{"id":526803,"date":"2026-04-12T12:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T12:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/526803\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T12:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T12:02:14","slug":"bts-live-in-goyang-connection-and-identity-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/526803\/","title":{"rendered":"BTS live in Goyang: connection and identity rule"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s been a while,\u201d smiles Jin<\/a>, sitting on the lip of the stage, flanked by his BTS<\/a> bandmates. He\u2019s not talking about how long it\u2019s been since the boyband have embarked on a world tour, although it\u2019s nearly seven years since their \u2018Love Yourself: Speak Yourself\u2019 tour concluded, and almost four since their more abridged Korean and US \u2018Permission To Dance On Stage\u2019 dates. Instead, the singer is referring to the time that\u2019s passed since he last indulged in one of his onstage traditions \u2013 blowing a kiss to fans in his distinctive, dramatic way.<\/p>\n

Jin\u2019s gesture is one of only a few hallmarks of those old BTS tours left. Tonight (April 11), at the group\u2019s second of three nights in Goyang, a satellite city of Seoul, they instead step into a new chapter on stage \u2013 one where they move away from the things you\u2019d expect from a K-pop<\/a> show, paralleling new album \u2018Arirang\u2019\u2019s move beyond the scene\u2019s boundaries.<\/p>\n

Fan service is kept to a minimum, as are the glossy, high-production VCRs that almost double as dramatic trailers for each section of the concert. And where BTS gigs used to pre-game with a run through of their music videos on the big screens, here they offer up a much calmer introduction \u2013 a looping VCR on the gigantic panels that sit above the 360-degree stage that shows seoye \u2013 traditional Korean calligraphy style painting \u2013 layered on a background designed to look like traditional handmade paper, hanji, while soundtracked by gukak, or traditional Korean music.<\/p>\n

These changes might alter the feel of this tour, but it doesn\u2019t dampen the crowd\u2019s reaction. Even before the group make it to the stage, sections of the venue become increasingly animated \u2013 a sensation that reaches fever pitch when a lone, black-clad figure carrying a red flare emerges from the stadium tunnel, signalling the start of the show. As they run up the ramp to the stage in the middle, the noise becomes almost deafening. Soon, that one person becomes a cohort, fireworks shoot out of the top of the structure, and amid the chaos, BTS appear, ready to deliver an opening that matches their fans\u2019 energy. \u2018Hooligan\u2019 sets a ferocious bar \u2013 pyrotechnics bursting into the sky in time with the blade-slicing sound effects in the beat \u2013 that\u2019s kept high by a defiant \u2018Aliens\u2019 and a supercharged \u2018Run BTS\u2019, which is a call for autonomy: \u201cIf we live fast, let us die young\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"BTSBTS perform at Goyang Stadium on the \u2018Arirang\u2019 world tour on April 11, 2026. Credit: Big Hit Music\/HYBE<\/p>\n

This being the \u2018Arirang\u2019 tour, most of the setlist<\/a> is pulled from that album, with older songs sprinkled here and there (the \u2018FYA\u2019\/\u2018Burning Up (Fire)\u2019 medley, in particular, is a great moment of past and present combining). In the same way the record pulls from the group\u2019s Korean roots, so too does tonight\u2019s production, weaving details into the staging and choreography to create a show packed with identity.<\/p>\n

The stage itself, while high-tech and super-modern, is shaped like a Jeongja-style pavilion, taking inspiration from Gyeongbokgung Palace\u2019s Gyeonghoeru. For the staggering \u2018They Don\u2019t Know \u2018Bout Us\u2019, dancers hold up screens with tal, traditional Korean masks on, as they disperse across the stage. The soft psych-pop of \u2018Merry Go Round\u2019 is accompanied by white sheets recreating seungmu, a serene, rhythmic traditional dance. It\u2019s beautiful to watch, though at times, viewed from just one side of the in-the-round stage, the performance does feel slightly underwhelming.<\/p>\n

Making an impact isn\u2019t a concern for \u2018Body To Body\u2019, even just on record, and here it gets amplified even more. For its breakdown featuring the folk song \u2018Arirang\u2019, BTS gather in the stage\u2019s central circle and lift up towards the sky, dancers flooding the floor beneath them with LED flags and ribbons inspired by the hat-spinning performance style of sangmo. The results are rousing \u2013 a carnival of sound and dance that segues perfectly into \u2018Idol\u2019, which tumbles off stage into a procession around the track that runs between the floor seats and the stadium\u2019s stands.<\/p>\n

Connection is a big part of this performance \u2013 not just BTS connecting with their identities, but with the crowd in front of them. \u2018Idol\u2019 highlights that physically but it\u2019s present through the whole show, whether in the times the group ask ARMY to be in the moment and put their phones away, or in the stage design itself, which puts the audience at the heart of the show rather than at an untouchable distance. The ramps make the group\u2019s entrances and exits \u2013 each done artfully rather than a simple walk on or off \u2013 another chance for more proximity, while the second VCR of the night shows intertwined trees, or yeonriji, sprouting from wave-like threads \u2013 a symbol of love and connection.<\/p>\n

BTS 2.0 continues with the second night of their \u2018Arirang\u2019 world tour in Goyang, South Korea \u2728 the group show us how they do in a powerful \u20182.0\u2019 @bts_bighit<\/a> #bts<\/a> #btsarmy<\/a> #arirang<\/a> #arirangtour<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/71UcrBc7C6<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NME (@NME) April 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

As is typical of BTS shows, the final section is one that\u2019s less manicured and more free-spirited, and it peaks here in the new \u201cBTS karaoke\u201d section \u2013 a two-song segment that will change each night, taking audience requests. Tonight, we\u2019re treated to the live debut of \u2018Take Two\u2019 and a giddy \u2018DNA\u2019, during which the members try to deliver its choreography. This being a surprise song to both fans and artists, though, they\u2019re unprepared, and things devolve into light-hearted, glorious chaos.<\/p>\n

Moments later, they\u2019re sitting in a row on the edge of the circular stage, sharing their thoughts about the night that\u2019s just unfolded and being reunited with ARMY. They talk of stress relief and sincerity; some members show their gratitude through bowing, while others put it into heartfelt words. Throughout, it\u2019s clear that they\u2019re still as committed to BTS as before their enforced break for military service, RM referring to decisions they\u2019ve made so they \u201ccan keep doing this for a long time\u201d. It\u2019s a sentiment that makes the fireworks-heavy final song, \u2018Into The Sun\u2019, feel beautifully optimistic \u2013 this might be the end of the show, but BTS\u2019 moment in the sun is far from over.<\/p>\n

\"BTSBTS perform at Goyang Stadium on the \u2018Arirang\u2019 world tour on April 11, 2026. Credit: Big Hit Music\/HYBE<\/p>\n

BTS played:<\/p>\n

\u2018Hooligan\u2019
\u2018Aliens\u2019
\u2018Run BTS\u2019
\u2018They Don\u2019t Know \u2018Bout Us\u2019
\u2018Like Animals\u2019
\u2018Fake Love\u2019
\u2018Swim\u2019
\u2018Merry Go Round\u2019
\u20182.0\u2019
\u2018Normal\u2019
\u2018Not Today\u2019
\u2018Mic Drop\u2019
\u2018FYA\u2019
\u2018Fire\u2019
\u2018Body To Body\u2019
\u2018Idol\u2019
\u2018Come Over\u2019
\u2018Butter\u2019
\u2018Dynamite\u2019
\u2018Take Two\u2019
\u2018DNA\u2019
\u2018Please\u2019
\u2018Into The Sun\u2019<\/p>\n