BTS's ARIRANG World Tour officially began in Goyang, South Korea, with a night ARMY will never forget. The first day of the tour was already destined to be special. After years of waiting to see all seven members together on stage again, fans finally got their moment. But Day 1 became even more unforgettable when torrential rain poured over Goyang Stadium.
Rather than dampening the excitement, the rain became part of the story. BTS performed through the weather, ARMY stayed in their seats and continued singing, and the combination of rain, lights, music and thousands of fans created an atmosphere that could only belong to a BTS concert.
From powerful opening performances to emotional songs and two surprise tracks, the first night of the ARIRANG World Tour delivered one unforgettable moment after another. The concert began with “Hooligan,” immediately setting the tone for the massive production that was about to unfold.
After such a long wait for BTS to return as seven, seeing RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook together on the same stage was emotional enough. The opening performance made the message clear, BTS were back.
The energy continued with “Aliens” before the members launched into “Run BTS.” For longtime ARMY, “Run BTS” was an especially exciting choice. The song has become synonymous with BTS's explosive performance style, and hearing it live at the opening concert of the ARIRANG era gave it an entirely different feeling. Then came one of the defining features of the night.
Rain.
Not a light drizzle. Goyang was hit with heavy rain during the concert, turning the stage and stadium into a shimmering landscape of lights, water and movement. Yet BTS continued performing. The members were already giving their all, but performing complicated choreography in wet conditions added another challenge. Every step required additional awareness. Every movement had to be controlled.
And yet, from the audience's perspective, the rain almost seemed to make the performance even more cinematic. The stage lights reflected off the wet surfaces while thousands of ARMY continued cheering beneath rain gear. It was messy. It was uncomfortable. It was also unforgettable.
The first act continued with “They Don't Know 'Bout Us” and “Like Animals,” keeping the momentum high. One of the joys of a major BTS concert is seeing how dramatically the mood can change from one song to another. A high-energy performance can be followed by something more atmospheric, then suddenly the entire stadium is moving again.
That variety was present throughout the Goyang show. And with the rain continuing to fall, every performance felt slightly different from what fans might have imagined when they first pictured the tour opener. Then came “Fake Love.” There is something almost perfectly dramatic about performing “Fake Love” while rain pours across a huge stadium.
The song already carries a darker, emotional atmosphere, and the weather added another layer to the performance. The combination of choreography, lighting, rain and seven members performing together created one of the night's most visually memorable moments. It was the kind of performance that fans would later remember not only because of the song itself, but because of where and when they experienced it.
The first act continued with “Swim” and “Merry Go Round,” bringing the opening section of the concert to a close. By this point, ARMY had already experienced an emotional rollercoaster. BTS were back. The music was back. The seven members were together. And they were doing it all under a relentless Korean summer rain.
But the concert was only getting started. The second act opened with “2.0” followed by “Normal.” The change in energy gave fans another opportunity to see the different sides of BTS's new era. Then came one of the group's most iconic performance songs, “Not Today.” The stadium erupted.
“Not Today” has always been built for enormous stages. Its powerful choreography and explosive energy make it a natural concert anthem, and hearing it performed during the first night of BTS's new world tour made the moment even bigger. If there was a song guaranteed to turn the stadium into chaos, it was “MIC Drop.”
The confidence of the song combined perfectly with the scale of the ARIRANG production. BTS weren't simply performing for the fans in Goyang. They were announcing their return to the world.
The performance carried that unmistakable BTS swagger, with the members owning the stage as if they had never left it.
The momentum continued with “Fya,” followed by “Fire.” Few BTS songs are as naturally suited to a stadium as “Fire.” The crowd reaction was enormous, and the song provided another opportunity for BTS to unleash their trademark performance energy. Then came “Body to Body,” continuing the high-energy atmosphere before Act 2 concluded with “IDOL.”
“IDOL” was an especially fitting choice. The song has always celebrated BTS's identity and their refusal to be confined by expectations. Performed at the beginning of their ARIRANG World Tour, it felt like a statement, BTS are still BTS.
But BTS had another gift waiting for ARMY. The first Goyang concert featured two surprise songs. “Mikrokosmos” and “I Need U” These weren't simply additional songs added to the setlist. They were emotional time capsules. “Mikrokosmos” has become one of those BTS songs that feels deeply connected to the relationship between the members and their fans. Hearing thousands of ARMY sing it together during the first night of the ARIRANG World Tour created a powerful sense of unity.
Then came “I Need U.” For longtime fans, the song carried the weight of BTS's history. It took ARMY back to an earlier era of the group's career, creating a bridge between the BTS of the past and the BTS standing on stage in 2026. The surprise-song tradition also gave fans another reason to look forward to every stop on the tour. Nobody knew exactly what BTS might choose next.
After everything that had already happened, BTS returned for the encore with “Come Over.” Then came “Butter.” The mood shifted once again as the members delivered one of BTS's biggest global hits. The stadium was already soaked, but the energy remained enormous. Then came “Dynamite.”
At this point, it was impossible not to feel the significance of the moment. BTS were performing one of their most recognizable songs in front of thousands of fans at the opening stop of a new world tour.
