Emerson Unger

“This year is going to be a very important year for me. I am working on a variety of projects that I’m very excited to share,” j-hope announced on Weverse.  With these words, j-hope of 21st century K-pop supergroup, BTS, hinted at his first solo world tour, ‘HOPE ON THE STAGE.’  The first stop on the North American leg of the tour kicked off at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 13^th, 2025, with a second show on the 14^th due to popular demand.

Now this is not the first time that j-hope has held down a stage on his own. He delivered a groundbreaking performance as a solo artist in 2022 headlining the main stage at Chicago’s Lollapalooza. However, it has been 12 years since j-hope debuted with BTS and it’s clear that ‘HOPE ON THE STAGE’ aims to capture, not only j-hope’s talent and expertise as BTS’s main dancer, but his journey as a performer.   It is evident that j-hope had a creative vision for this tour. With colorful backgrounds that exude hope, to a live band that rocks out, and to an elevated stage that allows dancers to take front and center, clearly j-hope planned every stage to reflect his personal essence and touch. Nevertheless, ‘HOPE ON THE STAGE’ is not merely about j-hope, but what he hopes for all of us. The show seeks to embody hope as well as dreams and wishes taking shape on a stage. The show is broken into five sections: ‘Ambition,’ ‘Dream,’ ‘Expectation,’ ‘Fantasy,’ and ‘Wish’.

As a member of BTS, it would be fitting that j-hope would kick off the North American leg of his tour in Brooklyn, or at least New York City. It is the city that has given BTS so many first and set them apart for most K-pop acts. It is the city that saw BTS become the first Korean act to headline a stadium concert at Citi Field in New York with ‘LOVE YOURSELF’ world tour in 2018. New York was also the city that saw BTS address the UN general assembly as well as welcomed BTS onto iconic shows like Good Morning America, the Today Show and Saturday Night Live. New York was the city that even lit up its Empire State building in the iconic BTS purple.

With all that history, j-hope took to the Barclays stage. After a short video intro, the stage was bathed in red as j-hope emerged to perform his song, “What if…,” which was off his first solo album Jack In The Box . The whole set of songs, dubbed ‘Ambition,’ features tracks from his first solo album, Jack In The Box, which was released in 2022. This set of songs was grouped together to highlight j-hope’s passion to discover his unique identity by breaking boundaries and striving for growth as a solo artist. Clad in all red, j-hope rocked a leather jacket with a fluffy trim, a simple T-shirt with a belt, jean pants along with gloves and shades. Greeting his fans, j-hope stood upon a layer of boxes covered in fabric with a simple mic stand. For his next song, as the live band rocked on, the fabric was pulled back, and the boxes disappeared into the floor only to reappear as an elevated stage, which showed a spotlight on j-hope before flames erupted out of the floor and he delivered heart wrenching vocals for “Pandora’s Box.” For his title song, “Arson,” which saw those in attendance sing- along to the bad ass lyrics, j-hope rocked the crowd. Before taking a break to speak with the fans, j-hope preformed “Stop,” which saw him move around the edge of the stage to connect with fans. Then he took time to connect with ARMY. Hearing their cheers, he egged them on to cheer even more and then he acknowledged the crazy moment. He said, “I love this,” before calling out all the floors to hear them each cheer. #Adorable. Then he teased the audience with asking do you want to see “More?” As he jumped right into the song, “More.” As checkers covered the back of the stage, j-hope performed on an elevated box with his dancers marching around him as their boxes became elevated as well. The moment was truly transcendent.

