After years of pressure and anxiety, BTS is finally at ease

May 18-As the opening bars of "Body to Body" reverberated through Stanford Stadium on Sunday night, the members of BTS were in a dogpile in the middle of the stage.

RM, the group's leader, was stuck on the ground as V rolled on top of him like a toddler and Jung Kook joyfully feigned performing CPR. With seconds to go until he needed to start rapping, RM kicked out from under the giggling saboteurs with a "F-k off!" into the mic.

After years of uncertainty, pressure and anxiety, it was clear that BTS, now on the biggest tour of their career, are finally at ease.

It's been eight years since BTS performed as a full group in the Bay Area. In that time, everything has changed. That was before "Dynamite," the English language song that turned them into international superstars, before "Butter" got over a billion views on YouTube, before a global pandemic, before the military enlistments that put the group on hiatus from late 2022 until their comeback this year.

Eighteen months of military service is mandatory for all men in South Korea. Most serve while in their early 20s, but some celebrities can defer for a time. Jin, the oldest member of BTS, was 30 when he began his enlistment.

There is no good time for a Korean musician to enlist. The peak age for K-pop idols, the term for performers in teams like BTS, tends to be very young. Many are teens when they debut; Jung Kook was just 15. If they're lucky enough to break through, they're hitting their apex in their early to mid-20s. Defer enlistment until their late 20s, as most do, and their group must go on hiatus at a critical juncture. By the time they return, they're in their 30s and aging out of "idol" status. In the years it takes all members to be discharged, reunite and release a new album, odds are high they've been replaced by shiny young groups.

But since BTS' new album dropped in March, there's no question the kings are back. (Or, as RM sneeringly raps to their competitors in their song "2.0," "Had your little fun, fella? Came back for what's mine.") The demand to see them on tour is fierce, but with Levi's Stadium unavailable due to World Cup preparations, the much smaller 50,000-seat Stanford Stadium was the only viable venue big enough in the Bay Area.

The venue had its peculiarities. Because of Stanford's strict noise ordinance - amplified sound must be curtailed by 10 p.m. - BTS began their show at 7 p.m. On Saturday night, RM admitted it was a little "embarrassing" to be so exposed in broad daylight. But by Sunday, the group seemed to have found the silver lining: Multiple members remarked on how special it was to be able to clearly see their fans' faces.

Those fans were treated to one of the best shows of their lives. Although the show focused primarily on the group's new album "Arirang," they interspersed favorites from their enormous catalog of hits: "Mic Drop," "Run BTS," "Idol." At times, fans stomped so hard on the metal stands that the members gently motioned for them to quiet down. During the encore, screams shook the stadium as they performed "Blood Sweat & Tears," the sensual 2016 ode to toxic love, and "Dope," an anti-establishment tirade against the pressures of modern society that seemed particularly pointed in a place like Stanford.

Life as an idol is incredibly rigid. Their record labels don't allow them to have public relationships, they aren't supposed to get tattoos - if they do, they're usually forced to hide them - and they must be polite, perfect and physically flawless at all times. BTS' unprecedented level of success has allowed them to shirk some of those rules, and now, more than ever, they seem authentically themselves.

"Before, we were way too competitive, I guess," rapper Suga said in a recent Rolling Stone interview. "... In the rush to achieve our goals, we didn't care so much about our physical and emotional health. But now we can relax a little, especially since we're all older."

Throughout Sunday night, they laughed, joked and swore. Jimin and Jung Kook did flips during "Dynamite" that Jung Kook later admitted might have tweaked his back. V lovingly called the crowd "f-king good," while j-hope said they heard about Stanford's sound ordinance and said, "Hell no." Suga, in his closing remarks, proclaimed that Stanford was "the best," some of which may have had to do with the fact the members have been relaxing in the bay all week, shopping at the mall and going to Great America, without being bothered.

As RM took in the night, he at times seemed contemplative. "Honestly," he said late in the show, "I just hope you had a great time, because time flies, life is too short."

The past few years have been filled with anxiety for BTS. The group went on hiatus at the height of their fame, having achieved every imaginable accolade for a K-pop act. They worried, often publicly, about whether fans would wait for them.

Looking out onto the sold-out crowd of 50,000 at Stanford Stadium on Sunday night, confetti swirling in the gusting wind, it was clear their worries were unfounded. Everyone waited.

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