“It’s been so long since we’ve performed,” BTS’ J-hope muses as he strolls across the stage at Seoul’s KSPO Dome. He pauses, turning to the crowd for help remembering when the K-pop juggernauts’ last concert was and, with their help, settles on his answer: two-and-a-half years ago in Busan.
Since then, the seven-piece have been focused on a mix of solo work and fulfilling their mandatory military service. The rapper completed his enlistment period last October and, now, is ready to begin his next chapter – and give fans a taste of what to expect when all seven members are back in civilian life.
The answer is something absolutely massive. BTS have never been ones to do things by halves and the same is the case here, at the last of a three-night run in Seoul. J-hope has been keenly involved in the production for his ‘Hope On The Stage’ debut solo tour and it courses with creativity throughout.
Tonight’s set is split into five, each section with its own mood and theme. ‘Ambition’ contains the darker tracks from his debut solo album ‘Jack In The Box’, capturing his drive and determination to grow. Fittingly, some of the most ambitious visuals crop up here, from the red-draped stage of ‘What If…’ lifting and falling as J-hope rises out of it like a sci-fi explorer claiming new land to ‘More’, where black-clad dancers patrol a never-ending loop of black-and-white tiled blocks, like a negative of Squid Game’s red guards or an M.C. Escher illusion in motion.
‘Dream’ highlights the dance-focused songs from ‘Hope On The Street’ and, here, J-hope pays homage to the art form. He gives his backing dancers their moments in the spotlight while taking advantage of instrumental breaks or collaborator verses to show off his own fluid moves. ‘Fantasy’ dives into his imagination, literally with the bedroom-based ‘Daydream’ or the cartoon utopia of ‘Hope World’. ‘Wish’, meanwhile, brings things to a close with a trio of songs that represent the future the star hopes for – one where equality (‘= (Equal Sign)’) and hope (‘Future’) reign supreme.
In the middle of all this comes ‘Expectations’ – a glimpse at the anticipations a younger J-hope once had and of what to expect from him next. Before a medley of his early solo tracks and BTS cuts, he previews his upcoming new single, ‘Sweet Dreams’ (feat. Miguel) – a soft focus, romantic piece of R&B that feels unlike anything we’ve heard from his solo pursuits thus far. “I thought about what kind of music I should do after I was discharged from the military,” he shares, still sitting among the dry ice clouds that make the performance look like it’s being beamed in from heaven. “I felt that the feeling of love is simple, but the world these days lacks such feelings.”
Lacking love isn’t something you could accuse J-hope of. Throughout tonight’s performance, he radiates passion and joy, whether delivering gruff rap verses in ‘Base Line’ or letting his body become one with the music as he dances along to an extended intro of ‘On The Street’. It’s clear he’s missed the stage, and here is where J-hope shines the brightest – something he’s made obvious with BTS but is now reinforcing by himself with a set that highlights his multi-faceted talents and allows him to burn more powerfully than ever. Long may he continue.
J-hope played:
‘What If…’
‘Pandora’s Box’
‘Arson’
‘Stop’
‘More’
‘On The Street’
‘Lock/Unlock’
‘I Don’t Know’
‘I Wonder…’
‘Trivia: Just Dance’
‘Sweet Dreams’
‘1 Verse’
‘Base Line’
‘Hangsang’
‘Airplane’
‘Airplane Pt. 2’
‘Mic Drop’
‘Silver Spoon’
‘Dis-ease’
‘Outro: Ego’
‘Daydream’
‘Chicken Noodle Soup’
‘Hope World’
‘= (Equal Sign)’
‘Future’
‘Neuron’