Another video gave j-hope a chance to catch his breath and to change his outfit before he was back out on stage for his hit song, “On the Street.” Even though he was minus J. Cole j-hope rocked this set, which was dedicated to the concept of “dreams.” This set of songs also focused on his special album, HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1. It highlighted the theme of street dance, his musical roots and desire to send out the message of continuing to move forward together with his fans. J-hope returned to the stage with shimmering lights and the stage moving up and down to reveal him walking on an elevated virtual sidewalk with the Brooklyn Bridge projected behind him. He dawned a bucket hat with a Louis Vuitton oversize striped shirt with baggy jeans. He broke into his trademark street dance moves as the crowd shouted j-hope before this song signature whistle kicked in. The whole song seemed like a love letter to New York the city that gave BTS so much and was the birthplace for a lot of first for BTS. The 3-D effect was certainly amazing. After the song things got downright funky as dancers joined j-hope as purple filled the arena on stage for an all-out dance jam or dance battle with j-hope even cheering on the dancers. It was clearly a fun and funky time. For the next song, j-hope busted out a suitcase which turned out to be a boombox, which had a secret inside. As the audience delighted in the reveal, j-hope danced alongside a fellow dancer while performing his song, “lock / unlock.” The duo danced with a giant boombox projected behind them as j-hope delivered stellar live vocals without missing a beat or step. Next j-hope moved over to the corner of the stage, where there was a mic stand to perform his next song, “i don’t know.” As he performed, a female dancer, joined him on stage as beams of blue lasers, set the mood and tone for the stage. Then the two danced in unison as well showing off their fun funky moves. In between songs, j-hope asked, “are you ready for this?” Then he jumped right into his song, “i wonder…” The stage moved around effortlessly to morph into a series of steps which j-hope took a seat on to have an intimate moment with those in attendance as dancers moved around him. The arena was filled with purple and gold. The vibe of the song slowed everything down as if to “say hello old friend.”  When it seemed like the song was over, j-hope stopped to get the crowd to sing along with him. The arena sang the lyrics, “This love, right now, (It’s) all we got, all we need, we’re happy right now, (So) why don’t we ride this feelin’? Just dance right now, (But) don’t you stop lookin’ forward? Just enjoy it, this love, (We) can keep forever fallin.” After finishing the song together, it was clear everyone was touched. The moment was truly one shared with all who were there. J- Hope followed it up by telling everyone that he had worked really hard on the song before going into the military and that he “was so happy that he got to perform this song live” for us guys. Keeping the energy going, he broke into his hit song, “Just Dance.” He kicked off the performance saying, “you know what I mean ‘Just Dance’” and just like that the arena was flooded with purple and blue lasers, and the stage began to elevate itself magically into these beautiful elevated purple boxes. During the performance, he busted out his signature dance break for the song before being joined on stage by his fellow dancers. Towards the end of the song, the crowd screamed his name, which clearly got him hyped.  A cool 3-D tracing effect captured him on the big screen, giving the performance a transcendent feel before confetti and fireworks filled the arena.

After just dance, j-hope took a quick break from the stage as a video played before returning for his third set of songs dedicated to the theme of ‘Expectation.’ These set of songs represented his anticipation and excitement for the future as they kicked off with him singing his brand-new single with Miguel, “Sweet Dreams.”  As Miguel’s vocals filled the arena, j-hope emerged from the blue smoke surrounded by elevated boxes that created a set of stairs. He donned a gray hoodie with a simple gray sleeveless shirt underneath and with sparkly gray pants and chains around his neck. Keeping it casual, j-hope perform the song sitting down on the elevated stairs before being joined with his dancers.  After the heartfelt moment, j-hope turned it up as he got right into the big surprise of the night. He performed his new unrelease song, “Mona Lisa.” The love song, clearly expanded his musical spectrum as it seamlessly blended a groovy rhythm with a funky chord progression, creating an irresistibly refreshing sound in this hip-hop/R&B track. The track exudes a smooth, laid-back charm as it pays tribute to celebrating one’s unique beauty and one-of-a-kind charm, just like Leonardo da Vinci captured ‘Mona Lisa’ and her inner essence in oil. One of the cool parts of the performance was when the camera found a few audience members and turned them into real life oil paintings instantaneously.

