I HAD a good laugh when my friend Tiffany sent me a meme mimicking a screenshot from a ticket purchase website that read, “Purchase status: You have successfully purchased your sama ng loob.” Tiffany has been diligent about trying to angle for tickets, whether in the pre-sale for card-carrying ARMY or general sales; as of this writing, she’s poised to dive into the general sale (for the non-member ARMY and the rest of humanity) on Feb. 21. “Pray na lang tayo,” she said, dead serious. “And it doesn’t help that (a certain telecom service provider) sucks, even if they’re supposed to be a sponsor!” (ARMY members had access to a pre-sale last Feb. 19, but the telecom held its own pre-sale Feb 20.)
The meme that says it all
BTS j-hope is set to perform in Manila April 12 and 13 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena (full-house capacity: 20,000), but it’s the heartbreak that’s making headlines.
After kicking off the “Hope on the Stage” tour February 28 in Seoul, Korea’s KSPO Dome, he’s performing in New York, Chicago, Mexico City, San Antonio in Texas, Oakland and Los Angeles in California, Manila, Saitama, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Macau, Taipei, and Osaka.
I had flashbacks to BTS Suga’s “Agust D” world tour in 2023, when Thelma and I tried to diligently line up online for tickets to the Singapore leg, as Manila was not on his itinerary (but why, Yoongi?). We even had a hotel booking a short walk away. I am still mildly traumatized from the long wait, choosing a seat, and then having it snatched from under my nose by somebody with faster fingers (most certainly younger). And there was the added indignation of choosing a ticket, and then having another thousand Singapore dollars added to the final price—some kind of demand algorithm, they said. Never mind what they said about the show being worth the price; the ticket scheme was downright unethical.
I can imagine, though, what a treat it would be to watch j-hope, aka Hobi, BTS’s dance boss, perform. Hobi (Jung Ho-seok) was the third member of BTS to be recruited after RM and Suga. Born and raised in Gwangju, South Korea, he took dance classes at Gwangju Academy until first year high school, when he became a Big Hit trainee. He was part of an underground dance group called Neuron at the start, and excelled in dancing. All ARMY know that his dad was not a big supporter, but his mom was, so she allegedly had to work away from home to support his schooling. Maybe this was why, during one birthday surprise for Hobi by the boys, he sobbed uncontrollably when hearing his father greet him and say he was proud of him. Also, he wrote the song “Mama” in tribute to his mom, with the very telling lyrics: “Despite my dad’s opposition, every time I attacked/Without paying any concern/She floated the small boat of dreams/But I didn’t know my mom’s support/Was not an open shortcut road/But a road of dreams while gripping debt/Always/The problem of money/ eventually my mother/went away/Had to work away from home.” When he first performed the song during a concert in 2016, it was a full-blown production number, featuring gospel choir-style back-up singers and fireworks.
For the Suga concert in 2023, there was the added indignation of choosing a ticket, and then having another thousand Singapore dollars added to the final price—some kind of demand algorithm, they said
For many years, j-hope was consistently considered the “least popular” member of BTS, receiving the least number of fan mail—one video shows Jimin handing him his share, and Hobi being surprised that some letters had arrived. Then there was the time he went live and nobody was online—not one single person!
He seriously almost quit the group in frustration before BTS’ 2013 debut, and was only prevented when JK cried and RM made the case to Big Hit that they could not function without j-hope.
Compare that preceding episode to Lollapalooza 2022 in Chicago, when j-hope became the first Korean solo artist to headline a major US music festival and also sold more tickets than any other artist in the festival’s history. He closed Lollapalooza 2022 with a 70-minute segment, and fans even called the event “Hobipalooza”!
His popularity, maturity, and ability to stand head-to-head with more “popular” BTS members have certainly evolved over the years. His musical direction and collaboration choices have also been very on point. His 2019 hit Chicken Noodle Soup was a remake of a 2006 rap song, and was hailed as a melding of cultures, as he sang it with Latina singer Becky G.
Last Feb. 18, j-hope turned 31, and fellow BTS members Jin, who had been discharged ahead of him—j-hope returned from military service Oct 17, 2024—as well as Jimin, who probably took time off from his military duties, greeted him with a cake and flowers.
ARMY Lynnette finds herself in a long line.
Back to the concert. I was not optimistic about scoring tickets; after all, I already missed the chance to see my bias (thank God for the Agust D movie), and did not have the patience for online vigils. I felt deeply, however, for this young gay ARMY boy I saw on social media, in serious tears, asking, “Bakit sa MOA? Paano na kami makakabili ng ticket?”, probably foreseeing that tickets would indeed be snatched up, leaving few options for ARMY on a budget; the general admission ticket in Manila costs some P4,000, with the most expensive going for P22,500. “Alam ba ninyo na kung sa Philippine Arena yan, kahit seven nights, ubos yan? Wala na kaming pag-asa!” The Arena’s capacity is 55,000. I’m not sure about seven nights, but you never know with ARMY. And maybe prices could have been more realistic for ARMY from lower income groups; contrary to some presumptions, ARMYs are not supposed to be an “exclusive” group for those who can afford authentic merch.
Two of the Facebook pages offering ‘direct links’ (read: bypass the official ticketing site)
Then the debacle became more real after sales opened. One ARMY friend, Lynnette, found herself 4,844th in queue, while her friends were in the 100,000s. “Sana sa Bangkok na lang ako nakipagbardagulan, sobrang smooth daw ng ticketing war nila dun,” she posted. “What should have been a test of quick navigation and mouse clicks turned into a test of principles, values, and ethics,” added another ARMY friend, Ria, who was dismayed by the third-party set-ups. “Seeing posts of people saying they were ‘lucky’ in securing tickets, then later finding out that these came from ‘direct links,’ was really infuriating and disappointing. I had a glimmer of hope that somehow magiging patas ang labanan, that the local ticketing office could be a safe zone. But it’s been a nightmare in Manila.”
‘Seeing posts of people saying they were “lucky” in securing tickets, then later finding out that these came from “direct links,” was really infuriating and disappointing’
“Sobra kasi normalized ang corruption sa bansa na ito,” Tiffany added, incensed. “Kailangan ng fixer pati ba naman sa concert tickets? Also: Sana lang Army talaga ang makitang nakaupo sa compli seats ng sponsors.”
So who are behind these pages—with names like “Concert Tickets Buy and Sell Ticket Assistance Philippines” and “Hope: Hope On The Stage! Ticket Assistance & Buy and Sell Group”—and how did they manage this, promising short wait times and tickets for a “service fee”? Just asking po. I just hope ARMY do this the right way.
In the meantime, let’s see what Tiffany manages tomorrow. Otherwise, we’ll just pray we find tickets for the return of BTS in 2026, wherever we can find them in the world where the system is clean (asa pa ako?)—and even if I have to bring a cane by then.
