BTS turns Busan concert into heartfelt homecoming as fans rise, sing and relive group's return together

At its debut anniversary weekend in Busan, BTS delivered a familiar but warmer 'Arirang' tour show that felt intimate, emotional and newly joyful after the group's military hiatus. BUSAN — When BTS kicked off its "Arirang" world tour in Goyang, Gyeonggi, two months ago, I was struck by the spectacle: the seven members, the 360-degree open stage, the fire, smoke, lights, confetti and carefully placed homages that made each tableau feel like something to study carefully. On Saturday in Busan, I watched the group again from nearly the same vantage point. The setlist was largely unchanged, as were the details and the two-and-a-half-hour running time. But this time, the show flew by. I laughed, swayed and hummed with the crowd as BTS, back onstage for its June 13 debut anniversary weekend, seemed less intent on proving something than on savoring the joy of being BTS. "This is our birthday today," Jimin said, looking out over a sea of purple lights during the septet's "Arirang" concert in Busan, his hometown, on Saturday. "I'm so happy and delighted to sing and dance with you in the place I was born." BTS released its fifth full-length album "Arirang" on March 20 and kicked off the world tour of the same title in Goyang, Gyeonggi, in April, which is set to be the largest K-pop tour ever, spanning 34 cities and 86 shows. This year's anniversary carried particular weight, as it was BTS's first debut anniversary celebrated together after the group's military hiatus, which followed its 2022 "BTS Yet To Come in Busan" concert at the same stadium — the septet's last full-group activity before the break. "It is the 13th anniversary on June 13, which will never come again," RM said. "So I hope we can sing together and jump together, so that we remember today forever." Saturday's show began about 20 minutes after its scheduled 7 p.m. start, following a 75-minute delay the previous night caused by slow entry procedures, including gift handouts. One thing has stood out across BTS's recent performances, from its Gwanghwamun comeback show on March 21 to the Goyang kickoff and the latest Busan concert — the crowd does not need prompting to stand up. On Saturday, almost every section visible from my seat just behind the standing area rose the moment the BTS members made their entrance. Few sat down again until the short break before the encore. The set followed the same order as other shows on the "Arirang" tour: an intense opening run from the hip-hop-heavy "Hooligan" and "Aliens" to "Run BTS" (2022), followed by a slower, increasingly sentimental medley through "they don't know 'bout us," "Like Animals," "Fake Love" (2018), "Swim" and "Merry Go Round." While the stage was nearly identical in scale to the one used in Goyang, one subtle difference came from the curved open wall, which rose slightly higher around the audience seats in Busan. The change made the setup feel more intimate and gave the stage a greater sense of depth, which stood out during the Korean version of "Normal," a vocal-heavy B-side from "Arirang" performed for the first time at the Busan concert. As the stage and crowd gradually glowed in a warm shade of orange, there were few additional staging elements beyond the synchronized ARMY Bombs and the moving lift stage, which made the stadium itself the focus — a vast field of light that seemed to pulse as one. The first major highlight run of the night came with "Not Today" (2017), "MIC Drop" (2018), "FYA" and "Fire" (2016), before the energy surged again with the extended remix of "Body to Body" and "Idol" (2018), during which massive water cannons soared over the stadium with the opening verse by RM, "I need the whole stadium to jump" — a new addition for the Busan shows. The last intermission before the final segment started with ARMY singing happy birthday to BTS among themselves, and showing their heartfelt messages and slogans whenever the camera captured them on screen. BTS came back to the stage with "Come Over," a ...