The J-Hoooope groove is back, and he's clearly leveled up.

SPOILER ALERT: If you don't want to read/see anything about J-Hope on the Stage or other Hobi things, avert your eyes.

LAST SPOILER ALERT….

Hobi, j-hope, Jay, Jack in the Box, Hoba, Special Warrior Sgt. Jung Hoseok, ladies and gentlemen, is back in the house big time. I am back into the Bangtan groove, getting up at zero dark thirty to fire up Weverse to watch the other side of the world go live.

My Eastern time zone equated to 5 am call time Friday to see Day 1 of Hope on the Stage, and my bleary brain perked up quicky when I saw what Hoba was up to.

The staging? Amazing. His costuming, very Hobi. (I think he was dressed too hot for the room, and wouldn’t be surprised to see that opening outfit with the fur going away because he looked a bit uncomfortable.) I personally was down with the white tank top, smudged jacket, 5 diamond necklaces, and the black sparkly pants combo. I was praying for him to go full Jimin and let a shoulder/bicep escape containment, but alas.

Hobi was looking…well…holy hell…the made-by-Army body was banging for ARMY. He looked so good. He looked so alive and confident, doing what he loved, being who he is meant to be, and just being in the moment. He has been clearly planning this for a while, and I think informed by his 2022 Lollapalooza Chicago triumph. Having Yoongi’s band backing him made it all the better. Live live live live live. We got Baepsae, 1Verse, and a full Bangtan run along with the Hobi archive. (My jams are Future, Ego, and Hope World).

I think he will be even sharper and funkier as the shows keep running and he matures within the concept space. We saw that with Yoongi, as he settled into the groove of performing solo and learning how the crowd reacts to the elements of the show.

I am really looking forward to seeing the growth by the time I get to see him in Chicago, day 2, and I am so ready for geek out. I am not a pure Hobi bias, but stan him hard as an OT7 and premier talent as a dancer, singer, and rapper. (I am Jin/Suga bias, with a side of RM as my wrecker, but seriously, I am down for all of them musically, and Hobi kills it.)

I have prepared some goodies, and look forward to meeting other ARMY. I made bracelets, added some Snoopy Hershey’s kisses, and a Hobi-core sticker. I’ve love the tradition of community at BTS concerts, and we’ve all taken it to the solo outings. Total purple love.

What impressed you about Hobi day one?