Worth the wait: j-hope of BTS brings solo tour to Manila

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April 15, 2025 | 12:00am

“It’s been a long time,” said j-hope, dance leader of South Korean supergroup BTS, as he addressed the crowd at the first of his two sold-out concerts in Manila.

It’s been eight years since any member of the band has performed in the Philippines, so j-hope’s solo concert “Hope on the Stage” marked the group’s (or at least one out of the seven members’) much-anticipated return to the country.

The “Hope on the Stage” tour is a triumphant comeback for j-hope, who finished his mandatory enlistment in the Korean military in October last year. Mere months later, he kicked off his solo tour with three sold-out shows in Seoul before taking the production to multiple stops in the United States and Mexico.

Over the weekend, he brought the show to Manila, showcasing a performance that Filipino ARMYs — BTS’s fandom name — say was definitely worth the nearly decade-long wait.

Promoted by Live Nation Philippines and held at the Mall of Asia Arena (MOA) in Manila on April 12 and 13, “Hope on the Stage” is j-hope’s masterpiece, an exceptional display of his talents as a dancer, rapper, singer and showman.

Before getting to the music, the stage itself was such an elaborate and unique component of the show that added incredible visuals to the show’s storytelling. Composed of a set of cube-shaped lifts, the stage design could shift to fit the mood of any song.

At one point, the cubes were all lifted, creating a giant box. For another track, three cubes in a row were lifted to serve as a horizontal platform for a dance battle between j-hope and one of his dancers. At other times, cubes along one column were lifted to simulate a street or runway. The design truly set the stage for the show’s incredible setlist.

“Hope on the Stage” combined concepts and songs from j-hope’s three studio albums: “Hope World,” his first mixtape that was released in 2018; “Jack in the Box,” the first album released during BTS’ so-called “solo era” or group hiatus during which the members pursued individual projects; and “Hope on the Street,” an homage to his roots as a street dancer in his hometown of Gwangju.

The setlist included some of the artist’s biggest hits, including rock-heavy tracks More and Arson, and hip-hop songs like on the street (featuring J. Cole) and Chicken Noodle Soup (featuring Becky G), among other tunes from his solo projects.

In a nod to his early days as a songwriter, j-hope also gave a live performance of 1 Verse, the first self-written solo song he ever released, way back in December 2015.

Fan favorites from BTS’ group catalogue — Mic Drop, Silver Spoon, Airplane pt. 2 and Dis-ease — rounded off the concert track list.

Recent tracks Sweet Dreams (featuring Miguel) and Mona Lisa were released throughout the tour and j-hope has been teasing that he would soon drop another single.

Filipino ARMYs had high expectations that this would be premiered at the first Manila show, which kicked off the tour’s Southeast Asian leg. But these hopes remained only wishful thinking, so fans both here in the Philippines and worldwide will just have to continue waiting for a new surprise performance.

Whatever new music is coming will add to the current setlist, which currently stands at a whopping 27 tracks, most of which have accompanying choreography. The tour truly is a testament to not only j-hope’s talent, but also his boundless energy, stamina and charisma.

Filipino ARMYs were delighted by the Korean star’s efforts to speak Tagalog, from hype-up phrases like “Tara!” (Let’s go!) and “Astig kayo!” (You’re hardcore!) to “Babalik ako” (I’ll come back), which perhaps drew the loudest cheers of all.

One of the highlights of the first night was j-hope’s reaction to fans chanting “Walang uuwi!” (No one’s going home!). Once he got the meaning of the words, he sat down on the stage and announced in Korean that he would stay right there.

And why wouldn’t he? The ARMY crowd matched his energy, delivering vocals that Filipino audiences are known for, in addition to organizing projects — including a fan zone outside the venue — to make the Manila shows memorable for both artists and fans.

“Hope on the Stage” seamlessly blended together the different facets of j-hope as musician, dancer and entertainer, and j-hope as both a solo artist and BTS member. As BTS is set to reunite in June with the discharge of the remaining members who are still fulfilling their military and social service, j-hope’s solo tour felt like a victory lap to wrap up this chapter of the band’s storied career.

Just as he eased fans into the solo era with his headline act at the 2022 Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, he’s now drumming up the energy for the group’s return while also reminding everyone that even as individual artists, no one does it like BTS.

For the Filipino ARMY, j-hope putting Manila back on the tour map represented the fulfillment of a promise the band made during their last Philippine show in May 2017. They said then that they would definitely come back to Manila. With “Hope on the Stage,” j-hope made good on that promise.

In his parting message, he said, “I’ll definitely come back.”

Until that day comes, Filipino ARMYs will just keep singing a line from the chorus of the last song of the show, Neuron: “I’ll tell you again, we’ll never ever give up forever.”