BTS, first solo concert in the US in 7 years...157,000 fans thrilled over 2 days

BTS began the second North American leg of the ’BTS WORLD TOUR ’ARIRANG’’ at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, USA. The concert took place over two days on August 1st and 2nd, with approximately 157,000 attendees. This performance was held again at the same stadium two weeks after appearing as a co-headliner for the halftime show of the ’2026 FIFA North and Central America World CupTM’ final on July 19th. It marked their first solo concert at MetLife Stadium in about 7 years and 2 months since the ’BTS WORLD TOUR ’LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF’’ in May 2019. Throughout the concert, the audience sang along to the Korean lyrics in sync with BTS. Especially, cheers grew louder as the intro to ’Aliens,’ a track from ’Arirang,’ began, and a massive sing-along followed during the title track ’SWIM.’ The members passed microphones to the crowd, completing the stage together with the audience. Additionally, a group sing-along of the Korean folk song ’Arirang’ was staged as a symbolic moment of the concert. Towards the end of the show, an event took place where the audience raised flower-shaped placards, and the members smiled as they looked out over the stadium, which appeared to be in full bloom. The final song, ’Into the Sun,’ was accompanied by a large-scale fireworks display lighting up the night sky. About 30 major Korean and American media outlets attended the event, competing for coverage. The American music media Billboard reported that BTS proved their right to perform on the world’s biggest stage at the World Cup final halftime show two weeks ago and showcased their true value during the approximately two-and-a-half-hour tour. They also highlighted the concert by selecting the top 15 best moments. American hip-hop artist Nas attended the concert, and RM expressed on stage, ″It feels really amazing to perform in front of an idol from my teenage years.″ The ’BTS THE CITY ARIRANG - NEW YORK’ project was also carried out in connection with the concert. The Rockefeller Center observation deck ’Top of the Rock,’ a representative landmark of New York, was wrapped with the ’Arirang’ album logo, and a special menu related to BTS was offered at the internal restaurant. At Grand Central Terminal, a T-shirt DIY space was set up, allowing concertgoers and citizens to participate in the experience. Starting in East Rutherford, BTS opened the second act of their North American tour, with the next concert scheduled for August 5th and 6th at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, USA. They are the first Korean artists to hold a solo concert at Gillette Stadium. Meanwhile, BTS recently announced that they will not submit entries for the Grammy Awards, stating, ″I hope music can be heard and loved as music itself rather than being divided by region or language.″