For the past four years, BTS has been watched by fans from afar, as the members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. Meanwhile, they pursue solo projects and tour the world as individuals, while the band itself lives on through archived live streams and social media posts.
On Monday night in New York City, they returned to the stage with seven.
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By afternoon, fans were already lining up near the city’s Seaport, bundled up in layers and rain ponchos, waiting for BTS to take the stage at Pier 17. The group’s return to the US was no surprise. It was a time fans were tracking, anticipating, and counting down. Still, the power feels surreal when it actually happens.
Days after their live comeback concert drew tens of thousands of fans to downtown Seoul, BTS arrived in New York for Spotify x BTS: Swimside, an invitation-only event that marked their first public appearance in the US as a full group since 2022. It doubled as the first time they performed songs from their new album, Arirang, stateside.
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The setting has done a lot of work. Pier 17 overlooks the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge spans one side and lower Manhattan lights up the other. Even though it’s cold, with the wind blowing through the roof and temperatures dipping into the 30s, hundreds of fans fill the space, many of whom have been voted the top Spotify streamers in the area. Even producer Diplo showed up in the crowd.
Mashable’s social media manager on the ground filmed the incident as it unfolded. Fans trade for free, compare signals, and document everything in real time all over social media. The night already looked like something built into the timeline. The difference was that everyone was there for someone.
The event opened with a Q&A hosted by Suki Waterhouse, drawing the group into a relaxed, conversational mode. BTS talked about acting Arirang together, including the experience of living in the same house again while filming in Los Angeles for two months.
“‘Swim’ is a really special song for us,” Jin said through a translator, describing the lead single as a reminder to continue with uncertainty. “It’s about not giving up, even when you’re facing difficult times and emotional waves, to keep going as if you’re swimming through everything… It reminds us to love our lives and accept whatever comes next, so this message: We want to keep moving forward and never stop.”
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Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Spotify
The conversation quickly loosened. RM made a joke about Jung Kook’s suitcase not coming off the floor when they were together. “It used to be that when we entered his room, we always stepped [around] loads,” explained the leader. Suga admitted that he doesn’t like swimming. (But importantly, he it does (like “swim.”) Jimin, answering a question about home manners, casually told the crowd that he usually goes naked when he walks in the door, causing the audience to be confused.
The group also shared details of the album’s production, including a standout song from “Hooligan” — “ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan” — which RM and Suga admitted they hated singing because of its subtlety. They broke it down like a fast “three-three-three” rhythm, and put Jung Kook on the spot to try it himself. He was very successful, as expected from the team’s golden maknea.
The overall Q&A had a live stream tone, but more. Immediately. It’s not filtered in a way that only works when thousands of people react at once.
During the short break, the fans showed how locked in they were. Arirang had only been out for three days, but the crowd was singing along to each song playing over the speakers, the light sticks moving in sync.
When BTS returned to the stage, the focus went into place.
The group performed “Swim,” “2.0,” and “Normal,” marking the first US live performance of the new album. The stage was simple, but the answer was not. The fans jumped, screamed, ha-ha-ha-ha’d, and waved their war bombs with every beat. RM, sitting with a sprained ankle, delivered his verses to the side as the rest of the band moved to the music.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Spotify
“It’s a real honor to do our first stage in America here,” RM told the crowd. “It’s been four years, but now we’re here.”
In the audience, fans held up red signs reading “We Stayed!” A small gesture, but one that carries weight after the group’s formation. UV saw them at once, and called the crowd in thanks.
By the end of the night, the atmosphere felt less like a one-off event and more like a place to reset. BTS is back in the US, performing new music, standing in front of fans who didn’t leave.
For many years, that connection resides mostly on the Internet. In broadcasts, clips, and ongoing updates that bridged the gap when the band split up. At Pier 17, it felt different. It’s still being written, the feed is still set, but it’s based on something that’s out there now.
Not just something to watch. You had to be there.
