BTS rounded up the troops and two-stepped their way through Texas at sold-out shows

There are energetic concerts, and then there is whatever happens when BTS walks into a stadium full of its patient ARMY, who’ve waited years for the band’s glorious return to Texas.

The band hasn’t toured in Texas since 2018, after a 2020 world tour was canceled and all members enlisted in the Korean military to complete their mandatory service. But good things are worth waiting for, even if it takes eight years.

Before the group ever stepped onstage until well after they disappeared from view, the energy inside AT&T Stadium on Saturday never dipped below 100. Fans screamed through outfit changes. They screamed through prerecorded interludes. They screamed whenever a member stopped to address the audience. Even in the moments that would normally function as a breather at another concert, there was still a constant hum of cheering, clapping and anticipation.

More than anything, everyone seemed utterly overjoyed to be there. That might sound like an obvious observation at a concert, but BTS inspires a different kind of devotion.

The audience wasn’t limited to one demographic, either. There were little kids, teenagers, parents, grandparents, couples and longtime fans scattered throughout the venue. Signs in the crowd ranged from confessions of first-time concertgoers to dads proudly announcing their BTS fandom and boyfriends admitting they were there because their girlfriends love Jung Kook.

Fans had built outfits around different eras of the group’s career, recreating school-uniform aesthetics from their early albums, wearing jerseys, referencing old memes and incorporating little pieces of BTS lore that only ARMY members would understand. Every section of the crowd seemed to contain another Easter egg.

A sense of fan participation extended into the show itself with BTS’ signature ARMY Bomb light sticks, a piece of official merch that functions similarly to a flashlight. Synced throughout the venue, thousands of them changed color depending on the song, transforming entire sections of the crowd into waves of rainbow. It is a relatively simple piece of concert technology, but seeing an entire arena shift colors in unison gives BTS’ shows a visual element that is difficult to replicate.

The group matched that enthusiasm with a show built around movement, spectacle and constant change.

BTS first appeared in coordinated darker outfits that fit the visual identity of their current era, almost recalling the synchronized styling of classic boy bands. Later, the members returned wearing looks that felt much more individual. Jung Kook leaned into his grungier aesthetic, while RM appeared considerably more relaxed. Other members moved between bohemian, casual and more polished looks, allowing each personality to come through.

For their final major costume change, the group incorporated pieces of their tour merchandise, cutting and styling them into individual looks. Then came the detail guaranteed to win over a Texas crowd: several members threw on cowboy hats. It was an easy bit of local pandering, sure, but it worked.

Musically, the night was built primarily around BTS’ newest album, “ARIRANG,” with the group running through most of the record instead of a straightforward greatest hits setlist. Still, longtime fans were given enough older material to keep the night connected to the group’s past.

Songs such as “Burning Up (Fire),” “Fake Love,” “Run BTS” and “Not Today” resurfaced throughout the night, with some arriving in altered or remixed forms that gave familiar tracks a different live energy. Their two massive English-language singles, “Dynamite” and “Butter,” also appeared late in the show, delivering the kind of unavoidable singalong moments expected from two of the biggest songs of BTS’ career.

One of the tour’s more interesting ideas, however, came in a segment in which the members seemingly surrendered control of the setlist entirely.

During “DJ Spin That,” a song from somewhere within BTS’ extensive catalog is randomly selected for the group to perform, creating one of the few moments in a highly choreographed stadium production that actually feels unpredictable. Dallas ended up getting “Permission to Dance” and “Go Go,” instantly turning both songs into some of the night’s biggest surprises.

It is a clever device for a group with so much history. BTS has accumulated so many albums, singles, eras and fan favorites that no setlist could realistically satisfy everyone. Turning a couple of those selections into a game allows each city to walk away with something unique.

Even the downtime was designed around the fandom.

At one point, while BTS changed outfits backstage, cameras began scanning the crowd and putting fans, costumes and homemade signs on the massive screens. What could have been dead air instead became another attraction. Every new fan shown onscreen triggered another explosion of cheers, especially whenever somebody appeared dressed as a recognizable BTS era or holding a particularly good sign.

Unwavering enthusiasm became the defining characteristic of the night.

Plenty of artists can sell out an arena. Plenty can build elaborate stages, choreograph outfit changes or fill a setlist with recognizable songs. What separates BTS is the ecosystem that has formed around all of it. Their audience doesn’t behave like passive spectators waiting to be entertained: They arrive already prepared to become part of the production.

The band’s ability to create a community within the stadium might ultimately be more impressive than any song they performed that night. By the time the concert neared its finale, the crowd still had the same amount of energy it had when the night began. There was never really a lull, only different versions of screaming.

Calling it a concert almost feels insufficient. For a few hours, BTS turned Dallas into its own tiny universe. And everybody inside it appeared to be having the time of their lives.