BTS launched a new chapter with their world tour, Arirang.
On April 11, the second night of BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN GOYANG played at the main stadium of the Goyang Sports Complex in Ilsan-seo-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Jimin opened by telling the crowd, \"The weather's great and I can really hear ARMY. After four years without an album, we released one and started a tour — we've pushed ourselves to try many new things. This stage is new for us too. How do you like it? I hope you enjoy yourselves.\" Jungkook added, \"It may still be cold, but we'll heat things up.\"
Last month, BTS released their fifth studio album, ARIRANG, and declared \"BTS 2.0,\" signaling a new era for the group. The tour underscores that shift with bold, culturally resonant staging.
The set was built as a pavilion inspired by Gyeonghoeru, reimagining the traditional communal banquet space in a contemporary idiom. The stage floor incorporated a taegeuk motif, and the pre-show VCR blended traditional Korean music and folk songs with Arirang lyrics and ink-wash–style imagery set against a hanji-textured backdrop.
The evening's setlist wove numerous new tracks from the fifth album together with the global hits that propelled BTS to international stardom. Early fireworks, pyrotechnics and flame effects added large-scale SFX that amplified the outdoor spectacle.
The show opened with the album track \"Hooligan,\" arriving amid a sprint by a figure carrying a smoke bomb, then moved into \"Aliens\" and \"Run BTS,\" prompting roaring cheers from ARMY.
For the title track \"SWIM,\" the group used a massive sheet to create wave-like motion. During \"Merry Go Round,\" the center section of the stage rotated as the members paced across it with measured steps.
The band's long-loved hits further stoked the crowd. During \"FAKE LOVE,\" \"MIC Drop\" and \"FIRE,\" many fans stood up and reveled in the moment.
The group told the audience, \"You look incredible — we don't want this energy to stop,\" then barreled into \"Body to Body\" and \"IDOL.\" In one passage, a section inspired by the traditional Ganggangsullae dance played out, and dozens of dancers marched around the stadium track alongside the members.
During \"ARMY Time,\" fans held handmade Korean signs and led singalongs to \"Young Forever\" and \"Spring Day,\" creating some of the evening's most emotional moments.
The band also improvised \"DNA\" into the set, saying they plan to keep adding songs as the tour progresses.
Near the end of the show, Jimin asked, \"Did you have fun? It didn't rain, so I could see ARMY up there clearly. Our first show two days ago was rained out, so we couldn't say some important things. This is our first concert tour in six and a half years and our first album in four years — we missed you. Thank you for waiting. We'll work hard to give you great music and stages on this tour, so please stay by our side. We'll be there for you too. Thank you and we love you.\"
Longtime fans may have expected razor-sharp synchronized choreography, but this production favored different emphases. RM acknowledged the shift, saying, \"We've called for and shown many changes. But one thing hasn't changed: the seven of us decided to do this together. Another constant is our sincere feelings for you. We won't take this lightly — we've all passed thirty and made these decisions after 15 years together. Please trust us a bit more and watch our changes with generosity. We're always grateful and we love you. We'll work hard.\"
J-Hope added, \"We always wonder what you're thinking. After the first show, we talked a lot and prepared for the second. We spent a lot of time thinking about how to give you good feelings, working through details and fine-tuning. The seven of us take the stage seriously. We have many more performances to show you, and we'll give you our best.\"
After wrapping the Goyang dates on April 12, BTS will play in Japan on April 17–18 before continuing to 34 cities across North America, Europe, South America and Asia for a total of 85 shows. The run already ranks as the longest single-artist tour by a Korean act and is expected to expand further with additional dates planned for Japan and the Middle East.
