Seven years is a long time to wait, but on the first of two sold-out nights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, BTS made it clear that time has not changed their connection with arguably the loudest fandom on earth.
Around 63,000 fans packed the stands and the sprawling X-shaped floor stage for the London leg of the Arirang tour – the group’s first UK stadium show since Wembley in 2019, and their first time in the city as a full group since completing their mandatory military service.
And the welcome back couldn’t be warmer – long before a single member stepped out, the stadium had already made its love noticed from the fanchants rolling through, a Mexican wave circling the seats, and lightsticks up and ready to be used.
—
—
That noise only grew once JIN, RM, SUGA, J-HOPE, JIMIN, V and JUNGKOOK opened with ‘Hooligan’, the seven of them in matrix-sharp outfits and surrounded by a deafening mix of sing-along and screams of adoration.
‘Aliens’ and a ‘Run BTS’ remix followed, and ‘they don’t know ’bout us’ leaned into the night’s strongest visual conceit – dancers moving in sync with on-stage screens, each formation staged like a moving art installation.
The energy kept going for the first section with ‘Like Animals’ and a ‘FAKE LOVE’ remix that sent the stadium into havoc, the group spreading to all four corners of the X as their names were chanted back at them.
Then came their most recent record’s emotional centre: ‘SWIM’, the lead single from their post-hiatus return, set up against sheets rippling like waves – the most poignant moment this far into the set.
The mellow vibe was extended with ‘Merry Go Round,’ that saw dancers turning sheets into a slow-spinning carousel for one of the tour’s more laid-back stretches.
But that calmness wouldn’t last long. Act 2 pushed back into full throttle as ‘2.0’ and ‘NORMAL’ gave way to a ‘Not Today’ remix that hit with real nostalgic weight for longtime fans, rearranged to fit their newer sounds but losing none of its original power.
‘MIC Drop’ kept the throwback energy running before the night’s two genuine standout moments arrived back to back: an ‘FYA’/‘Fire’ mashup bridging the group’s 2016 and 2026 eras – Fire rearranged to sit inside Arirang’s sound style, but surprisingly fitting in perfectly – and then ‘Body to Body’, the clear highlight of the evening.
—
—
It was hard to not get goosebumps from the energy that settled in as the ‘Arirang’ folk melody – a Korean traditional song – swelled in the track’s second half, screens filled with dancers in traditional hanbok while flag-bearers circled the stage.
To keep the moment going just a bit longer, the song transitioned into ‘IDOL’, when the group and dancers left the stage entirely, taking a full lap around the pit with flags and screens in tow, pulling the whole floor into the performance.
The encore leaned commercial – ‘Come Over’, then ‘Butter’ and ‘Dynamite’, both met with full-stadium singalongs for the group’s most successful English language radio hits.
Surprise additions ‘Life Goes On’ and ‘Dionysus’ followed, the latter a nice nod back to Wembley 2019, where it opened their last London show.
After over two hours, the set was closed by ‘Please’ and ‘Into the Sun.’ The latter has long been described by fans and media alike as BTS’s ultimate concert send-off. Live, it indeed felt like it had been built for exactly this moment.
—
—
Between songs, members expressed their feelings about being back in town.
“It’s been a while,” RM told the crowd, before jokingly taking credit for England’s Word Cup win the night before: “We always bring luck to every place [we go]. When we were in Belgium, Belgium won, and now we’re in London, England won. You see?”
He went on to reflect on the time that had passed since their last visit: “It gives me a lot of like, reminiscence and memories of when we were at Wembley… everything was fine, but [after that] there was COVID, there was the military, and now we’re here in 2026, together. I missed you so much.”
Taehyung was just as direct about how important London is to him: “I’m officially choosing this place as my favorite country. This place really doesn’t disappoint my expectations at all… every time you all sing along, I feel so happy that I get chills.”
Jin closed the night on a lighter note, reminiscing about a UK visit years back before promising, with a grin, to see everyone again tomorrow.
—
–
Setlist: Hooligan / Aliens / Run BTS (Remix) / they don’t know ’bout us / Like Animals / FAKE LOVE (Remix) / SWIM / Merry Go Round / Act 2 / 2.0 / NORMAL / Not Today (Remix) / MIC Drop / FYA / Fire / Body to Body / IDOL / Encore: Come Over / Butter / Dynamite / Life Goes On / Dionysus / Please / Into the Sun
BTS are scheduled to play their second London show tonight (7 July) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the Arirang tour continues to Munich (11-12 July) and Paris (17-18 July), before they continue in North America and Latin America.
Photo Credit: HYBE / BigHit Music
—