“It’s their return after 8 years, and they were completely different”… Local Media Praises BTS Stanford Concert
Following BTS’s (Jungkook, Jimin, Jin, V, RM, J-Hope, Suga) first performance at Stanford Stadium in California on May 16th (local time), major local media outlets universally poured out glowing reviews. Notably, a prominent US daily newspaper critic caught attention by naturally referencing “Hongdae karaoke” and “makgeolli” to describe the concert atmosphere.
Todd Inoue, a critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, described the performance of ‘Butter’ and ‘Dynamite’ towards the end of the concert, writing, “It felt like a relaxed and natural atmosphere, akin to enthusiastically singing with the audience, slightly tipsy on makgeolli, in a Hongdae karaoke room at 2 AM.” This expression subtly hints that a major US daily newspaper critic has visited Korea and is familiar with Korean popular culture like Hongdae and makgeolli. It illustrates how deeply Korean culture has permeated the local scene to be cited so naturally.
Inoue analyzed, “The BTS of 2026 is completely different from the BTS that performed at the Oakland Arena in 2018,” adding, “This tour placed more emphasis on the individual members’ live vocals and mature themes rather than rigorous choreography.”
While honestly pointing out the minor regret that “the lighting didn’t fully shine because the concert started too early at 7 PM (making the surroundings too bright),” Inoue concluded, “The Stanford performance showed that BTS is not yet ready for a retrospective tour. A new era still awaits the current BTS.”
Jim Harrington, a pop critic for the Mercury News, declared it “the biggest pop culture event in the Bay Area this year (referring to the region near San Francisco).” He firmly stated, “While the Bay Area will host major stadium concerts this year, including Usher and Chris Brown at Levi’s Stadium, none will evoke the same kind of passion, excitement, and fanaticism – in the best sense – as BTS.” Regarding BTS, who performed approximately 23 songs over two hours, Harrington praised their “truly solid pop performance” but emphasized that “the moments when the members briefly put aside the spectacular stage setups and directly engaged with the audience were the best moments of this concert.”
Kiran Kaur of ReLeaf Magazine, a music-focused publication in the Bay Area, commented, “Returning to the Bay Area after eight years, BTS was bigger, more intense, and emotionally expanded than ever.” Kaur highlighted that the “Arirang Tour delved deeply into themes of Korean identity, reinvention, and artistic freedom.” She vividly described a scene where “when fan-favorite hits like ‘N.O’ and ‘Anpanman,’ chosen live by a DJ, made a surprise appearance, RM and Suga themselves showed excitement, revelling with the audience.” She also illuminated the ARMY’s devoted fandom, noting how “fans exchanged self-made stickers, cards, and props, and the light sticks across the entire stadium glowed in synchronized colors.” All three media outlets agreed that this Stanford concert would be recorded as a cultural event in American pop music history, transcending a mere K-pop concert.
In addition to the May 16th performance, BTS will continue their concerts at Stanford Stadium in San Francisco on May 17th and 19th (local time), before moving on to Las Vegas.
