The day is almost upon us: this Thursday (April 9), BTS take to Seoul’s Goyang Stadium for their first full-scale concert in three-and-a-half years, kicking off a mega world tour. With a new album, ‘Arirang’, under their belts, the setlist is bound to look a little different from the last time we saw them deliver a stadium-shaking extravaganza, mixing new cuts with old favourites.
But what exactly will make it onto the final setlist? Following their short-but-sweet comeback performance in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square last month, we decided to have a go at curating our dream BTS setlist. Even in dreams, though, you have to keep at least a loose grip on reality – for example, as tempting as it is to load up a 50-song setlist of big hits and deep cuts, that way only leads to disappointment. Instead, NME’s dream BTS setlist tries to imagine what the returning pop icons might realistically perform, alongside some songs we’re manifesting hard for.
‘Body To Body’
It’s tradition for BTS to kick off their concerts with a track from their latest album (an exception being their shows for ‘Permission To Dance’ shows), and of all the choices on ‘Arirang’, ‘Body To Body’ is the perfect set opener. It’s commanding and energetic, and the fact that it opens with the line “I need the whole stadium to jump” sets the tone instantly. Plus, we’ve already seen how hard it hits as the first song at ‘The Comeback Live’ – it’s tried and tested.
‘Hooligan’
A natural follow-up to ‘Body To Body’. The sounds of the slicing blades woven into the beat are addictive enough on record, but hearing them blasting out of a stadium PA should be even better. Plus, the dichotomy between the raw rap verses and the vocal line’s soaring voices brings the two sides of BTS together perfectly.
‘FYA’
The stage for ‘FYA’ at last month’s Gwanghwamun Square performance practically begged for stadiums. Under red lights, BTS were joined by a horde of dancers, all bouncing around in unison – a scene that will only uplift the energy and get the crowd going in a much bigger venue.
‘Aliens’
‘Aliens’ explores not just BTS’ success around the world – and the way they’re perceived as musicians from Korea – but the growth of Korean culture in general. What better way to ram those points home than by giving this song its moment on a tour that’s visiting 23 countries across the globe?
‘Ddaeng’
The vocal line head off stage, leaving the rap line to further stun the audience with this: a Soundcloud loosie shared in 2018 as part of the group’s Festa anniversary celebrations. It’s since become one of their most beloved tracks among ARMY, despite not getting an official release – ‘Ddaeng’ is an ‘if you know you know’ banger that rarely gets performed live. Could this tour be the moment that changes? We certainly hope so.
‘Haegeum’
Another long-held BTS tour tradition is for each member to have their own solo stage (again, the ‘Permission To Dance’ shows were the exception here). In the past, that meant performing a solo song from the group’s latest album, but now that every member has released their own record, it’d be nice for them to be able to spotlight what they got up to between that last BTS concert in Busan and now. For Suga, ‘Haegeum’ was a fiery highlight of his album ‘D-Day’ (released under the moniker Agust D) that would be fun to experience live again – and would fit perfectly right after ‘Ddaeng’.
‘Still Life’
RM was particularly busy before he headed off to military service, releasing two solo albums – ‘Indigo’ and ‘Right Place, Wrong Person’ – and giving us a lot of material to pick from. As great as ‘Right Place, Wrong Person’ is, it feels better suited to a more intimate venue, so we’ll go for ‘Still Life’, the upbeat hip-hop track from ‘Indigo’. It’ll keep the energy riding vibrantly high.
‘Stop’
For J-hope, we’d choose ‘Stop’, from his 2022 album ‘Jack In The Box’, for his moment in the spotlight. The revving track made a big impact in both his Lollapalooza 2022 headline set and on his 2025 solo tour – a run destined to continue should it feature in the ‘Arirang’ tour setlist.
‘Dimple’
There’s a bunch of great vocal-line songs we could pick here – ‘Lost’, ‘The Truth Untold’, and ‘House Of Cards’ would all be fine choices – but ‘Dimple’ just about beats the competition. Jin, Jimin, V and Jungkook haven’t performed this live since 2020’s Golden Disc Awards, so it’d be a rare treat to witness again.
‘Like Crazy’
There’s every chance Jimin would choose to perform something from his more recent solo release, ‘Muse’, but in an ideal world, we’ll be hearing ‘Like Crazy’ on this tour. The song’s airy sound would slot in nicely after ‘Dimple’ and give the singer a chance to take us into a synth-pop daydream.
‘Standing Next To You’
Statistically, ‘Seven’ might have been Jungkook’s biggest solo single, but ‘Standing Next To You’ wasn’t far behind – its warm, vintage funk-laced feel easily accessible and ready to dance to. Plus, it gives us the chance to hear some heavenly high notes from the singer – this one’s a no-brainer.
