BTS Arirang World Tour: Dream Setlist

Album: You Never Walk Alone (2016)

BTS have spoken about both the excitement as well as the anxiety they’re feeling with this long-awaited comeback to the music industry. Beyond the anthemic hip-hop production that opens the song, “Not Today” lets the group come together and make a direct declaration: they are back with a vengeance. Leader RM can shout his opening intro lines like a direct command to ARMY: “All the underdogs in the world: A day may come when we lose/ But it is not today, today we fight!”

It’s a perfect mantra to reintroduce themselves on the stage to anyone who counted them out or thought BTS wouldn’t come back stronger than ever.

Album: Love Yourself: Answer (2018)

Continuing the rollout of the red carpet, the regal mix of Korean instruments and brass that opens in 2018’s “IDOL” extends the epic nature of BTS’ stage return. Another track opened by RM, we can imagine him shouting, “You can call me artist/ You can call me idol!” and pausing to give the audience a chance to fully welcome the guys back, standing before them as fully developed artists and idols, before delivering the celebratory track in full.

Album: Wings (2016)

A crowd-pleaser that keeps the energy and impressive stage performances of the first two songs with one of BTS’ early breakout global hits — that’s also turning 10 years old this year.

Albums: FACE (2023) / MUSE (2024)

During the BTS hiatus, fans did get a chance to see Jin, Suga and J-Hope live on their own tours where they brought their solo releases to life. While the remaining four members haven’t gotten their chance for solo tours — yet! — we think giving RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook their own solo sections that fit inside BTS’ Arirang World Tour is fair and a special way to celebrate what these individuals also accomplished on stage.

Seamlessly connecting with the darker dance-pop theme set by “Blood, Sweat & Tears,” Jimin taking the spotlight to perform a medley featuring his historic Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Like Crazy,” as well as his 2024 Top 40 pop hit “Who,” will be a nice change of musical pace while still keeping the energy high.

Album: Love Yourself: Tear (2018)

Bookending Jimin’s solo section with two of BTS’ darker-but-beloved singles, “Blood, Sweat & Tears” and “Fake Love,” feels the most appropriate as songs where the multifaceted vocalist shines and match his musical aesthetic to make the concert as seamless as possible.

Album: The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.1 (2015)

“I Need U” comes as the audience is fully settling into the show. The track is a special one to ARMY as BTS’ commercial breakthrough single in Korea and was named one of the defining songs of the previous decade by Billboard and the BBC. This song could be more of a celebratory, nostalgic moment rather than one where the boys need to go all-in on the choreography.

Album: Proof (2022)

One of the new songs off anthology project Proof released after the group’s Permission to Dance on Stage tour wrapped, “Run BTS” received only one major live performance at their “Yet to Come” concert in Busan, South Korea, but is wholly deserving of a setlist spot. The track throws back to the guys’ earlier, rowdier hip-hop styles while also representing the mature artists BTS are today.

Album: The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.1 (2015)

While “I Need U” was BTS’ commercial breakthrough from 2015 mini album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.1, its follow-up single “Dope” felt like the track that truly hooked international fans and began BTS’ exponential global growth. “Dope” has become a go-to favorite in BTS concerts with the track being the group’s most-performed song in concert, according to LiveNation’s Setlist.fm. At this point, “Dope” is a must-have.

Albums: The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.2 (2015) / 2 Cool 4 Skool (2013) / O!RUL8,2? (2013) / O!RUL8,2? (2013) / Unreleased (2018)

Following “Run BTS” and “Dope,” it would be a dream to hear a full-fledged medley of singles and fan-favorite tracks of BTS’ most hip-hop-leaning material. From their earliest singles like “N.O” and “We Are Bulletproof Pt.2” to RM, Suga and j-hope’s still-unreleased “Ddaeng,” we can imagine huge smiles on the guys’ faces as they run through these nostalgic smashes.

