The moment came during BTS’ show at Allianz Arena on July 12, when RM addressed the crowd directly: “We have to sing this together,” before cueing up the bass-heavy slow jam to wild applause. What followed was exactly what you’d expect from dedicated fans who’ve been waiting years to hear this one in person. The screams when that beat dropped were so loud they nearly drowned out the vocals, but ARMY more than held their own with the chorus as confetti fell around Jung Kook, V, Jimin, Suga, Jin, and j-hope.
The reason for the delay tells its own story. “Louder Than Bombs” dropped just before the world shut down in 2020. The global tour meant to support Map of the Soul: 7 never happened. Instead, fans got the Permission to Dance on Stage tour in 2021-2022, followed by a break that let members focus on solo projects and handle mandatory South Korean military service. Six years is a long time to wait for a live debut, which makes Sunday’s performance feel less like a regular tour stop and more like fulfilling a promise that should’ve come way earlier.
The Munich show also pulled out “Blood Sweat & Tears” from 2016’s Wings, while Saturday’s gig featured surprise runs of “Silver Spoon” (2015’s The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2) and “Pied Piper” (2017’s LOVE YOURSELF: HER). It’s clear BTS is digging into the vault for this ARIRANG tour, which comes hot on the heels of “SWIM” hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April. The next single, “Normal”—co-written by Ryan Tedder—drops next.
The tour moves to Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Friday (July 17) and Saturday (July 18), so if you’re in Europe, the surprises probably aren’t done coming.