UPDATE: The new track “MONA LISA” was released on March 21, 2025. The track seamlessly fuses both hip-hop and R&B elements. It also hooks listeners in with a catchy, but danceable groove and easy-listening melodies, which create a sound that feels timeless as well as fresh.  The song explores an infatuation towards a person whose beauty is one of a kind. To hear it for yourself check out the music video below:

After a sip of water and giving Miguel a shout out, he took time to chat with the crowd.  With a giggle, he shared how special it was to perform Mona Lisa in front of them. He explained it was him expressing his love for the fans. He even said, “you are my masterpiece,” pointing at the audience. He joked with them since you’ve heard my new song let’s take it back as he jumped right into “HANGSANG” (Base Line) from his first solo mixtape “Hope World.” Kicking off the performance, he jumped off stage and went straight into the crowd to mix with fans. For those lucky enough to be in the front row, it was truly a memorable moment. Then things got airborne. J- hope sang elevated high on a box to perform his next two songs, which were all about soaring high. He first preformed “Airplane” off of “Hope World.” For diehard Hobi fans the stage was so memorable, invoking feelings of nostalgia right down to the sunrise behind him straight out of the music video. The moment was special as his fans sang along with him as if they were one unified voice, sending positivity out into the world. Changing things up, j-hope got funky with BTS’s hit song, Airplane pt.2” from BTS’ Third Studio Album LOVE YOURSELF 轉 ‘Tear’. The crowd truly erupted with joy when he broke into the iconic dance moves for this song, as if to say, “don’t worry, babe I got you,” with a Hobi smile.

After a quick sip of water, he shouted out ARMY and BTS before diving into BTS’s history making song, “MIC DROP” from their fifth EP LOVE YOURSELF 承 ‘Her.’ The whole arena was shooketh when j-hope busted into his iconic, legendary dance moves at the top of the song. ARMY couldn’t help but do their part by contributing with the fan chant. As flames filled the stage and the fan chant was in full effect, j-hope dropped the Iconic bars. The moment was truly one to be reckoned with. It was like ARMY showed up for their sunbeam and he delivered. Then things when nuclear when the first beats of BTS’s “Silver Spoon” off their fourth EP ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2,’ filled the arena. It was a true gift to ARMY as BTS rarely performs that song stateside. Still bust’n those moves, j-hope made the moment his own with his dancers and a full drop split that would’ve even made James Brown proud. Next, things got colorful as TVs with color bar test patterns filled the stage’s large screens, for BTS’s “Dis-Ease” from BTS’ Special Album ‘BE.’ Standing on stage, suddenly j-hope was elevated standing on an enlarged TV. It was truly a cool effect. At the end of this song, he had a cute moment where he taught the audience some Korean. Even joking now, you speak Korean. Then he jumped right into the joyful can’t listen to without smiling solo song, “Outro: Ego” off BTS’s fourth studio album ‘MAP OF THE SOUL : 7.’  The stage was totally joyful seeing floating fish with confetti projected behind him on the big screen. It completely invoked moments and memories of BTS’s goofy and silly side. With the silly aqua vibes, fans delighted in chanting the song’s lyrics. The moment was truly unreal. With confetti flying, j-hope ran around the stage, which started to move up and down on its own. It really seemed like everyone was having such a good time especially the dancers on stage as firework shot off at the end of the song. Seizing the moment, Hobi encouraged those in attendance to give him a clap. As the purple bombs filled everywhere, people cheered him off the stage to give him a well-deserved moment to catch his breath.

