I need the whole stadium to jump, put your phone down, let’s get all the fun.
Fans lived by these lyrics at the BTS concert Tuesday at Stanford Stadium. Singing along with every lyric, their excitement was undeniable: Even after waiting for hours in scorching sunlight, ARMY — the BTS fan base name — matched the group’s contagious energy on stage.
The ARIRANG World Tour is the sixth concert tour for South Korean boy group BTS, spanning more than 85 shows across 23 countries and five continents. ARIRANG is their first tour since the group took a hiatus of nearly four years for members to fulfill the South Korean military enlistment requirement. Stanford was their second U.S. stop, with the Tuesday show as their third night in the city.
Hosting the concert in Stanford gave the Bay Area a chance to take part in the celebration of BTS’s return and gather ARMY from across the world, showing a side beyond the city’s reputation of tech innovation. Seeing the group perform in my home city made its concert feel more personal.
During the opening of the concert, backup dancers led with torches in hand, and the seven members marched onto stage through pink smoke that masked the stadium. At the first beat drop, they launched into their first song of the night: “Hooligan.”
The first few songs featured upbeat melodies that immediately set the atmosphere of the concert. New songs like “Aliens” and “Like Animals” established the group’s renewed energy, while nostalgic songs like “FAKE LOVE” reignited the passion fans felt listening to the same tunes from years ago.
After the first seven songs, BTS walked backstage for an outfit change as backup dancers, wearing South Korea’s national colors, performed. Overhead, the screens featured traditional Korean symbols, including sky, earth, fire, and water, to represent the nation’s heritage.
When BTS returned to the stage, they formally greeted the crowd before diving back into the set list. During “IDOL,” the seven members marched off the stage onto the floor and around the stadium, singing and dancing. Cheering carried on through the extended version of the song, where BTS and ARMY got a chance to interact closely, showcasing fanmade signs or high-fiving each other.
During the second outfit change, the overhead screen displayed enthusiastic fans and their hand-drawn signs, saying things like “BTS gave me my best friend,” “10 years as an ARMY,” or wordplay with iconic lyrics.
The most anticipated moment of the night was when the production team chose the two encore songs on the spot, a surprise for both fans and BTS. The group performed “I Need U” and “No More Dream,” a song dating back to when BTS first debuted.
Even though “I Need U” had been performed already at a previous stop in the tour, I was content with the surprise songs and the energy they brought.
To close out the evening, each member shared their heartfelt gratitude and goodbyes, and the concert ended after the last performance of “Please” and “Into the Sun.”
Throughout the two-and-a-half-hour concert, BTS performed each song with intense passion, reciprocated with ARMY’s singing and color-coordinated light sticks that spotted the stadium like a shining sequin fabric.
For many, including myself, the ARIRANG World Tour was the first time many ARMY experienced BTS in person after years of waiting. At the same time, ARMY’s dedication completely lived up to the group’s energy. During the fanchant for “Body to Body,” fans in the stadium surprised the members by waving pre-prepared South Korean flags as they sang to one of the nation’s most beloved folk songs, “Arirang.”
Even for those who aren’t avid fans, songs like “Butter” and “Dynamite” were tunes everyone could sing along with. The concert left fans fulfilled, and the performance, stage presence and technical details matched all anticipation.
Seeing rainbow sparklers shoot into the sky while the members sang reminded me of the first time I came across a BTS song and how life-changing it was.
The concert united fans from across generations, cultures and countries over one commonality — a gratitude for what BTS means to them.
BTS ARIRANG World Tour Setlist, Stanford Stadium, May 19, 2026
Main set
“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” (Hidden track)
“Butter”
“Dynamite”
Surprise songs
“I Need U”
“No More Dream”
Encore
“Please”
“Into the Sun”