Albums: Right Place, Wrong Person (2024) / Indigo (2022)

It makes stylistic sense to move from a hip-hop medley to RM’s solo section, with his multi-genre approach to his solo career able to shift the concert’s direction in whatever style he chooses. While the Right Place, Wrong Person single has an upbeat sound that will transition well from the medley, the introspective and melancholy lyrics in “LOST!” nicely connect to another RM solo single like “Wildflower” to draw a true distinction between the RM who leads BTS and the solo artist while still fitting well into the overarching storyline in the setlist.

Album: Map of the Soul: 7 (2020)

With RM’s “Wildflower” setting the sentimental mood, “Black Swan” is the perfect next track as one of BTS’ more brooding releases while also standing as one of the group’s best stage performances.

Album: Proof (2022)

While “Black Swan” speaks to the inner questions and worries BTS had about their careers, “Born Singer” serves as a declaration of identity and a belief in oneself. While the song was only officially remastered and released on Proof in 2022, the reinterpretation of J. Cole’s “Born Sinner” was first shared on BTS’ SoundCloud in 2013 in the days after their official debut on the K-pop scene. The song feels like another comforting reminder to fans that BTS is still the same passionate artists who began this incredible journey nearly 13 years ago.

Albums: Map of the Soul: 7 (2020)/The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever (2016)

“ON” opened the Permission to Dance on Stage with the epic, militaristic march of the Map of the Soul: 7 single kicking off BTS’ biggest live spectacle to date, followed by one of their most famous choreographies with “Burning Up (Fire).” While that run only hit select cities in Los Angeles, Seoul and Las Vegas, bringing a shortened version of “ON” as a lead-in to the blazing “Fire” choreo feels like a way for BTS to honor these two massive performance-driven songs and not feel like they need to outdo or rehash any previous feats.

Albums: Layover (2023) / Layover (2023) / FRI(END)S (2024)

After “ON” and “Burning Up (Fire),” the BTS boys — and the audience — will all deserve a little break. That’s why it’s the right time for V to come on for his solo section, as this will likely require a bit of maneuvering on the stage. As evidenced from the storytelling and stage props he imbedded into past performances of solo songs like “Singularity” during the Love Yourself world tours, Mr. Kim Taehyung ensures the little details take his performances to the next level and we imagine he could make BTS’ stadium stages feel like intimate jazz shows to perform Layover standouts like “Slow Dancing” and “Love Me Again.”

V can continue the intimate vibes while also slightly kicking the energy back up with his 2024 single “FRI(END)S,” fully getting the stadiums worked up by shouting along the massive final choruses.

Albums: Coldplay‘s Music of the Spheres (2021) / The Astronaut (2022) / Map of the Soul: PERSONA (2019)

The V vibes can be seamlessly transitioned into BTS’ spacey Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, “My Universe,” featuring their friends Coldplay, which has a calming yet exhilarating sound that will quickly have audiences around the world shouting along to the affirming chorus.

And if it’s a little awkward for BTS to take the full song on their own without Chris and the gang, we’re going to suggest mashing up “My Universe” with a bit of Jin’s Coldplay-assisted single “The Astronaut” and another celestial stunner in “Mikrokosmos,” both euphoric songs that BTS can dedicate to the fans for another intimate moment with ARMY.

Albums: The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever (2016) / Love Yourself: Answer (2018)

Throughout BTS’ discography, several songs serve as counterparts to previously released tracks. While there is “Boy in Luv” and “Boy With Luv” as well as “N.O” and “ON,” one of the most famous and beloved among fans would be 2018’s “I’m Fine,” acting as an answer to “Save Me” from 2016. The latter single came paired with an intense choreography that’s another fan-favorite stage performance with “I’m Fine” making its live debut during the Permission to Dance on Stage tour.

Bringing these two songs together in a new mash-up honors the connectivity of BTS’ body of work.

Album: BE (2020)

At this point of the concert, it’s time to really unleash and have some good ole fun, right? “Dynamite” is the crossover, disco-pop smash that uplifted millions through the pandemic and feels like the perfect moment to take things in a lighter direction.

