The biggest name in K-pop is back.
On Friday, the boy band and global juggernaut BTS released its first album of new music since the pandemic. On Saturday, the group performed live in central Seoul, the South Korean capital. It was their first concert in three years, five months and six days, as obsessive fans point out.
The show at Gwanghwamun Square started at 8pm in Seoul, or 7am in New York, and ended promptly an hour later. It was heavy on the group’s new album, Arirang, but also included performances of old hits like Butter, Mic Drop and Dynamite. They wrapped up with Mikrokosmos, a track from 2019.
In a way, it was a grand homecoming for a pivotal force of South Korea’s soft power. The show was unusual in one sense: RM, the band’s leader, had injured his ankle and was not fully enmeshed in the ensemble. For example, during a rendition of 2.0, a new track, he sat on a stool while the other six BTS members moved through slick dance moves.
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The show was streamed live by Netflix – a testament to the band’s global reach and popularity. The group’s 82-date global tour is further evidence of that appeal and also its financial heft. By some estimates the tour could rival or even surpass the $2 billion (€1.73 billion) in gross ticket sales from Taylor Swift’s Eras outing.
About 22,000 fans had tickets for the concert. The authorities expected more than a quarter of a million people to congregate in and around the square. But halfway through the show, crowd-tracking data from the Seoul government showed that there were only about 60,000 people in the area.
The bandmates – RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jungkook and J-Hope – went on hiatus in 2022 to focus on solo projects and complete their mandatory military service.
“The performance was so clean,” said Kausha Campbell (33), a dancer visiting from Los Angeles. “The military made them even cleaner and sharper.”
BTS returned to a new K-pop landscape that is dominated by the Oscar- and Grammy-winning film KPop Demon Hunters, and one that some Korean fans argue caters more to an overseas audience than its base at home.
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The band’s comeback paid homage to its roots. The new album’s title, Arirang, is the name of a Korean folk anthem symbolising resilience and national pride. The venue of Saturday’s concert also celebrated Korean heritage: The group performed in the shadow of a sacred mountain overlooking an ancient palace and a 20ft statue of King Sejong the Great.
Here’s a closer look:
Outfits: The band’s looks, by Korean brand Songzio, told a broader story about Korean culture and meaning.
Promotion: The last BTS album tour kicked off with appearances in New York before Seoul. This time it’s the other way around.
Festive vibes: BTS mania took over Seoul before the concert. Think lights, drones and purple pizza.
Historic setting: Gwanghwamun Square, the site of the show, is near a palace of a dynasty that ruled Korea for half a millennium until 1910.
Heavy security: Officials in Seoul said there were close to 15,000 safety personnel assigned to the event.
Devoted fans: Some fans who didn’t have tickets arrived at the venue hours before the concert to snag a good spot.
Local disruptions: The show was a headache for the neighbours.
New album: The group’s new album, Arirang, includes a nod to a beloved Korean folk song and other historical references.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
