BTS returned to the North American stage with two sold-out nights at MetLife Stadium, bringing 157,000 fans into the expansive world of ARIRANG.
Held on 1 and 2 August, the concerts marked the opening of the second North American leg of BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’. The shows arrived days after the group headlined the first FIFA World Cup Final Halftime Show and followed a sold-out European stadium run that drew more than 717,000 concertgoers.
At MetLife Stadium, BTS performed on a 360-degree stage built around the tour’s visual universe. Korean artistic traditions met the scale and spectacle of a contemporary stadium production, reflecting ARIRANG’s themes across one of North America’s biggest concert venues.
The setlist featured tracks from the group’s fifth studio album, ARIRANG, including ‘SWIM’, ‘2.0’, ‘Hooligan’, and ‘Like Animals’. Career-spanning favourites ‘Butter’ and ‘Dynamite’ also made their way into the show, giving the packed stadium plenty of familiar moments to sing and move along to.
The performances extended beyond New Jersey through BTS THE CITY ARIRANG NEW YORK, a citywide project that transformed locations across New York into interactive spaces for ARMY.
The Korean Cultural Center New York and Grand Central Terminal hosted ARMY "MADANG" gathering points, where fans could customise light sticks and T-shirts. Visitors could also view stage outfits from BTS’ historic LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF concerts at Wembley Stadium.
Elsewhere, a Random Play Dance took over Times Square, while Top of the Rock and Arte Museum New York brought elements of the ARIRANG visual world into the city. A Stamp Rally connected participating cultural venues and partner locations across Manhattan. As part of the programme, Bank of Hope pledged US$1 for every Stamp Rally check-in at its Manhattan branch to support financial literacy education through its Hope Delivered initiative.
With the MetLife Stadium dates completed, BTS will take the tour to Foxborough, Baltimore, Dallas, Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
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