On Saturday, March 21, I, along with millions of others across the globe, woke up at 7 a.m. EST to watch BTS’s first comeback show in over four years. The concert was performed at the historic Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea.
The show was free for in-person attendees, and obtaining a seat was based on a lottery that fans could enter online. Over 100,000 fans lined the streets of Seoul, stretching nearly a mile along the square. The online turnout was even more successful with Netflix live-streaming the comeback show, drawing 18.4 million viewers worldwide, claiming the number one spot in 24 countries.
Watching the show from my couch, I felt the impact that the concert had on millions of fans. I saw people watching it in person, dancing in the streets, while my friends and I danced in my living room. The show cultivated a connection between people on opposite sides of the world through a shared love of music.
This wasn’t just a normal comeback show; it was the official start of a new era for BTS, filled with beginnings, growth, and a look back at their successful career.
Why was BTS gone for so long?
It may appear to some that BTS chose to pause their group activities for four years. However, their hiatus was actually due to South Korea’s mandatory military service. In South Korea, men aged 18-28 are required by law to enlist in the military for 18-21 months. Yet, due to South Korea’s revised Military Service Act that was put in place for BTS, the band members were able to postpone their service until the oldest members turned 30 because BTS “greatly enhanced the image of Korea both within the nation and throughout the world.”
The seven members of BTS then enlisted in the military over the span of a year, with Jin, the oldest member, enlisting on Dec. 13, 2022, and Jungkook, the youngest member, enlisting on Dec. 12, 2023.
Importance of Arirang
The comeback show celebrated the release of the group’s latest album, Arirang, which was released the day before, on March 20. The album highlights Korean culture and identity as Arirang is a widely known Korean folk song. During the Japanese occupation of Korea in the early 20th century, the song stood as a symbol of strength and resistance.
In the opening song of the album, “Body to Body,” BTS featured artists from the National Centre for Korean Traditional Music to sing the Arirang sections. BTS is embracing a centuries-old tradition, blending their new sound with the historic ones.
Incorporating Korean sound into this album solidified BTS’s stance as a Korean pop group. While they have many English songs geared towards a Western market, like “Dynamite” and “Butter,” many of BTS’s other, less mainstream songs, like “Paldogangsan” and “Baespae,” showcase the members’ specific dialects and cultures.
The Comeback Show
The comeback show opened with “Body to Body,” then for an hour featured songs from Arirang like “FYA,” “Hooligan,” and “Swim,” as well as a few older songs, including “Mikrokosmos” and “Mic Drop.”
The show was technologically beautiful and showcased a side of BTS that the BTS fandom had missed for so long. Seeing all seven members on stage together, having fun, dancing, and singing my favorite songs made me realize just how far I, and millions of other fans, have come over the years.
BTS now has their upcoming world tour for Arirang beginning in April, with three U.S. stops due to popular demand, starting in Tampa, Florida. While Jin did perform in Tampa during his solo tour, this will be BTS’s first time performing as a group there.
BTS continues to raise the bar for K-pop, highlighting its cultural importance worldwide. It’s safe to say that I am officially hyped to see Arirang live this April, and scream my heart out to “Body to Body.”