The real JHope has arrived...and he is powerful and sparkly

I went to Hobi's Hope on the Stage concert, D2 in Chicago, and it has opened my eyes to who he really is now: confident, wild and free.

CHICAGO - This isn’t my first BTS rodeo.

I have been part of 2021’s PTD:LA (D2), Yoongi’s 2023 DDay in Chicago (D2), and enough online viewings (both Weverse legal and ahem, through microwave-quality means which we shall not discuss out loud in case the Big Hit interns are reading BorahaeBTS.)

I knew seeing Hobi in 2025 would mean immaculate production values, smoke, lasers, dance dance dance, some singing, some rapping, a ton of Louis Vuitton, and the retired Special Warrior Sgt.’s hips working hard. I had already seen the production in its opening days in Seoul on the live-stream, so I already knew what was up. Cool stage, pretty damned perfect set-list, and a live band (Yoongi’s crew in Seoul, no less.)

What I was not prepared for was this version of Hobi, the grown-ass, pec’d out man who is firmly in control and not afraid to show it. You could FEEL his joy and confidence, even where I was in level 200. I was thrilled to see him be the authentic (from what I know at a distance anyways) person he is - not the over the top giggly person I think he was at times forced into as a character within BTS. No aeygo, No acting like a kid. He is himself, a cheerful guy who also faces dark emotions too.

There was no hiding on the stage, as he is the main event. He commanded it from the start, from the impressive grid of 12 cubes that moved independently as served as video screens, mood, levels, etc. It was like the next level of Yoongi’s take-apart-the-stage grid.

If Yoongi was doing DDay to strip himself of his pain and anger to get back to being himself (and less Suga and Agust D), Hobi was taking the different elements of his artistic soul (rap, sing, dance, fashion, performance) and gathering them up into a whole by the end of the show.

He looked good, sounded good, danced like he has no bones or exhaustion, wearing the bling and the dangerous fitted tank tops. He felt so at home on the stage, and we, ARMY, felt so at home with him. It was like the reunion we all needed, knowing this is a mere preview to the emotional overload we are going to have in June when all the guys are sprung loose.

I’ve always appreciated Hobi’s attention to detail, planning, and thoughtfulness. I think I have RM’s brain for words, Hobi’s need to plan, and Yoongi’s tsundere vibe. (Guilty. Rapline stan. But OT7. No solo shit tolerated here.)

This was like his master’s thesis of everything he has learned since going pro in the entertainment biz as a teen. He knows what he wants, he knows how to deliver it, and he now sees we are with him for the ride. I’ve found his recent interviews and show appearances fascinating, as he really was nervous we would not be with him for solo stuff. I am sure that is a logical fear, but obviously, unfounded. Not only are we here, but we are rapping/singing his lyrics so loudly that somebody aptly said it is like jhope is attending an ARMY concert.

He is getting sassier as he goes, as evidenced by Mona Lisa. I loved that song and the choreo since the first time he performed it in Brooklyn. It is better live. In all ways. The studio/mastered version is good, but Hobi’s doesn’t need that much autotune. The raw, live and in your face everything is…something. Something really good. (And yes, I will admit, I have eternally reworked the lyrics to be “Your ass is callin’….I don’t accept “Your ex is callin’”….)

The best interview I have ever seen with Hobi just dropped, with veteran entertainer Jung Jae Hyung. As a professional journalist and a college professor in journalism, I judge interviews with BTS differently than most ARMY. I think Jimmy Fallon’s show is useless for the interviews. He sucks as an interviewer, check out the difference between him, Stephen Colbert, or David Letterman, and is more of like a fawning giggle-fest. I’m not as in love with Zach Sang’s stuff either, but it is closer to being an OK interview. I want real questions where the guys can have the space to think, speak and say what they want. They are all immensely media trained, and I know how every word gets jumped on by everybody. (Aside: I nearly got my interview with BTS in 2020-21, as I was working for Facebook, BTS had just signed a deal with them, and we were trying to work things on the inside to get them for the other newsletter I write Open Court. Sadly, it didn’t work out. But damn it I tried, and y’ll I know any interview I’d do with them would be epic, real and good. Call me!)

This interview was shot right before Valentine’s Day, at Jae’s nice house, and they are having dinner. The dude, who spent time studying in France, can cook some seriously delish-looking classic French food, complete with 2 bottles of fancy champagne. They were just talking about life. Hobi is kind, introspective, polite, honest, and feels so so grounded in his self. Jae is the same, and has the experience/position to gently tease and question Hobi. Perfect.

Being a celebrity is not a normal path. Hobi admits how things can be weird when the whole world knows who he is and is going crazy. His discussion of being in the Army, and having to take communal showers…knowing everybody would be looking at him because he is a celebrity, kind of freaked him out at first. But he decided to be brave, take a page out of Jin’s book and make a joke out of “You get to take a shower with a celebrity”…drop his towel and go in, putting everybody - including himself - at ease.

He’s clearly decided to embrace being himself, in all ways, and that will be more than enough. I find it interesting how he has mentioned a few times that he is not the best singer or rapper. Which is odd. He may not have the same other-worldly skills as JK, but he is still clearly part of the vocal line. He may not have as many years in the rap and production game as RM and Suga, but he clearly goes toe-to-toe with them. Jimin is formally trained in contemporary dance, but Hobi has his own deep training in hip-hop dance.

He is with them in every way, but in different ways. I love how he knows himself, and is not afraid to say what and who he is. That comes with experience, having good people around you to build confidence, and knowing you are valued for what you do.

This is BTS’ super power with each other, and it’s now manifested in Hobi pulling off Lollapalooza Chicago in 2022, and now this sold out burner of a world tour in 2025. His swag is earned, and you can feel it.

I have the feeling he is enjoying life now. He is done with the military. He has made peace with who he is as a person, fame, and what he wants for his career. He knows what makes him happy, and that performing is his superpower.

Hobi, and hopefully the rest of the guys, have made it through the dark tunnel that was the crush of fame around 2017-18, realizing they were getting so big, and then COVID in 2020, and then facing down their creative stifling in 2022 by taking a collective break to do solo projects and transition into their military stints. They’re survivors who are thriving in an industry that can destroy.

Jin is thriving. Hobi is thriving. We have five more to see emerge and find their ways back to us.

Getting to share a few hours together, with the friends make for a night standing in pre-show line and then in your row, is the communal magic we all seek. Hobi wants it too, and I think he is letting his brothers know the world is ready and waiting for whatever comes next.

It’s nice to see the good guys winning.