Madrid was the starting point for the European leg of the BTS ARIRANG World Tour, but it also marked the end of a long wait for thousands of Spanish fans. More than 66,000 people, according to sources from Atlético de Madrid, attended the group’s first of two shows at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Friday (June 26).

Before the night even started, thousands of light sticks lit up the stands of a stadium completely energized, a vibe that carried through from start to finish.

The performance was the K-pop band’s first visit to Spain and one of only two scheduled dates in the country, with the second set taking place on Saturday (June 27) at the same venue. The excitement was palpable even outside the stadium, with hundreds of fans gathering nearby to follow the concert from a distance, singing along to every song with the crowd inside the venue.

The wait ended with an explosion of cheers. “¡Vamos a volvernos locos!” J-Hope shouted in Spanish (“Let’s go crazy!”) as the show began, sparking an immediate response from the audience. Shortly after, BTS opened with “Hooligan,” one of the tracks from ARIRANG, before moving on to “Aliens” and “Run BTS.” Over the course of 23 songs, the group alternated between their fifth studio album and some of their biggest career hits, with the crowd joining in on nearly every line.

The most anticipated segment for fans who follow every stop of the tour arrived with the show’s surprise songs, which change depending on the city and date. In Madrid, the chosen tracks were “Airplane Pt. 2” and “Interlude: Wings.”

The members of the band found several moments to address the audience in Spanish. “ARMY is on fire!” V exclaimed in response to the crowd’s enthusiasm. Later, RM got another roar from the crowd with a playful nod in Spanglish: “Estáis on fire!”

For nearly two and a half hours, the 360-degree stage kept BTS in constant motion. The central platform rose, descended and split into different levels, connected by various walkways that allowed the seven singers to move across much of the stadium and get closer to different sections of the audience. Around 30 dancers joined the performance, featuring multiple costume changes and choreography, adding to a stage production that continuously transformed throughout the night.

When “IDOL” began, BTS left the main stage to parade across the stadium floor alongside their dancers, waving large flags and luminous ribbons in one of the evening’s most celebrated sequences. During the final chorus of “Body to Body,” thousands of purple fans were raised simultaneously as part of a fan project organized by ARMY to honor the group’s first Spanish concert. It was a touching gesture by fans to reciprocate the love they’ve felt for years.

Towards the end of the night, the artists took a few moments to thank the audience for their reception. Jung Kook addressed the crowd in Spanish to say “I want to hear your scream. We’ve felt your energy so much today. I love you,” getting an immediately roar from the audience. V also spoke in Spanish when he expressed that “one of my wishes was to come to Madrid, and I made it. Thank you so much for coming.”

Then, with the help of an interpreter, Jimin delivered one of the most emotional moments of the night: “I kept thinking, why are we only visiting Spain now? For the next tour, we won’t leave Madrid out.” The stadium erupted with excitement, closing a night that ended a long wait for ARMY in Spain.

Before arriving in Madrid, BTS had just wrapped up the North American leg of their tour, with concerts in the United States and Mexico. In Mexico City, where they performed three shows at Estadio GNP Seguros, the group was received by president Claudia Sheinbaum at the government palace.

After Spain, the trek continues throughout Europe in Brussels, London, Munich and Paris, before concluding on March 14, 2027, in Manila, Philippines.

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