BTS, the global K-pop superstars boasting five Grammy nominations, 26 Guinness World Records and roughly 90 million fans, announced a 79-show world tour on Tuesday featuring two nights at Stanford Stadium on May 16 and 17.
The stadium previously hosted Coldplay, the arena’s inaugural musical artist, for two shows last year. BTS’ tour stop will be California fans’ only two nights to see the group, aside from a stop at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. Stanford Stadium, which has a capacity of 50,424, was selected over the nearby Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara with a capacity of 68,500. Given that the group’s last world tour concluded in 2019, demand is expected to be steep and highly competitive.
For the fans who manage to snag tickets, “the tour will feature a 360-degree, in-the-round stage design,” according to a message from Stanford Live publicizing the shows. “The immersive setup places the audience at the center of the experience.”
Avery Kamalu ’27 has been a fan of BTS since 2016 and has seen them in concert three times. Kamalu said she was shocked when she saw the news.
“I’m literally the chosen one. Like, my prayers have been answered. I’ve already got my presale code… I can host my friends and then they can come and go. It would be so convenient,” Kamalu said.
To others, the process of securing tickets already seems daunting. Third-year Ph.D candidate Casey Chan said, “I think the Coldplay tickets, they sold out super fast. I think I was in the queue for a couple hours, and I kind of gave up after a while.” Still, Chan said she’s looking forward to seeing friends in the broader Bay Area converge on campus for the weekend.
Chan added that she was impressed the Stanford Live team has been able to secure artists at the caliber of BTS and Coldplay. “I think they’ve done a really good job getting really hard-hitting artists… It’s very exciting to see representation in the artists that are coming to Stanford,” Chan said.
Jacob E. Roe ’27 put it simply: “They could go anywhere, and they’re coming to our school?”
Despite stepping away from the spotlight at arguably the height of their fame to enlist in the South Korean military, fan interest in the global superstars has far from evaporated. This week, the group’s discography began charting again, and all seven members’ solo projects, which were featured in staggered releases during their group hiatus, charted on the Billboard 200. Since June 2025, when the final members completed South Korea’s mandatory military enlistment, the group has reportedly been working on a new album, which is slated to be released March 20.
BTS first announced their intention to fulfill their service in October 2022, squashing speculation the group would request an exemption from the South Korean government. Previous exemptions have been given to certain musicians and athletes under the argument that they can contribute more to their country through their craft.
Tickets for BTS’ last concert in the U.S., a limited series of performances of “Permission to Dance” in 2022, started at $99 before resale. Until presale tickets for Stanford Stadium become available for fans holding an ARMY Membership on Jan. 22 at 11 a.m., hopeful concertgoers can do little more than wait. General sales begin January 24 at 11 a.m.