BTS's first U.S. performance after boycotting the Grammys... Billboard gives a thumbs-up: "Proof they deserve to be on the world's best stage" [K-EYES]

*This content was translated by AI.

BTS (BTS: Jungkook, Jimin, Jin, V, J-Hope, RM, Suga) took the U.S. stage for the first time since announcing their boycott of the Grammy Awards. The local response was surprisingly enthusiastic.

On the 1st and 2nd (local time), BTS held the second North American leg of their world tour "Arirang" over two days at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, U.S. This marked their first official concert approximately two weeks after performing on the halftime show stage of the 2026 FIFA Concacaf World Cup™ final at the same venue last month. Both performances were sold out, with a total of over 157,000 fans attending across the two days.

This is their first U.S. performance in approximately seven years and two months since the world tour "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" held in May 2019.

The stadium, which had echoed with cheers from football fans flocking from around the globe just two weeks prior, was brightly illuminated for two days by the waves of ARMYBANG and fireworks.

U.S. music specialty outlet Billboard praised the first-day performance, stating, "Following their appearance at the World Cup final halftime show, they once again proved why they deserve to stand on the world's largest stage." The outlet highlighted 15 best moments from the concert. Notably, top U.S. hip-hop artist Nas made an appearance, drawing attention. On stage, leader RM personally introduced him, saying, "I want to express my gratitude to the artist who dominated my teenage years," and added, "It feels truly strange yet wonderful to perform in front of my idol."

The message of gratitude toward Nas continued into the next day. Outlet Complex separately covered the second-day performance, reporting that RM again introduced Nas as "the king of New York, Big Nas is here tonight," reemphasizing that he represents an artist from RM's teenage years.

Local outlet NJ Arts noted in its official concert review that this tour adopted a 360-degree center stage setup instead of the end-stage format used during the 2019 "Love Yourself" tour. However, it pointed out that such structural changes inevitably led to some reduction in large-scale group choreography, analyzing that the choice prioritized mobility and intimacy over spectacle. Local broadcaster CBS New York also briefly reported on the two-day performances through live coverage.

Given that this was BTS's first U.S. performance since announcing their boycott of the Grammys, related messages were particularly noticeable. According to Billboard, fan banners with slogans such as "BTS is bigger than the Grammys" and "What we need isn't the Grammys—it's ARMY" were captured multiple times by audience cameras.

Overseas fans who attended the event also responded enthusiastically. As one of the surprise stages prepared for the day, the 2015 release "Autumn Leaves" appeared, prompting one fan on X (formerly Twitter) to exclaim, "Is this really my favorite song, Autumn Leaves?" in disbelief. Another account sharing music news reported that new photos of RM and Suga posing with Nas were released.

BTS will continue their North American tour schedule starting from Foxborough, Massachusetts, on the 5th and 6th of this month, followed by stops in Baltimore and Arlington.

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*This content was translated by AI.