BTS ARIRANG World Tour - Las Vegas Day 2

BIGHIT MUSIC

BTS makes their grand return to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas after four years, as they return to Sin City for their BTS World Tour ARIRANG for four sold-out concerts on Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, with plans to continue on Wednesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 28.

BTS members RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook were last in Las Vegas for their Permission to Dance On Stage - Las Vegas shows in April 2022. Afterward, they performed again in Seoul and Busan (Yet to Come in Busan) before each member entered mandatory South Korean military service. The group finally reunited at the end of June last year and began preparing for their comeback, spending five to six months on what became their fifth studio album, ARIRANG, which then launched their BTS World Tour ARIRANG (and several THE CITY projects taking over Seoul, Las Vegas, and Busan).

Now, with their return to Vegas – along with THE CITY activations, BTS was ready to live it up in the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” bringing their music and culture to the stage. Here are a few of the highlights from Day 2 of the BTS concert in Las Vegas.

The Audience Was Loud (when it counted) – but almost deafening

After attending several BTS concerts surrounding ARIRANG, including their first performance back as a group and their ARIRANG concerts, the Las Vegas concert felt like the loudest of them all – at least, in the United States (I see and hear you, Mexico City).

Jung Kook had challenged the audience, telling them, “Las Vegas Day 1 set the bar pretty high last night, you gotta top that!”

Jimin added that he knew the crowd knew how to party, which prompted even more screams that sometimes made it difficult to hear the members’ speeches/ments. Though the speeches didn’t seem to matter, the fans, known as ARMY, radiated palpable excitement in the stadium. In turn, that energy was transferred to the group, who worked so hard that several members were seen lying down to recover at some points during the concert.

​BTS were feeling themselves

The first night of the Las Vegas concert was lively and energetic – almost like a dance party. While the members worked hard, the mood felt very friendly and playful. But for some reason, on the second night (seated in a very similar section), the ambiance felt more intimate, even sultrier than before. There were moments when the members would stare into the camera, as if they were seducing it.

Jin seemed to know exactly when the camera was on him, turning towards it sharply with the most intense look. Jimin, j-hope, Jung Kook, and V just flirted with the crowd throughout the show, providing lots of fan service.

During their first moments to speak, V addressed the crowd, “They told me that Vegas is called Sin City, so you have to prove it to me tonight. Keep your eyes on us until the very end – don’t even blink.”

The Camera Work Was Excellent​

Night 1 of the Las Vegas show seemed unsure who to point to during the concert, but that was remedied by Night 2, which quickly went between the correct vocals and rappers. Even during the free dance portion, the members with the funniest interactions were highlighted on screen.

At one point, everyone — but SUGA — was wrestling to remove a piece of each other’s clothing or reveal a body part, prompting an even louder reaction from the crowd.

“FIRE”/”FYA” Mash-Up

This may be the best mash-up of BTS’s 2016 hit “FIRE” and “FYA” from the most recent album. It worked really well, especially with the special fire effects. Dancers carried large fire torch guns while dancing on stage.

Though it was slightly disappointing not to have the iconic “FIRE” choreography, the mash-up was a powerful and entertaining moment that celebrated the past and present – and the decade in between.

The 360-degree Stage & “IDOL” March

BTS wanted to fit as many people into the show as possible; therefore, they had to build a 360-degree stage that resembled a modernized Jeongja-style pavilion, inspired by the Gyeonghoeru Pavilion of Gyeongbokgung Palace. When looking directly down at the stage – as captured by the drones and top cameras – it incorporates the South Korean flag motif “Taegeukgi,” with the central symbol anchoring the stage and the extended runways drawing inspiration from Geongongamri (the four trigrams of the flag).

The group used the space by adding rotating sets and extended stages, which they split among the seven members so that all their fans could see them. Even those in one corner of the arena or stadium are given a good view of what’s going on in the show. The screens were also large enough that you could use a camera to watch if you couldn’t see a member you were trying to follow.

During their Permission to Dance On Stage concerts, BTS used carts to bring the group closer to fans in the stadium's further sections. For the ARIRANG concerts, BTS marched with their dancers, who held flags and lights, as if it were a parade, around the stadium track. Fortunately, the security was efficient in telling fans to remain in their seats to prevent a dangerous rush down the stairs just to catch a closer glimpse of the group.

“Body to Body” Arirang chant

During BTS’s Netflix documentary, BTS: The Return, the members and their creative team discussed using the Korean folk song, “Arirang,” in their song “Body to Body.” HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk told the group to imagine a room full of non-Korean fans singing the emotional chant during the concert and the impact on South Korea’s pride.

During this segment, which felt very patriotic, several fans held South Korean flags, while fans dressed in hanboks, traditional Korean clothing, were shown on the screen, captured earlier by BTS’s production team. The dancers held LED flags containing BTS’s ARIRANG logo that changed colors.​

It was stunning to watch the stage's symbolism as BTS looked out at the crowd, the camera capturing their reaction as fans sang their national folk song.

BTS performed their Hidden ARIRANG Track “Come Over”​

If you were one of the many who purchased the ARIRANG deluxe vinyl, then you would have heard a surprise hidden track, produced by SUGA, called “Come Over.” BTS has never included their hidden songs on concert setlists, which include “Sea 바다” (from 2017’s Love Yourself: Her) and “Path 길 (from their 2013 debut single album, 2 Cool 4 Skool).

BTS Surprise Songs

With the concert focused on the ARIRANG album, BTS did add in some throwbacks to the mix, including “Mic Drop,” “Dynamite,” “Butter,” “Fire” (mashup-ed with “FYA”), “IDOL,” “FAKE LOVE,” and “Not Today.” But the group also decided to perform two songs from their over 200 tracks recorded throughout their career, which is A LOT. For this concert, the DJ played “Black Swan” (from their 2020 album, Map of the Soul 7) and “Spine Breaker” (from their 2014 album, Skool Luv Affair). The crowd went wild as BTS performed – or at least tried to – their older songs. ​

“Black Swan” was released six years ago, but few could recall the song and dance moves – at least V and Jimin. V and Jimin played up the cameras around them. The group had a bit of trouble with “Spine Breaker” since it had been over a decade since the song came out. The members remembered the fun dance interactions, grabbing each other’s arms to spin around.​

The point of the surprise songs is to bring back the feelings of the past and just have fun with them. It brought back so many memories for both the audience and the members, reflecting how far they’ve come in their music journey and their continued close connection with each other and ARMY.

BTS continues their ARIRANG concerts in Las Vegas on Wednesday, May 27, and Thursday, May 28, at Allegiant Stadium. Afterward, the group returns to South Korea to prepare for their Busan shows in June.