I haven’t seen a BTS member live in concert since I saw SUGA at Oakland Arena on May 17, 2023. But now, I can say that IT’S BEEN ONLY ONE DAY SINCE I LAST SAW A BTS MEMBER LIVE IN CONCERT BECAUSE I SAW J-HOPE TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW.
Is that a tad overdramatic? Sure. But also? Not at all. NOT ONE FUCKING BIT.
Also, I can keep saying some variation of this until April 6, because ya girl’s going to Los Angeles to see him at BMO Stadium. After that, you’ll get a proper, professional review in Mochi Magazine. But until then? UNHINGED STANNING ONLY.
Preparing for a BTS concert
Ok, yes, technically, it’s a j-hope concert, but as even he has said in the past, he is BTS.
Anyhow, I don’t know about you, but in the days leading up to a concert, I always get lowkey anxious. Perhaps it’s the ADHD waiting mode, but I am always terrified I’m going to miss a train, remember the times wrong, or somehow fuck up the concert attending process.
The more important the concert to me, the more I suffer from this paralysis and I obsessively go over timelines and contingency plans. And since I had soundcheck, you bet your bottom dollar I was NOT screwing the pooch on this one!
So, yeah. This is what I do to prepare:
- Set multiple alarms to leave (and account for rain)
- Arrange and confirm (multiple times) plans with friends
- Arrange and confirm (multiple times) childcare
- Wear comfy and weather appropriate clothes and shoes
- Eat right before I leave or while driving there
- Pee a lot
- MAYBE ALSO HAVE THE NERVOUS POOPS
- Be unable to can the entire day until I leave and not calm down until my ass is in my seat and the concert has started
Here is what I pack to alleviate some of my anxiety:
- Extra masks
- Extra battery pack and cable
- PHONE DO NOT FORGET PHONE
- Earphones
- Protein bars and water (for before entering the venue)
- WALLET DO NOT FORGET WALLET
That’s it because honestly, that’s a lot for me already. I do not dress up. I do not put on cool makeup. I do not pass out freebies. I just show up at the latest time I can while still leaving a reasonable window for fuckups so I can go in, see my faves, then bounce.
What was soundcheck like for j-hope?
While we could start checking in for soundcheck at 1:30 p.m., I have five children and that was not going to happen. Even if I didn’t have five tiny humans, I can’t think of anything worse than hanging out around Oakland Arena 6.5 hours before showtime.
Both days, I aimed for arriving at Oakland around 4 p.m., checked in, entered the venue, got our VIP swag, tried for merch, and then lined up for soundcheck. Thank goodness soundcheck is all assigned seating so I did not have to get to the venue early like I had to for Yoongi and fight for a spot.
Everything at Oakland was so well-run and smooth. From check-in to the end of the night, it was a well-oiled machine.
Friends, I cannot overemphasize how fucking close I was on both days—and both days, they had us move up to fill in the empty spots near the front. I don’t know how there were empty spots (I presume they were resales) but I’m so glad.
On the second day, my friend Carmie and I got moved to the second row center. SECOND ROW CENTER. I nearly started to cry and even after soundcheck, I was shaking!! He was so close!!!
I didn’t get to touch him, but HE WAS SO CLOSE!! HE IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!
Also ALSO I WAS IN HOBI’S IG STORY BOTH NIGHTS!!
Here are all my fancams from Hope on the Stage Day 1 at Oakland (March 31) including the soundcheck.
In case it’s not obvious from the videos, this is not the “real” soundcheck. You can hear j-hope do the real soundcheck just before, and when we finally get there, it’s like a mini-concert just for us. And this is no diss on Yoongi, but Hobi is a fan service king and he interacted with us, ran around, and even touched some folks at barricade!
Truly, my brain could not comprehend how close I was. He’s like a real person!!
My favorite parts of the concert
I want to say all of it, but that’s not entirely accurate.
One of the best parts about BTS concerts is meeting up with ARMY moots and friends in the fandom! I got to be the seatmate for someone’s first BTS concert ever, I met up with folks from the Kpopcast podcast, and of course, went with my concert bestie Carmie.
What I loved most was seeing Hobi in his element and go back to his roots of dancing.
What a joy and privilege it is to watch that man move.
I can’t explain it more than that. Sure, he’s technically brilliant and a performance powerhouse, but some of my favorite moments are just him vibing. I have such awkward body control that I’m always in awe when I see people like Hobi and Jimin, who have such exact control over their physicality without seeming stiff or robotic.
He’s so playful while interacting with the audience, teasing us when we’re sad about it being the fake-out last song, and then teasing us again with “SURPRISE!” when he returns for the encore. He’s so sweet with the fans, and the contrast with his effortlessly smooth, slinky, and sexy stage presence is just asdfjkl;adsfkljadsfkl;jadsfkljadsfk.
Plus, Hobi really does beam sunshine. He’s so stunningly physical, like, his body is just wow. But more so is his energy. The positivity and joy radiates from his face, and my heart just melts. He invites us into his celebration—and the whole arena explodes in response.
