BTS returned to London for two sold-out gigs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, delivering a spectacular show that reaffirmed their status as the world's top boyband. The fan frenzy outside the stadium was palpable, with one fan exclaiming, 'My heart is palpitating,' and another replying, 'Same, I can't control myself,' bedecked in glitter.
Seven years away, a triumphant return
After seven years away, the boyband that put K-pop on the map performed their first music in nearly four years. The septet—Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—completed South Korea's mandatory military service during the hiatus. Their London pitstop is part of a sold-out 88-date world tour for their album Arirang, which sold a mesmerising 3.98 million copies on the first day of its release.
The concert was a two-and-a-half-hour, three-act extravaganza before a packed crowd waving BTS-branded glowsticks that cost £65 each. The screams from start to finish were unlike anything I've ever heard—imagine the high-pitched shrieks on the Victoria line multiplied by ten.
An in-the-round spectacle
There were no bad seats in the stadium, as the band opted for an in-the-round set-up in the pitch centre, with four prongs extending into the crowd. During 'Idol', BTS led their dance troupe in a flag-touting parade around the touchline, giving fans at the back front-row seats. The set list was largely Arirang tracks, which sounded phenomenal with the bass and energy of a live performance.
The septet relied less on their trademark synchronised choreography, instead using a 50-strong dance horde, lasers, popping fireworks, and liberal pyrotechnics. Each flame felt like an oven opening in my face. When BTS did revert to their V-formation and transition-heavy ripples, the effect was occasionally schmaltzy.
New sound suits the group's maturity
Most of the group is in their thirties now, and they seemed less excitable performing bubbly tracks like 'Butter' and 'Dynamite'. Their stage presence and the 360 set-up suited the hip-hop-focused new material with its clattering beats and swaggering lyrics. A standout moment was the album's lead single 'SWIM', where dancers bounced under a gossamer fabric tent to create waves—a strange concept that worked beautifully.
The concert was filled with homages to their Korean identity, as well as interludes for each member to speak to fans, sometimes via translator. V urged the crowd, 'Let's make London the loudest stop of this tour,' and the stadium rumbled beneath my feet. Band leader RM reflected on their journey: 'There was Covid and there was military and now we're here in 2026.'
The ARMY phenomenon
The ARMY fanbase equals the band itself. I sometimes couldn't hear tracks over the scream-singing of lyrics. When BTS asked who had attended their 2019 Wembley gig, countless shrieks and waved hands responded. The gentler end to the night featured the band performing in a seated row on the rotating central stage, closing with 'Please' and 'Into The Sun'. RM urged fans to stay to the very end, and very few left early.
