BTS' ARIRANG World Tour became the center of attention long before it even began, thanks to its unprecedented scale—spanning 88 concerts across three cities around the world and running through April of next year. Notably, tickets for most of the shows sold out almost immediately during the first round of sales. According to Billboard, the renowned U.S. music publication, BTS has already generated $204 million (approximately ₩315.8 billion) in revenue after just over two months on the road.
Most recently, Rolling Stone UK and The Guardian both awarded BTS' two London concerts a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. Rolling Stone UK commented, "BTS has reclaimed their throne as the world's biggest band. They delivered a masterclαѕѕ performance for the au∂ιєnce who had been waiting for their return to the stage for a long time." The Guardian described it as "an incredibly joyful spectacle blending pyrotechnics with colorful production."
However, one aspect of the concert has left many fans wondering. Despite running for more than two hours, the show featured no solo performances whatsoever. Even the transition breaks between sections were not filled with solo or unit stages, as many idol groups typically do—or even as BTS themselves had done on previous tours.
Addressing the question, the members personally explained the reasoning behind this unique decision, and their answer deeply moved countless ARMY!
Jungkook revealed that excluding solo stages had been a deliberate decision from the very beginning. "It’s pretty unusual for a group to fill an entire concert exclusively with group songs from start to finish anymore. We wanted to remind everyone what BTS is like as a group, and since it’s been so long since our last tour, we tried to focus on the kind of energy we have when we’re all together. Obviously that makes things harder, but we wanted to immerse the au∂ιєnce in that feeling of all seven of us putting on the show together, all the way through..", he explained.
V shared the same perspective. According to him, the most important goal of this tour was not to highlight each member individually, but to celebrate BTS' return as a complete seven-member group. He added: "We all felt that we should be focusing on the group rather than subunit or solo songs. I think that is the core of this tour. Having the seven of us back together after all this time feels special, and it’s also our way of saying we want to keep doing this together."
RM explained that the decision also stemmed from the group's desire to reaffirm BTS' identity after spending such a long time away from group activities. "We wanted to put more weight on reaffirming the BTS brand that’s brought all of us this far." He continued: "It’s like, we have to do soмєтнing to show that we’re locked in as a group, now that we’re back after such a long time away. After all, we’re talking about 13 years of history that the seven of us and ARMY have been building together."
Finally, SUGA summed it all up with one simple yet powerful sentence: "I think it’s so “Bangtan” that the seven of us are still so aligned.."
The members' heartfelt remarks quickly went viral across social media platforms, leaving fans deeply touched by the unbreakable bond they continue to share. In today's K-pop industry—where stories of disbandments and members leaving their groups after only a few years have become increasingly common—the fact that BTS, now in their 13th year together, still chooses to place the group above everything else is soмєтнing truly rare and irreplaceable. Fans couldn't help but express their admiration:
- When the whole crew shines, even the flowers feel jealous. THEY SAID "IN THIS BANGTAN SH1T FOR LIFE"
- The way bts is the truest ot7 fιgнтer out of everyone cs despite the pressure from every sides asking them to still do solo stuffs, they still put the group first. they like being together so much more than we could ever understand
- I will actually cry. They said BTS is 7, BTS will always be 7
- BTS are reaffirming their brand through the setlist and how it's ot7 beginning to end and it also shows how THEY want to continue doing this as 7 for a long long time
- We already know how pαѕѕionate they are about their craft, how deeply they cherish each other as seven, and how much they love army, but getting to hear these from bts themselves is just wonderfully reαѕѕuring as a fan. it reminds us how special their and our bond is
- BTS is seven, and they'll always be seven. Their return was so important, both for them and for us, and i feel like their bond has grown even stronger. I‘m so so happy for them and i hope we can all stay together for a really long time
- The whole interview with bts being them expressing how grateful they are to be back together as 7 people and continue on their journey as a group.....NEVER SEPARATE MY FAMILY EVER AGAIN
- This is so hard to describe to non-ARMY. That sense of belonging that is only complete with seven, but also: we are not seven with you