I’m SO happy I went, and now I’m SO sad because there are only two stops left (and though I’m going, then I will have to be sad not to see him anymore).
What I wish could have been better
Honestly, short of having pre-paid merch pick up—which would make life so much better—and them not having the cardigan I wanted and forgot to buy during pre-sale and all the acorns and chipmunks being sold out immediately, I don’t really have any notes that are not merch-related.
Like who am I to tell Dance Leader Hoseok what could be improved with his set? He was cute. He was hot. He was funny. HE WAS SO 90s BOYFRIEND in his glasses, baggy jeans, and flannel at the end of Day 2!!!
I don’t think I will ever recover. I have been changed on a molecular level.
I cannot fucking wait for BTS OT7 concerts in 2026! Here’s to hoping they are making enough stops so that I don’t have unreasonable competition for seats, but if Hobi’s concert is any indication, they’ll only make more fans from now until tour sales and the scramble for tickets will be just as stressful as they have ever been.
Overall, I loved Hobi, his intense charisma and performance, the emphasis on dance, and prioritizing fan interactions. The show was meticulously run, the set flow perfect, and I just want to see him again and again.
Here are all my fancams from Hope on the Stage Day 2 at Oakland (April 1) including the soundcheck.
Setlist at Oakland Arena
VCR 1
- What if…
- Pandora’s Box
- Arson
- STOP
OPENING MENTS
- MORE
VCR 2
- on the street (solo version)
- lock/unlock (with benny blanco & Nile Rodgers)
- i don’t know (with HUH YUNJIN of LE SERRAFIM)
- i wonder…(with Jung Kook of BTS)
TALKING
- Trivia 起: Just Dance (BTS song)
VCR 3
- Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel)
- Mona Lisa
- 1 Verse
- Base Line
- 항상 (HANGSANG)
- Airplane
- Airplane pt.2 (BTS song)
- MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) (BTS song)
- Silver Spoon (BTS song)
- Dis-ease (BTS song)
- Outro : Ego (BTS song)
- Daydream (백일몽)
- Chicken Noodle Soup (feat. Becky G)
ENDING MENTS
- Hope World
ARMY TIME
VCR 4
ENCORE
- = (Equal Sign)
- Future
- NEURON (with Gaeko & YOON MIRAE)
Hope on the Stage Tour Dates
- Fri Feb 28 — Seoul, Republic of Korea — KSPO Dome
- Sat Mar 1 — Seoul, Republic of Korea — KSPO Dome
- Sun Mar 2 — Seoul, Republic of Korea — KSPO Dome
- Thu Mar 13 — Brooklyn, N.Y. — Barclays Center
- Fri Mar 14 — Brooklyn, N.Y. — Barclays Center
- Mon Mar 17 — Chicago, Ill. — Allstate Arena
- Tue Mar 18 — Chicago, Ill. — Allstate Arena
- Sat Mar 22 — Mexico City, Mexico — Palacio de los Deportes
- Sun Mar 23 — Mexico City, Mexico — Palacio de los Deportes
- Wed Mar 26 — San Antonio, Texas — Frost Bank Center
- Thu Mar 27 — San Antonio, Texas — Frost Bank Center
- Mon Mar 31 — Oakland, Calif. — Oakland Arena
- Tue Apr 01 — Oakland, Calif. — Oakland Arena
- Fri Apr 4 — Los Angeles, Calif. — BMO Stadium
- Sun Apr 6 — Los Angeles, Calif. — BMO Stadium
- Sat Apr 12 — Manila, Philippines — SM Mall of Asia Arena
- Sun Apr 13 — Manila, Philippines — SM Mall of Asia Arena
- Sat Apr 19 — Saitama, Japan — Saitama Super Arena
- Sun Apr 20 — Saitama, Japan — Saitama Super Arena
- Sat Apr 26 — Singapore, Republic of Singapore — Singapore Indoor Stadium
- Sun Apr 27 — Singapore, Republic of Singapore — Singapore Indoor Stadium
- Sat May 3 — Jakarta, Indonesia — Indonesia Arena, GBK
- Sun May 4 — Jakarta, Indonesia — Indonesia Arena, GBK
- Sat May 10 — Bangkok, Thailand — Impact Arena
- Sun May 11 — Bangkok, Thailand — Impact Arena
- Sat May 17 — Macau, China — Galaxy Arena
- Sun May 18 — Macau, China — Galaxy Arena
- Sat May 24 — Taipei, Taiwan — NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena)
- Sun May 25 — Taipei, Taiwan — NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena)
- Sat May 31 — Osaka, Japan — Kyocera Dome Osaka
- Sun Jun 1 — Osaka, Japan — Kyocera Dome Osaka
For more information on j-hope’s “Hope on the Stage” tour, please check out Big Hit’s site and local listings. You can follow j-hope on Instagram.
Concert photo credits: Carmen Zhang
