BTS’s “ARIRANG” Concert Sparks Heated Debate Over Major Issue
BTS is facing mixed reactions after their first concert of the ARIRANG world tour in Goyang on April 9.
The group’s first world tour in years drew huge attention, especially around the stage setup and how the members engaged with the audience. Fans loved moments like Seokjin letting ARMY sing “Mikrokosmos” and the fiery “IDOL” parade.
But the biggest controversy started with the setlist. The lineup featured mostly new songs from ARIRANG, plus a few older hits like “Fake Love” and “Mikrokosmos.” Many fans expressed disappointment, wanting more classic BTS tracks.
okay so
this is really disappointing, ngl
— jk girlie♡ ʷᶦˡˡ ˢᵉᵉ ʲᵏ ¹² ⁰⁷ ²⁰²⁶ (@JE0NBOY97)
no just one day, dna, dimple, dope, spine breaker, pied piper, house of cards, boy in luv. WTF IS THIS BUM SETLIST
— milk (@milkdurr)
no dancing aside, i just wanna talk to who picked the setlist. like i get it’s arirang tour, but this is a bit..
— rina⁷ is seeing bts! (@koobisnack)
Some fans also noted the lack of choreography during the show. This was largely attributed to rain and safety concerns.
i’m assuming the rain is why they avoided choreography today for safety reasons, because there’s no way the whole setlist is meant to have no dancing. then what’s the point of a 360 stage.
— Kai (@rsndjk)
Still, many defended BTS, saying the setlist reflects their new chapter after military service and praised the focus on ARIRANG songs.
i like that the setlist consists of mainly songs from arirang with a sprinkle of older songs because i think it’s such a good move forward for bts especially when they’re trying to embrace change and step into a new phase of their career. this is not an eras tour and i like that
— ayesha (@whooperjin)
now that jimin brought up his worries and wants feedback, let’s address it. yalls main complaints being setlist and choreo. arirang tour having songs mainly from [checks notes] arirang album. wow! shocker! this tour is not about nostalgia, it’s about bts 2.0. change your outlook+
— ree⁷ (@jkyoongs)
Just to let newer army know
– the show is around 2.5h, similar to their previous tours
-they tend to have different setlists with 2-5 different songs for day 1/day 2/day 3
-we have just ot7 songs this time
-they mix choreo + not choreo performances in all concerts. i do believe…
— Nicolle⁷ (@EgosShadow7)
The ARIRANG tour continues for two more nights in Goyang, with fans watching closely to see if the setlist or choreography changes.