‘Dynamite’
We’ll bring the whole group back here, and ‘Dynamite’ feels like it would work nicely after Jungkook’s retro-pop turn. It’s bright, it’s breezy, and it’s irresistibly infectious – guaranteed to put a smile on every face in stadiums the world over.
‘Butter’
It seems likely, if ‘The Comeback Live’ setlist is anything to go by, that we’ll get two English songs in the setlist, the second being ‘Butter’. We’ve no complaints – as the Gwanghwamun Square performance proved, Suga’s “ice on my wrist, I’m the nice guy” line hasn’t lost any of its impact five years on.
‘Swim’
After a quick break and costume change, we see the whole group returning to the stage for ‘Swim’, the lead single from ‘Arirang’. Although it wasn’t the impactful comeback track many would have expected, it has proven its ability to grow on listeners over time and should serve as a light but meaningful sing-along moment at these shows.
‘Merry Go Round’
By this point in the set, we’re all going to need a breather – and what better way to recalibrate than with the dreamy psych-pop of ‘Merry Go Round’? It’s gentle enough to give us the break we’re going to need, but not a filler song by any means – and lends itself to some potentially dazzling production on stage, too.
‘With The Clouds’
It’s Jin’s turn to take centre stage, and of his two solo EPs, ‘Echo’ and ‘Happy’, we’ve chosen ‘With The Clouds’ from the former as his solo song. It’s one of the tracks that best showcases what really makes him shine – his gorgeous vocals that are full of emotional resonance. It was a sparkling part of his solo tour setlist last year and should be another certified hit here, too.
‘Slow Dancing’
Let’s wrap up this segment of the setlist with a romantic, dreamy performance from V. ‘Slow Dancing’ was one of the highlights of his distinctive ‘Layover’ EP, and would make for a beautifully soft moment to counteract the more fiery points of the setlist.
‘No More Dream’ / ‘Danger’ / ‘Not Today’ / ‘On’ / ‘Mic Drop’
It’s time to delve deeper into BTS’ discography now, but the only way to fit in a wider representation of their bulging back catalogue is a medley. They’ve done it before on the ‘Love Yourself: Speak Yourself’ tour, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility. In our dream setlist, we’d opt for a run of higher-energy cuts, ending with the ever-emphatic ‘Mic Drop’.
‘Idol’
‘Idol’ feels like an important song to be included on the setlist: It’s where BTS grappled with the distinction between idols and artists and stood firm in the face of those who tried to cut them down: “You can’t stop me loving myself.” On previous tours, hearing whole stadiums sing that line in unison has been a special moment that feels ripe for reliving. That the track also incorporates Korean traditional elements makes it feel fitting for this tour, which stems from an album with a concept rooted in Korean culture, history and heritage.
‘Airplane Pt. 2’
This Latin-pop-infused cut from ‘Love Yourself: Tear’ is always a crowd-pleaser, and feels like a natural bridge between ‘Idol’ and the rest of the set. That its lyrics also take in BTS’ globe-trotting activities (“We goin’ from NY to Cali / London to Paris”) is just a bonus as they hit the road once more.
‘Boy With Luv’
Who can resist the charms of the bubblegum-bright ‘Boy With Luv’? Certainly not us, and we’d love to see it included in the setlist again. Particularly with the way the world is right now, it feels like a reminder of a time when things were semi-OK (at least compared to everything we’ve collectively experienced in the last seven years), and now more than ever, a brief escape back to that feeling would be a welcome bit of respite.
‘2.0’
It’s time for one more break and then back for the encore, which we’d love to think will be a mix of new and old. We’ll kick off with ‘2.0’, another highlight of ‘Arirang’, which really made a case for its live power at the group’s comeback performance in March. It’s not too high-energy for this point of the night, but still strong enough to be satisfying.
‘Blood Sweat & Tears’
A BTS classic that always goes down a treat. If there’s time for one more all-in performance moment, let it be ‘Blood Sweat & Tears’ – a tropical-tinged banger that still sounds as glorious as it did back in 2016.
‘Into The Sun’
‘Arirang’’s closer feels like a neat penultimate track for this tour’s setlist – it has the emotional heft to make a bid for the group’s new closing song, but since this is our dream picks, we can’t give it that slot over…
‘Spring Day’
BTS have several poignant songs that could wrap up the night, but ‘Spring Day’ will always be our first choice. There’s a certain resonance here, too: while the group were focused on completing their mandatory military service, they often referred to the time when they could reunite as a full band as the return of spring. The seasons have changed, spring has sprung, and BTS are finally back – let ‘Spring Day’ commemorate that. Break out the tissues…