Traditional Korean folk song goes global as BTS rocks Tokyo Dome
The melody of the Korean folk song “Arirang” pulsed through the Tokyo Dome as BTS hit the stage in Japan on Friday and Saturday.
Thunderous cheers and chants filled the venue with fans waving the band's light sticks during the sold-out concerts, drawing a total of around 110,000 fans
Tokyo marked the first international stop on BTS’s ongoing world tour.
The latest shows also marked the group’s first return to the Tokyo Dome since its “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” tour in July 2019.
The peak came during “Body to Body,” a track from the band's new album “Arirang,” released on March 20. The audience sang along with the lyrics of the Korean folk song that inspired the album name embedded in the track.
HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk had previously predicted the mass sing-along of “Arirang” at overseas venues would become the most iconic moment of the tour according to BigHit Music, the HYBE label that manages BTS.
The members appeared deeply moved as they took in the sound of the crowd.
The crowd sang along word-for-word to global hits “Butter” (2021) and “Dynamite” (2020), with their voices harmonizing with the group’s vocals.
During a segment where the group performed older tracks, BTS sang “Crystal Snow” (2017) and “For You” (2015), both Japanese-language songs that drew an especially warm response.
The members of BTS also took turns speaking to the audience in Japanese.
“Even though it’s been a while, your cheers and smiles haven’t changed and they give us strength," the members said. “We’ve missed you.”
“We’re so happy and honored to be back. Thank you for waiting for us, and we truly love you,” they added.
BTS will next head to the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, for the opening shows of the North American leg of its tour on April 25.
The band’s world tour kicked off in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on April 9 and is set to make stops in more than 30 cities worldwide.
The tour is scheduled to conclude in Manila on March 14 next year, according to the group’s official website as of Sunday.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHO MUN-GYU [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]
