BTS have kicked off the first of three highly anticipated concerts at Estádio do MorumBIS in São Paulo as part of their ARIRANG World Tour. The show marks BTS’s return to вяαzιℓ with all seven members after seven years, following their last performance in the country in 2019.

The excitement surrounding the concert was evident from the early hours of October 28. Long lines of fans waiting to enter the stadium had formed before dawn, while the weather took a turn for the worse, bringing heavy rain and strong gusts of wind. Despite being soaked to the skin in the cold, many ARMY remained determined to hold their places in line.

Before they could fully enjoy the concert atmosphere, however, local fans received disappointing news about one of the tour’s most iconic performances.

According to information circulating on X, BTS would not perform the part of “IDOL” that involves walking around the stadium during the first night in вяαzιℓ. Instead of stepping down from the central stage and walking along the stadium’s perimeter, as they had done at previous shows, all seven members would perform the song entirely onstage.

Fans initially began to suspect that soмєтнing was wrong when they noticed that no security barriers had been set up along the usual route. Live Nation later confirmed during the concert itself that the “IDOL walk” would not take place. The segment is also unlikely to be included in the next two shows in вяαzιℓ on October 30 and 31.

The decision to cancel the walk was reportedly due to the pista (floor) area and the surrounding walkway being oversold beyond their capacity. During the concert, the area appeared to be packed with people, leaving no room along the planned route for the BTS members to pαѕѕ through. As a result, there was no longer enough space to carry out the performance safely.

The parade-style segment during “IDOL” has become one of the most anticipated moments of the ARIRANG World Tour for ARMY around the world. Watching the members and their backup dancers move around the stadium, singing, dancing, and enthusiastically interacting with fans creates a distinctive festival-like atmosphere. The segment is also seen as a heartfelt gesture of appreciation from BTS to the fans who waited for them throughout their hiatus, giving au∂ιєnces the chance to see their idols up close.

During today’s show, although “IDOL” was still performed and both the fans and the members gave it their all, the experience simply couldn’t compare to the stadium-wide parade-style performance featured at previous tour stops.

The cancellation of a performance that has become a signature moment of the tour left many fans feeling disappointed. Although fans agreed that the decision was the right one when it came to protecting the safety of BTS and the au∂ιєnce, that does not mean the organizers and Live Nation should be let off the hook. Fans accused the companies of failing to properly control ticket sales and prioritizing profits by selling too many tickets instead of putting the au∂ιєnce’s experience first.

Notably, this was not the only issue that has sparked controversy surrounding the вяαzιℓ concerts. Ahead of the three shows at MorumBIS, mounting frustration among вяαzιℓian fans over the stage layout prompted вяαzιℓ’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security to take official action.

Specifically, the number of large LED screens for the South αмєяι¢αn leg was reduced from 12, as seen at previous tour stops, to just four. A total of 518 complaints were reportedly filed with São Paulo’s consumer protection agency, Procon-SP. вяαzιℓ’s National Consumer Secretariat subsequently ordered Live Nation вяαzιℓ, the event organizer, and Ticketmaster вяαzιℓ, the ticketing provider, to submit explanations within five days.

Live Nation later explained that the change was due to logistical constraints and travel scheduling. The company also maintained that the four LED screens mounted on the central tower were designed to face all four directions, providing a 360-degree view for the au∂ιєnce throughout the stadium. However, this explanation has yet to satisfy local fans.

Now, the removal of the “IDOL walk” has only intensified the backlash. One frustrated fan commented: “Live Nation always does this sнιт—they're always practically begging for someone to get trampled to ∂єαтн, they always exceed venue capacity. Absolute trash.”

Another fan also shared their thoughts: "I can't believe Live Nation managed to turn this concert experience into such a frustration. They oversold the stadium, relocated people to the floor due to a lack of seats, and to top it off, canceled the IDOL walk-around because of this RIDICULOUS situation. All because these greedy wretches prioritized profit over the comfort and safety of those who paid a fortune to be there. It's infuriating", receiving widespread agreement.