BTS World Tour Arirang in Goyang: The Tour Kickoff

The BTS World Tour Arirang in Goyang was held on April 9, 11, and 12, and it marked the very first leg of the tour. It was the kickoff, the beginning of everything, and I already knew it was going to feel special before I even got there.

my Day 1 fit: Hooligan inspired + the tour muffler for warmth

Ticketing happened in January, and it was stressful from the start. I entered the ARMY Membership presale with a six-digit queue number, which honestly made me feel a bit hopeless, but of course I powered through and stayed in the queue.

After almost two hours, I finally got into seat selection. At that point, I just went for the best seat I could find for the first-ever show on April 9, which ended up being a third-floor seat.

I only had that one ticket for a while, but I kept checking NOL and trying again for the other dates. About a week before the shows started, after a couple of weeks of trying, I finally managed to get a seat for Day 3 on April 12. It was another third-floor seat, but on a different side and in a different section. I was actually happy about that because it meant I would get a completely different view of the stage and the venue.

Day 3 was better for pre-concert photos and I just had to with modernized hanbok fit

When Day 1 finally arrived, rain had already been predicted, and it really did rain. Raincoats were provided, but they did not help much, and almost everyone was still wet by the time the concert started. I was lucky that my section on the third floor was covered. I was still wet, but nowhere near as drenched as the people on the floor and in the second-floor seats.

Day 1 "Aliens" and "2.0"

The weather did not ruin the experience at all. Once BTS came out, I stopped caring about being damp and cold because the concert opened with “Hooligan”, followed by “Aliens”, which were two of my favorite songs from their new album.

The third song was “Run BTS”, which is already a classic banger and immediately raised the energy even more. The setlist focused mostly on songs from the Arirang album, with a few older songs included throughout the show.

Day 1 "Body to Body" and the "Idol" parade

One of the biggest moments came towards the end when they performed “Body to Body”. The Arirang sample section was sung so loudly by ARMYs that it became one of those moments you know you will remember long after the concert. Then came “Idol”, and BTS went onto the tracks to circle the venue. Seeing them move around the stadium made the whole show feel even bigger, especially from a higher section where I could take in the full scale of it.

During the encore, they sang “Come Over”, followed by the familiar crowd favorites “Butter” and “Dynamite”. Each night also had two surprise songs, and for Day 1, we got “Mikrokosmos” and “I NEED U”. 

Day 3 "Butter" and "Dynamite"

The final part of the show brought us back to the Arirang album with “Please” and “Into The Sun”. During “Into The Sun”, I was bawling. I had seen the members during their solo tours, and I had even seen some of them appear as guests at each other’s shows. But seeing them together as OT7 for the first time was something I still cannot properly describe.

It was a dream come true. I was so happy to finally be there, but at the same time, I already felt sad knowing the night was coming to an end.

Day 3 "Hooligan"

Day 3 felt different from the moment I arrived. For one, the weather was perfect. The setlist was mostly the same, but my own energy was completely different. I do not know if it was because I had already seen the show once or because my section that night was more energetic, but I was much more hyped up on Day 3.

For BTS concerts in Korea, you are often seated next to complete strangers because you can only buy one ticket per account. With ticketing wars, different queue numbers, and everyone grabbing whatever seat they can, it is difficult to be seated close to friends.

Day 3 "Body to Body" and the "Idol" parade

Even so, the atmosphere in my section was incredible. Almost everyone was taking it all in, dancing, jumping, and screaming, and of course. I joined them.

We were easily one of the loudest and most hyped sections that night. It did not matter that we did not know each other because, for those few hours, everyone around me was reacting to the same songs in exactly the same way.

Day 3 "Please" and "Into the Sun"

The biggest difference in the setlist came during the surprise songs. For Day 3, we got “Spring Day” and “Run”. 

“Spring Day” was one of the most memorable moments of the night. We sang so loudly that the members were barely singing at all and were mostly just vibing, listening, and hyping us up while the entire stadium carried the song.

Both nights were special for completely different reasons. Day 1 had the emotion of finally seeing OT7 for the first time, while Day 3 felt louder, freer, and even more energetic.

The best part is that Goyang was only the beginning of the tour. I still have a few more stops to look forward to, but those first two nights will always be where the whole experience started for me.