BTS returned to London for the first time in seven years, holding the first of two sold-out shows at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last night (Monday July 6).
The record-breaking Korean group are currently in the middle of their ‘Arirang’ world tour, in support of their latest album of the same name, and kickstarted the European leg late last month in Madrid and Brussels. Following tonight’s (July 7) final London show, they will move on to Munich and Paris, before continuing the 88-date tour in North America, Latin America, Asia and Australia.
The London shows mark BTS’ first in the UK as a group since they made history at Wembley in 2019, and the members referred to those shows during last night’s performance. “I don’t think you guys have changed in that time,” rapper Suga told the crowd at one point. “I’m still feeling the emotions I felt seven or eight years ago in Wembley.”
Leader RM added: “It gives a lot of reminiscence and memories of when we were at Wembley. [Then], I was [wearing] the cap with Sonny [former Tottenham player Son Heung-min] on it and everything was fine, but then there was COVID, there was military, and now we’re here in 2026, together. I’ve missed you so much.”
The ‘Arirang’ world tour weaves aspects of traditional Korean music, architecture, dance and more into the production. As fans filtered into the venue and awaited BTS’ arrival, traditional music called gukak played over the PA while videos on the screens showed hanji-inspired designs. Performances of ‘Arirang’ songs also incorporated traditional Korean culture, from ‘They Don’t Know ‘Bout Us’ screens based on masks known as tal, and the use of white fabrics to bring inspiration from the seungmu dance into the show.
‘Body To Body’, meanwhile, saw the group and their dancers recreate a traditional circle dance, ganggangsullae, as the crew carried LED flags and ribbons inspired by hat-spinning, or sangmo. As on record, the track also features a snippet of the traditional folk song ‘Arirang’, from which the album and tour take their name.
For this tour, BTS are performing on a 360-degree stage, allowing them to get closer to the stadium audience than a typical set-up. In keeping with the rest of the production, the stage also draws on Korean culture, inspired by the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion at Gyeongbokgung Palace, and its four runways and central stage representing South Korea’s flag, Taegeukgi, and its four Geongongamri trigrams.
Videos shown on the big screens during breaks in the show also carried symbolism relating to the Taegeukgi, with one using visuals to represent its central yin-yang design, and aspects symbolising heaven, earth, water and fire. A second video, meanwhile, saw intertwining trees (yeonriji) growing across the screen, reflecting a meaning of love and connection.
As BTS brought a taste of their home to the UK, they also mixed in their knowledge of their host country. RM nodded to England’s World Cup victory over Mexico the night before, changing the lyrics to part of ‘Mic Drop’ to “Haters gonna hate / Players gonna play / Congrats on the win for the World Cup”.
Later, he shared that the group have been something of a good luck charm for the countries they’ve visited during the tournament. “We always bring luck to every place – when we were in Belgium, Belgium won,” he said. “Now we’re in London and [England] won.”
Jungkook nodded to the UK’s reputation for bad weather, saying: “They say London is famous for the rain, but tonight you guys are bringing all the heat. Show everyone why London is one of the best crowds in the world.”
V later reflected on London as “the place I like the most”, telling the crowd they “always go above my expectations”, while showing off some of the Britishisms he’s picked up on the trip. “Cheers, mate. Y’know?” he said. “That’s all I know.” Jin, meanwhile, looked back on his last visit to the city as part of his solo tour last year, and shared a story from this visit. “Some of us went to a restaurant yesterday, and it was really nice,” he told the stadium. “I had a waffle with duck on it, and that was really tasty. Do you guys know what that is? You have tasty food here, and I think it’s a good [place].”
Across the ‘Arirang’ tour, BTS have been mixing up the setlist with a section of surprise songs, airing deep cuts and fan favourites that change up every night. “That was just the warm-up, right?” J-hope said after ‘Dynamite’, as the group prepared to launch into the mystery tracks. “We’ve got something real special for you up next.”
“I wanna hear more from ARMY,” Jimin said, referring to their fanbase’s name. “What do you wanna sing?” As he patrolled the stage, he shouted out requests from the crowd, including ‘21st Century Girl’, ‘Pied Piper’ and ‘Just One Day’. While huge cheers rang around the venue for each of those names, it was ‘Life Goes On’, taken from the band’s 2020 album ‘Be’, and ‘Map Of The Soul: Persona’ track ‘Dionysus’ that made the cut for the first London setlist.
As the show came to an end with ‘Into The Sun’, a burst of fireworks decorated the sky, capping a spectacular performance on the stage with a similar extravaganza above.
BTS played:
‘Hooligan’
‘Aliens’
‘Run BTS’
‘They Don’t Know ‘Bout Us’
‘Like Animals’
‘Fake Love’
‘Swim’
‘Merry Go Round’
‘2.0’
‘Normal’
‘Not Today’
‘Mic Drop’
‘FYA’
‘Fire’
‘Body To Body’
‘Idol’
‘Come Over’
‘Butter’
‘Dynamite’
‘Life Goes On’
‘Dionysus’
‘Please’
‘Into The Sun’
As well as continuing their world tour, BTS are also set to perform at the first-ever World Cup Final Halftime Show. The last match in this year’s tournament will take place at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19, and will feature a star-studded live show, similar to the Super Bowl’s traditional Halftime Show.
The performance has been curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, who has collaborated with BTS on their single ‘My Universe’, and co-wrote Jin’s debut solo single ‘The Astronaut’. Shakira and Madonna will also appear at the event.
