyo, North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. This is the largest number of dates for a single tour by a Korean artist. With additional concerts planned in Japan and the Middle East, the tour is expected to expand even further.