For the next set of songs, j-hope would focus on the concept of ‘Fantasy,’ as it reflects the world j-hope envisions. When j-hope reemerged on stage, it was like he had woken up from a dream or should we say woken up in the bed from his song “Daydream,” which was the lead song of his first solo mixtape “Hope world.” The stage was like a daydream, capturing the memorable desert from the “Daydream” music video. The stage even captured the multiple silhouette versions of j-hope just like that in the music video before he finished the performance by hopping back in bed. He reemerged to the opening beats of “Chicken Noodle Soup,” which delighted those in the audience. The song was a big moment in j-hope’s discography as it was j-hope’s first solo Billboard Hot 100 entry. Back on stage, colorful cars lit up behind the dancers as the stage began to elevate. The arena was so alive that j-hope did not even have to sing this song if he didn’t want to as those in attendance were chanting it, but he still delivered a good time enlisted their help in singing Becky G’s part in the song and killing the viral dance moves as flame shot out from the stage. Red filled the stage, as j-hope took a second for a sip of water and chatted with fans. “Seriously, ARMY is the best” he professed. Then he asked, “can I speak Korean?” To which then he spoke from the heart, “This is my first city on my American tour. I never imagined having a solo tour, but I am now here doing it. Honestly, this is the beginning, and I have so much to show you. You are here on this meaningful day, and you are the center of attention. Honestly, I was very nervous today because there is a new song first of all, I prepared it for a long time, and it is the first time showing it to all of you with the performance. This is the first time since “Chicken Noodle Soup.” I hope you guys love “Mona Lisa” [and] of course, “Sweet Dreams” also.  I’m really touched by you all and I really think the energy I have received from you means that I can start this tour…Brooklyn you are the best! Thank you for everything!”  j-hope confessed as the crowd cheered. He wrapped up the moment by tapping into his iconic saying, “I’m your hope! You’re my hope! Guys you ready? I’m J—– “Hope!”  Thank you, Brooklyn!”

With a roaring guitar and fireworks, j-hope yelled, “Welcome to my Hope World!” and got right into “Hope World” from his first solo mixtape ‘Hope World.’ With confetti flying the party mode was in full effect, right down to the group clap. Then he took time to share the moment by introducing the band. As fireworks erupted and with a big wave, j-hope said, “I’m your hope” as the stage engulfed him and the arena went dark. But instead of the show being over, fans got a moment to shine. Sifting through the audience, the camera would find those who had unwavering support and love for j-hope and would highlight them on the stage’s big screens. Fans who were dressed up as j-hope or wanted to give him shout outs, or just had interesting posters, found themselves on the digital stage.  Some of the fun signs said, “Dudes for Hobi,” “Thirsty for Hobi water,” “Canada loves j-hope,” “hot girls skip classes to go to a j-hope concert,” and  “best birthday gift ever!”

For the encore stage, j-hope highlighted the concept of ‘Wish.’ The encore set embodied his hope for a brighter, uplifting future for everyone as it hoped to inspire and create hope in our reality.  Taking the stage again for the final turn, j-hope reemerged holding a tiny red lighted box wearing the Brooklyn 25 Hope tour shirt, with a flannel shirt, baggy jeans, and sneakers. Once on stage he teased, saying, “surprise it’s j-hope.” Then he showed the audience what the box was and explained “it was very precious… but said there’s something we have to do first,” climbing down into the audience before just jumping right into this song, “= (equal sign).” For the song, he was joined on stage by his dancers. It was like j-hope was sending all the love he could out to ARMY with his heart touching vocals. Wishing everyone the brightest future of all, he sang, “Future.” Moving around the stage, it was like he was trying to serenade each ARMY individually before finishing this song on an elevated box inviting the audience to join him in a wave. At the end the box fell into the floor as he waved goodbye, only to reemerge, saying “Surprise!” For the grand finale, j-hope sang, “NEURON (with Gaeko, yoonmirae),” which saw him shout out his dancers before saying thank you and good night. He finished the song, by encouraging those in the audience to sing with him the last few lyrics of the song as they were projected on stage. J-hope sang with ARMY, “I’ll tell you again. We’ll never ever give up, forever. I’ll say it again. We’ll always be alive to move us,” before taking a final bow and saying, “thank you.”

Clearly, this first night of ‘HOPE ON THE STAGE’ showcased j-hope’s growth as an artist and as a performer. The show delivered a visually and sonically immersive experience with its spectacular production that saw the stage move effortlessly around the performers as if they were one. The accompanying live band also gave the performance an authenticity and richness. Furthermore, the show flowed so much that there was no opportunity, no downtime, to even go to the bathroom. From start to finish the show was a wonderful music ride, taking us through j-hope’s world, and growth as a true artist.