BTS made a triumphant return to the stage on Thursday night, kicking off their highly anticipated ARIRANG World Tour at Goyang Stadium in South Korea with a high-energy performance of “Hooligan” from their new album. The show, the group’s first full-scale concert in nearly four years, drew thousands of fans despite persistent rain that turned the venue into what members jokingly called a “water park.”
BTS opens night one of their ARIRANG world tour at Goyang Stadium with a performance of ‘Hooligan.’ pic.twitter.com/u6LdYBa9Ae
— Pop Base (@PopBase) April 9, 2026
The seven-member group — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook — took to the stage after completing mandatory military service, a period that began with Jin’s enlistment in late 2022 and concluded with the final members’ discharges in 2025. Their comeback album Arirang, released on March 20, 2026, has already shattered records: it sold a million copies in minutes, became the most-streamed K-pop album on Spotify, and topped the US Billboard 200 for two consecutive weeks. Named after Korea’s traditional folk song symbolizing resilience amid hardship, the 14-track release blends psychedelic soundscapes, rap-heavy anthems, and introspective lyrics heavy on English, marking a mature evolution in the band’s sound.
From the opening bars of “Hooligan,” a dark, dystopian track with slicing beats and rebellious energy, BTS signaled they were ready to push boundaries. They followed with “Aliens” and a choppy, percussive take on fan favorite “Run BTS,” leaning into their rap side early in the set. The rain created challenges — lingering stage smoke obscured views, and slippery surfaces tested balance — yet the group powered through with controlled vocals and layered production. Choreography felt less rigidly synchronized than past tours, emphasizing raw emotion and individual flair instead. Multiple catwalks, dramatic interludes with dancers forming shapes like the South Korean flag, and quick outfit changes from stage gear to casual ripped jeans and leather jackets kept the energy electric.
New Arirang tracks dominated the early setlist, including the Jersey club-influenced “FYA,” swaggering comeback anthem “2.0” (with a music video homage to the film Oldboy), the fame-pressured “Normal,” psychedelic “Merry Go Round,” and lead single “Swim.” Classics like “Fire,” “Not Today,” “Mic Drop,” and “Fake Love” provided nostalgic highs later, proving the group’s enduring catalog remains a crowd-pleaser. Members addressed the weather directly: Suga noted the heavy rain, Jimin urged fans on upper levels to stay safe on wet steps, and J-Hope called the night “unforgettable,” pleading for louder screams. RM reflected on “Swim,” explaining its lyrics captured the confusion of post-military life: “We want to just keep swimming.”
Fans inside chanted relentlessly, their voices cutting through the downpour, while over a hundred ARMYs without tickets grooved outside the gates. Social media lit up with clips of the opening, praising live vocals and the atmospheric vibe. Some ARMYs expressed mixed feelings about the album’s global-leaning direction, but the concert’s intensity left little doubt about BTS’s stage command.
“ARIRANG” — named after a centuries-old Korean folk song regarded as an unofficial anthem across the Korean peninsula — debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The single “Swim” also made it to the top of the charts.
BTS — short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, or “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in Korean — debuted in June 2013. The seven-member group launched in 2013 with the hip-hop heavy single album “2 Cool 4 Skool,” releasing three full-length projects before really gaining momentum with their 2016 album “Wings.”
Their global breakthrough came in 2017 when “DNA” entered the Billboard Hot 100, making BTS the first Korean boy band to achieve such a feat. The song’s success was followed by a performance at the American Music Awards, further fueling their international fan base called “Army.”
The band’s world tour heads to Tokyo next, before moving through North America, Europe, South America and Asia. BTS is set to play Australian in early 2027, with a final stop in Manila next March.