BTS Brings a Phone-Free Pop Performance to the Guggenheim Ahead of Jimmy Fallon Appearance
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s iconic rotunda is built for spectacle, but on Wednesday morning, March 25, it became something closer to a closed set. BTS staged a surprise, invitation-only performance inside the New York City landmark, transforming the museum’s soaring central space into a temporary arena for choreography and live vocals.
RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook performed two tracks from their new album, ARIRANG, released earlier this month. The set included “SWIM,” the project’s lead single, and “2.0.” About 150 fans were invited, and phones were not permitted, a rule that kept the event deliberately ephemeral and tightly controlled.
The group performed in the Guggenheim’s main lobby, using the museum’s multi-story spiral as a dramatic architectural frame. During “SWIM,” RM joined the choreography; for “2.0,” he sat on a stool as he continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained shortly before BTS’ March 21 comeback show in Seoul.
The museum performance was timed to coincide with BTS’ return to late-night television. As previously announced, the group is set to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday night for their first full-group late-night interview since reuniting. One of the Guggenheim performances will air during the episode, while the second is scheduled to be shown to viewers on Thursday, March 26.
The Guggenheim appearance is part of a broader New York City promotional run for ARIRANG, BTS’ first full-length album since 2020’s Be, which topped the Billboard 200. In the days leading up to the museum performance, the group also took part in an immersive Spotify fan event, answering questions from ARMY and performing for attendees.
By choosing a museum setting — and enforcing a no-phones policy — BTS and their team positioned the morning as more than a standard pop-up: a carefully staged encounter between contemporary celebrity and one of the city’s most recognizable cultural interiors. With one performance slated for broadcast and another held back for the following night, the Guggenheim set also underscores how live moments now move fluidly between physical space and televised afterlife.
