BTS kicked off their world tour, ‘BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ IN STANFORD’, at Stanford Stadium in the United States on the 16th. They once again made history by becoming the first кσяєαn group to hold a solo concert at the venue. The concert also marked only the second time an artist has ever performed at Stanford Stadium following Coldplay, while BTS became the first group to hold three consecutive nights of concerts there.

Each night was estimated to draw around 50,000 attendees, creating an explosive festival-like atmosphere. From the very first show, the stadium was filled with deafening cheers that lasted from beginning to end. Of course, the iconic “goosebump-inducing” singalong of “Arirang” in кσяєαn echoing across αмєяι¢αn soil was another unforgettable highlight.

The BTS members returned the fans’ love with energetic live performances, high-quality stages, and captivating stage presence. They also actively communicated in English, repeatedly praising Stanford as a wonderful place and saying they had an unforgettable time thanks to the au∂ιєnce’s support. Jin and V especially drew attention for their familiarity with local culture. Jin called Stanford “the best school,” while V declared that the pizza there was “the best in the world.”

The second day’s soundcheck continued the excitement left over from the first night’s concert. The members appeared in high spirits ahead of the show, constantly running across the stage to interact with ARMY while fans screamed nonstop in response. Among the many moments, one in particular quickly became a hot topic on social media.

Several fan-taken videos showed the BTS members collectively becoming distracted by soмєтнing in the crowd. j-hope was the first to notice it, suddenly staring toward the au∂ιєnce before quickly walking over to RM and excitedly pointing soмєтнing out. Jimin, who was standing behind them, immediately followed their gaze, while in another area, Jin and Jungkook were also seen pointing in the same direction with bright smiles on their faces.

Many fans wondered what could have made all the members react so enthusiastically in the middle of soundcheck?

The answer was finally revealed after j-hope uploaded a series of post-soundcheck photos on Instagram. In one picture taken from his perspective, fans quickly spotted a group of ARMY holding up Pokémon cards featuring the cartoon-style signature phrase “Catch me RM!” along with bright yellow Psyduck hats. It was the exact same type of hat RM had worn during the Stanford concert the night before.

Longtime fans already know that RM is famously a huge Pokémon enthusiast. When the Pokémon sticker bread craze swept across South кσяєα, RM’s father reportedly visited as many as ten different stores just to help his son complete the full Pokémon sticker collection.

That’s not all. Last year, during his visit to the Van Gogh Museum Pokémon Collaboration exhibition in the Netherlands, RM was also gifted a limited-edition Pokémon card released by the Dutch museum in 2023 after a fan coincidentally ran into him. He once even shared on Instagram a Pokémon online card he had collected through a game he was playing.

For that reason, it is hardly surprising that the Psyduck hats and “Catch me RM!” Pokémon cards instantly caught the attention of all the members during the second day’s soundcheck. Online fans could not help but laugh at the creativity of these pαѕѕionate fans, commenting:

- Oh they saw the psyduck hats and the pokemon signs. These moments are so cute, our babies

- Please! Hobi is so precious! And I love how he always runs to show Joonie what he just discovered - like a kid!!

- Note to self: if you want Bangtan to see you, bring Pokemon cards and hats lol

- Let me use a pokeball to catch BTS then. Such nerds ugh I love them

- The love language of "i saw this thing that reminded me of you and immediately had to show you"

- j-hope spotted the Psyduck hat like a sniper and immediately activated the entire BTS investigation team

- The way all seven men got distracted by one yellow Psyduck hat… this is peak BTS behavior

- ARMY said ‘Catch me RM!’ and somehow succeeded in catching ALL the members instead

- Imagine spending money on front-row seats only to realize the real VIP pαѕѕ was a Psyduck hat and a Pokémon card