Kicking off his solo tour, J-Hope of BTS makes a return with a spectacular opening night in KSPO Dome in Seoul, one of the many stops for his “Hope On The Stage” tour. This tour will include a mix of both his solo tracks as well as some fan-favorite BTS songs.
With the concert in Seoul drawing 35,500 fans across the three nights, he is set to travel to 15 cities worldwide, including Chicago, New York, Mexico City, Manila, Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei, Bangkok and other venues in Japan.
The setlist includes hits from his mixtape “Hope World” such as “Daydream” and “Airplane” as well as newer tracks from his more recent album release “Jack in the Box” such as “Arson” and “More”. Not only will he perform solos, but also will reach into BTS’s catalog, performing “Airplane pt.2” from their 5th EP “Love Yourself: Tear” and “Mic Drop” from “Love Yourself: Her”.
Taking to the stage on March 17th and 18th for the Chicago leg of the tour, J-Hope showcased every side of him at Allstate Arena with his melodic singing, fast rapping, and energetic, precise dancing.
The concert kicked off with a striking tent of red fabric to introduce the first track song “What if”. For his “Hope on the Stage,” he was backed by several dancers who were able to encapsulate the same energy of popping and breaking that he is so synonymous with, as well as more structured choreographies for tracks like “Ego”.
Numerous flashing lights, fireworks, pyrotechnics, stage decorations, and confetti, made the show not just a concert, but a performance. Despite there not being many stage props to elevate the performances, J-Hope was able to capture his audience with his stage presence alone, highlighting not only his passion for music but also for performing and being on stage.
During the concert he performed his unreleased song “Mona-Lisa” which took the crowd by storm. Despite the song not being released fans at Allstate Arena sang along, dedicatedly knowing the lyrics in order to sing along to the funky r&b inspired song.
BTS is known for pretending to leave the stage before they intend to, and J-Hope has continued that tradition by giving his fans a goodbye speech in Korean through a translator before the two encores. He then would return to wrap up the show with the tracks “Equal Sign” and “Future”. He would officially close with his song “Neuron”, a song that serves as an ode to his early days as an underground dancer, leaving fans with anticipation for his possible return once all 7 members of BTS are reunited this summer.
