Throughout the opening night time of the North American leg of “Hope on the Stage,” the primary solo tour from j-hope of BTS, there was just one second within the present that felt even barely lower than euphoric. Greeting the sold-out crowd at Barclay’s Middle in Brooklyn, the rapper and dancer famous that this tour was his return to the stage after his time within the army, which led to a quick murmur rolling by the viewers of 19,000 folks like a wave. After over a decade of coaching, high-profile performances, and honing his craft, the individual onstage at Barclay’s Middle forged a putting shadow; it’s not possible to think about j-hope wherever however the stage.
Again as much as over a decade in the past — earlier than army enlistment, earlier than “Dynamite,” earlier than BTS appeared on SNL or cracked the Billboard Scorching 100 or did any of the record-shattering they’ve finished as a staff — and the members of the septet weren’t simply combating for a spot on the worldwide stage; they have been combating for a spot within the Korean panorama, too. Collectively, RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook cast a path solely distinctive to a gaggle out of South Korea, and because the members have navigated overlapping solo chapters in recent times, j-hope has confirmed himself to be particularly fearless. He charted a brand new course and proudly represented BTS when he turned the primary Okay-pop artist to headline Lollapalooza in 2022.
With “Hope on the Stage,” as he and Jin wait for his or her 5 bandmates to reconvene, j-hope has as soon as once more taken up the mantle of representing the staff out on the worldwide stage — however one of many wonders of j-hope performing is that, regardless of how a lot effort went into making ready the efficiency, it hardly seems to be work for him in any respect. From the kickoff above a putting tent of pink cloth for “What if…” to the detailed choreography and immersive manufacturing that adopted by 26 subsequent tracks, j-hope hardly broke a sweat. He’s a joyful performer, and because the title of the tour suggests, he’s again the place he’s meant to be.
In response to particulars shared with press, “Hope on the Stage” is a present damaged into 5 chapters: Ambition, Dream, Expectation, Fantasy, and Want. The fiery first part pulled solely from his full-length solo LP Jack within the Field, applicable for the umbrella of “ambition.” The 2022 launch was a pointy pivot away from the rainbow hues that had largely outlined his solo id till that point, and the stay stagings of “Arson” and “MORE” right here in 2025 underscored a trait j-hope shares together with his bandmates, which is a refusal to remain stagnant.
The portion devoted to songs from the BTS discography fell underneath the heading of “expectation,” and there are a selection of how to interpret this, together with the truth that expectations are one thing BTS have persistently defied. It’s a theme woven into the lyrics of “MIC DROP,” which j-hope carried out with gusto to a crowd prepared to tear the roof off of Barclay’s: “One other trophy, my palms carry ’em/ Too many who I can’t even rely ’em,” he sang in unison with the viewers. Whereas the acquainted choreography of “Airplane pt.2,” raucousness of “Silver Spoon,” and bouncy thrill of favorites like “Dis-ease” have been clearly delighting the folks current, j-hope himself regarded simply as comfortable to have the songs within the highlight once more. He then thrilled the viewers by debuting an unreleased minimize, a sultry and upbeat observe titled “MONA LISA” that wouldn’t sound misplaced in Bruno Mars’ discography.
In his time within the public eye, j-hope has at all times been a assured performer. Because the dance chief of BTS, he’s famously detail-oriented and diligent, and his background in numerous types of avenue dancing melded with the synchronized efficiency methodology of Okay-pop, leading to a method as fluid and versatile as it’s entrancing. For “Hope on the Stage,” he was backed by a variety of equally versatile dancers who have been in a position to run the gamut of popping and breaking to the extra structured choreography required for tracks like “Ego.” The most effective productions choices was bringing alongside a stay band, who made “Silver Spoon” into an much more heart-pounding affair and amplified “Hope World” into an all-encompassing occasion.
BTS like to faux like they’re leaving the stage lengthy earlier than they intend to do something of the kind, and j-hope continued to the custom by giving a heartfelt goodbye in Korean by a translator forward of two encores. He then returned to wrap with equality anthem “= (Equal Signal)” and the optimistic “Future” earlier than leaving once more and at last stepping again to formally shut with “NEURON,” an ode to his early days in an underground dance crew.
The performer on the core of “Hope on the Stage” doesn’t appear to be somebody who needed to step away from his craft for a full yr and a half, nor does he appear like somebody who was discharged lower than six months earlier than hitting the street. There are nonetheless just a few months left earlier than BTS will reunite, and j-hope is benefiting from them by stepping again into a job he is aware of nicely: the contagiously optimistic all-rounder of an entertainer. Unfold the excellent news — Hope is again on the stage certainly.
“Hope on the Stage” Set Record:
What if…
Pandora’s Field
Arson
STOP
MORE
on the road (solo model)
lock / unlock
i don’t know
i’m wondering…
Trivia 起 : Simply Dance
Candy Desires
MONA LISA
1 VERSE
Base Line
HANGSANG
Airplane
Airplane pt.2
MIC DROP
Silver Spoon
Dis-Ease
Outro : Ego
Daydream
Hen Noodle Soup
Hope World
= (equal signal)
Future
NEURON
Get tickets to the remaining dates for “Hope on the Stage” right here.