Album: GOLDEN (2023)

“Dynamite” spotlighting one of BTS’ most famous English tracks marks a perfect moment for Jung Kook to deliver his smash crossover singles including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Seven” and excellent soul-pop performance of “Standing Next to You.”

The two tracks together show his range as a vocalist with “Standing Next to You” delivering the kind of classic stage performance that will impress audiences of all ages. Maybe even Usher can join him on stage at a show and give us a hint of what that Super Bowl Halftime Show performance could have looked like.

Album: Butter / Permission to Dance (2021)

With JK already setting the feel-good vibes after ending his solo section with “Standing Next to You,” BTS segueing to “Butter” makes the most sense to keep the audience groove going with this Billboard Hot No. 1 hit.

Album: Love Yourself: Her (2017)

Let’s keep the good vibes going with another crowdpleaser with “DNA,” the group’s first song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 and was a key single to help BTS reach new overseas audiences.

Album: Map of the Soul: PERSONA (2019)

With the concert winding down, “Boy With Luv” is another feel-good superhit that will keep the joyous atmosphere alive. The 2019 Halsey-assisted track is another song that signifies BTS’ growth, serving as the self-actualized answer to 2014’s razor-edged “Boy in Luv,” and will bring smiles to both the band and the audience.

Albums: Various

Even before The Eras Tour, BTS was delivering surprise live medleys since 2018’s Love Yourself World Tour. While Taylor Swift made each Eras night special with an unexpected mash-up, BTS can continue this tradition by delivering performances of two to four B-sides each night, making sure each ARMY has a unique concert experience and leaving fans wondering which song they’ll get on their night.

While there will inevitably be some title track singles that don’t make the setlist, we’d love for the guys to focus on deep cuts here, especially songs that the group has never performed yet. Can we please get “Louder Than Bombs,” “Paradise,” “Don’t Leave Me,” “Heartbeat,” or “Could You Turn Off Your Cell Phone”?

Album: Proof (2022)

With the concert closing before an inevitable encore, “Yet to Come” is the right song to close the main section of the concert. After the guys went through their biggest hits, they still promise that the “best moment is yet to come,” a message that will leave ARMY tingling as they wait for the lights to come back on for the encore.

Album: Take Two (2023)

The last single released as BTS fully paused group promotions during their military enlistments, “Take Two” can make its live debut on the Arirang World Tour at the concert with its calming production welcoming the group back to the stage as they sing the perfect-for-an-encore opening lyrics, asking the audience, “Will you stay?” (And of course ARMY will be there)

Album: Love Yourself: Her (2017)

Once we’re fully back with “Take Two,” it’s time to get rowdy on stage just one more time. “MIC Drop” is a BTS anthem and will let the guys deliver another upbeat banger to ensure the crowd has spent (nearly) all its energy as the show winds down.

Album: Map of the Soul: 7 (2020)

While we could have gone with several of BTS’ different comfort anthems as the penultimate performance (“Life Goes On” and “Epilogue: Young Forever” would all be fine choices), there is something so moving about Map of the Soul: 7’s “We Are Bulletproof : The Eternal” that we feel the show will end on a transcendental note if we heard the song’s closing choral chants sung in stadiums around the world.

Of course, the sentimental lyrics act as one last specific message to ARMY with the final lyrics, “Yeah, we are not seven with you” showing how much greater BTS is in the presence of their fans.

Album: You Never Walk Alone (2017)

We had to end things with this perennial hit that has become one of BTS’ most special signature songs and that truly ends the concert on a hopeful note that brighter, warmer days are never too far away. Even if concertgoers are sad the show is ending, the “Spring Day” song itself is like a warm hug, leaving the listener comforted. We can imagine flower-petal-like confetti falling throughout “Spring Day,” glittering throughout the stadium, and truly ending the concert in a beautiful, unforgettable moment.