The encore continued with “Please” and “Into the Sun,” bringing the first night toward its conclusion.
After such an intense performance, the ending carried an emotional weight of its own. The members had spent the evening moving through different eras, different sounds and different emotions. They had danced in the rain. They had revisited older songs. They had introduced fans to newer material. And they had shared the stage as seven again.
It might sound strange to call the weather one of the highlights of a concert. But the rain became part of BTS's Goyang Day 1 story. Fans arrived expecting a historic concert. Instead, they got a historic concert in a downpour. The rain soaked the stadium, the stage and the audience, but it didn't stop ARMY from singing. It didn't stop BTS from performing. And it certainly didn't stop the excitement.
In some ways, the weather made the night feel even more intimate. Everyone was experiencing the same thing. BTS were on stage. ARMY were in the crowd. Rain was falling everywhere. And nobody wanted to leave. The first day of the ARIRANG World Tour wasn't simply about the songs on the setlist.
It was about the feeling of finally seeing BTS together again.
It was about hearing the opening notes of songs fans had waited years to hear live. It was about watching the members perform through difficult weather conditions. It was about surprise songs like “Mikrokosmos” and “I Need U.” And it was about thousands of people standing together in the rain because, after such a long wait, nothing was going to stop them from experiencing this moment.
From “Hooligan” to “Into the Sun,” the Goyang Day 1 setlist moved through powerful new material, iconic BTS classics and emotional fan favorites. But perhaps the most memorable image of all will be BTS performing beneath the rain while ARMY continued singing along. The ARIRANG World Tour had officially begun. And if Day 1 was any indication, BTS weren't simply returning to the stage.
They were making their return unforgettable.
Here are some of the memorable moments during the day 1 concert at Goyang
GOYANG DAY 2
After an unforgettable opening night under torrential rain, BTS returned to Goyang for Day 2 of their ARIRANG World Tour, bringing another incredible evening filled with music, unforgettable performances, and two very special surprise songs. While Day 1 surprised fans with the emotional pairing of “Mikrokosmos” and “I Need U,” the second night offered an entirely different kind of nostalgia. The surprise songs for Day 2 were, "Take Two" and "DNA" And honestly, ARMY couldn't have asked for a more meaningful combination.
The first surprise song of the evening was “Take Two,”a song that already holds an incredibly special place in BTS and ARMY's history.
Released as a heartfelt celebration of BTS's anniversary, "Take Two" has always represented the bond between the seven members and the fans who have walked beside them throughout every chapter of their journey. Hearing it performed during the ARIRANG World Tour felt especially emotional.
The lyrics carry warmth, gratitude, and the promise of continuing forward together. After BTS reunited for their new era and embarked on a world tour once again, the song seemed to take on an even deeper meaning inside Goyang Stadium. Thousands of voices joined BTS as ARMY sang every lyric back to the members, creating one of those magical concert moments where the audience almost becomes an eighth member of the performance.
If Day 1's "Mikrokosmos" celebrated the lights of ARMY, Day 2's "Take Two" felt like BTS reaching back and holding the fandom's hand once more. Just when fans were still recovering from the emotions of "Take Two", BTS surprised the stadium again with “DNA.”
The opening notes alone were enough to send the audience into an eruption of cheers. "DNA" remains one of BTS's most iconic songs, representing an important era that introduced millions of listeners around the world to the group's explosive sound and unforgettable choreography. Performing it during the ARIRANG World Tour created an incredible bridge between the past and present.
The members who once performed "DNA" during one of BTS's defining global breakthrough eras were now standing together in 2026, beginning another historic chapter with the ARIRANG World Tour. The energy inside Goyang instantly shifted from emotional tears to pure celebration.
Fans danced. Fans screamed. And the stadium became one enormous party.
One of the most exciting traditions of the ARIRANG World Tour is quickly becoming the surprise-song selections. Rather than repeating the exact same encore experience every night, BTS are giving each concert its own unique emotional identity. The contrast between Day 1 and Day 2 surprise songs is fascinating.
Day 1 leaned heavily into emotional nostalgia, reminding fans of BTS's earliest struggles and their relationship with ARMY through beloved classics. Day 2 balanced heartfelt gratitude with explosive confidence. "Take Two" represented togetherness. "DNA" represented destiny, identity, and the unstoppable energy that helped shape BTS into the global artists they are today. It makes fans wonder what surprises could possibly await future stops on the tour.
The opening weekend of BTS's ARIRANG World Tour has already delivered countless unforgettable memories. From performing through pouring rain on Day 1 to surprising ARMY with completely different encore selections on Day 2, BTS have made it clear that every night of this tour may have its own personality.
For fans lucky enough to attend both concerts, they experienced two unique emotional journeys rather than identical shows.
And for ARMY following along from around the world, the excitement of discovering each night's surprise songs has become one of the most anticipated parts of the tour. With "Take Two" reminding everyone of the love shared between BTS and ARMY, and "DNA" bringing back one of the group's most legendary performance eras, Day 2 ended with the perfect mixture of emotion, nostalgia, and celebration. The ARIRANG World Tour has only just begun, but Goyang has already given fans memories that will undoubtedly be talked about for years to come.
Here are some unforgetable moments from Day 2
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