It’s been seven years since global K-pop titans BTS performed in the U.K. The septet last looked out over the iconic red seats of Wembley Stadium back in 2019, but on Monday (July 6) — with a whole pandemic and a septet of staggered mandatory military enlistments behind us — they traversed the capital to arrive at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where they’re performing two dates as part of their massive Arirang World Tour.
The tour is the group’s first outing as a full group since 2023’s Permission to Dance on Stage tour (which only hit up native Seoul and a few cities in the U.S.) and commemorates the release of Arirang in March. The album is named after the “unofficial anthem” of South Korea, a traditional folk song etched into the country’s emotionally tumultuous history. Though described as a celebration of the group’s Korean heritage, it was also a decidedly international affair, with production credits from Western juggernauts like Mike WiLL Made-It, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and Ryan Tedder. The album reintroduces BTS to the world in a flurry of propulsive bangers which, as evidenced at this show, were simply made to be heard in a stadium.
As the seven members of BTS – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook – took to the stage, it would have been easy to forget just how much of their record-breaking career occurred away from the eyes of their U.K. fans. “Dynamite,” arguably the group’s biggest hit, was released in the summer of 2020 and catapulted the phenoms to undeniable mainstream ubiquity. BTS then went on to additional Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers and Grammy nominations, official solo ventures and tours, and a military service-necessitated hiatus.
With a lot of catching up to do, from old classics to new hits to everything in between, these were the best moments from BTS’ triumphant return to the U.K.