‘Hope on the Stage’ in Manila moments with j-hope
ON the second night of BTS j-hope’s concert in Manila, one fan sign flashed on the screen during ARMY time said it all: “Hobi, you are worth the wait.”
It had been eight years since BTS—or any member—visited the Philippines. The Wings Tour in 2017 felt like a lifetime ago, and Filo-ARMYs were heartbroken when Manila was left out of the band’s succeeding tours.
j-hope, you are truly worth the wait.
But 2025—the year BTS is set to reunite after completing military service—started with a bang. In January, Big Hit Entertainment announced j-hope’s Hope on the Stage (HOTS) world tour, and to everyone’s joy, our sunshine, as ARMYs call him, would be kicking off the Asian leg in Manila—proof that good things truly come to those who wait.
HOTS marks j-hope’s first solo world tour since debuting with BTS in 2013—a fitting comeback after his 18-month military service. The tour spans 15 cities and 31 shows, including stops in Seoul, Brooklyn, Chicago, Mexico City, San Antonio, Oakland, Los Angeles, Manila, Saitama, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangkok, Macau, Taipei, and Osaka.
Surrounded by ARMYs and their ‘amibams’
Filo-ARMYs wasted no time organizing to make j-hope’s stop in Manila unforgettable. We called our fan initiative Hopeful In Manila, a collaborative effort of 37 fanbases—including Team ARMY Diarist—whose story deserves its own spotlight.
The only way to describe j-hope
For Hobi’s concert, we dressed up like it wasn’t scorching hot.
The heat in Manila was no joke that weekend, but j-hope was even hotter, electrifying the stage with every performance, and let’s be real, with his looks, too. Hobi so Pogi! one fan sign screamed. Jung Ho-seok (j-hope’s real name) remains the ultimate BTS bias wrecker. He made HOTS Manila an experience we’ll never forget.
I had already seen the tour kick off in Seoul and knew Manila would be the next level, knowing how Filo-ARMYs sing and dance like it’s our national sport.
j-hope with his dance crew
HOTS is one big dance party—no surprise, given that j-hope is BTS’ dance leader. But more than that, it’s the story of his journey as an artist, tracing his roots to street dance. And through every beat and movement, he took us along that beautiful path that led him to where he is today.
j-hope picks up a Hobi money P100,000 bill from the stage.
We were on our feet nearly the entire time he was onstage, not just watching, but singing and dancing right along with him. Thanks to friends who scored VIP Stage package tickets despite the SM Tickets chaos, I got to watch j-hope in Manila. I really wanted the Hope package that included a send-off moment, but I guess it just wasn’t my time for a face-to-face encounter with a Tannie.
Coolness personified: j-hope at Day 2 soundcheck
And I know I shouldn’t be complaining because at least I got to go to both soundchecks—mini previews of the magic of j-hope’s stage that was about to unfold. He was already performing with full energy before the main show even began.
j-hope holds up a mini version of his stage.
I really shouldn’t complain, too, about standing for over seven hours—from strapping in to the end of the show—because, one, I was seeing j-hope in the flesh! And two, VIP standing in Manila had its perks: Almost everyone was the same height, so even without being at the barricade, I had a clear view of j-hope the entire time.
On Day 2, what felt like a five-minute delay had the crowd bursting into chants of “Ilabas na ’yan!” (Bring him out!)—a moment that made a visiting ARMY from the US quip it was the “sassiest” move she’d ever seen from the fandom.
A five-minute delay had the crowd bursting into chants of ‘Ilabas na ’yan!’ (Bring him out!); a visiting ARMY from the US quipped it was the ‘sassiest’ move she’d ever seen from the fandom.
j-hope sits on the stage after ARMYs told him— ‘Walang uuwi!’
It was just as funny as Day 1’s “Walang uuwi!” (No one’s going home!) chant, which made j-hope remove his in-ear and ask, “Whatcha guys saying?” Then he adorably tried to mimic us—“Walang huheh!” as he laughed and grooved to the rhythm. When told what it meant, he sat down onstage and teased, “So you just want me to stay here?” YES! we all screamed.
He also tickled us with his smattering of Tagalog lines he delivered in adorable Hobi style: “Mahal ko kayo!”, “Salamat po!”, “Mag-ingay!”
J-hope owned the stage, his energy never waning, despite having already performed 15 shows across South Korea and North America before Manila. He clearly felt the Manila heat, constantly hydrating, and at one point, he quipped about how hot it was.
j-hope wears a flashy red coat and tie for Day 2.
On Day 1, he traded his signature red faux fur-lined leather ensemble from earlier tour stops for a more comfortable version: a short-sleeved top over an inner shirt with red leather pants. On Day 2, he wore a sparkly red coat and tie. His hairstyle also looked a lot nicer to me, as his hair had grown out a little more.
I loved the look he debuted in Manila. The arena erupted the moment he appeared onstage. I exchanged a look with a pretty ARMY beside me—we both screamed, “Ang guapo!”—then waved our ARMY bombs. She gazed at Hobi adoringly, grateful just for his existence.
J-hope’s 27-song setlist included tracks from his solo mixtapes and albums, with a medley of BTS hits—a powerful reminder of how much he, and all of us, long for BTS’ return. He got us shouting “ARMY!” in response to his heartfelt call of “BTS!” Manila also delivered one of the loudest OT7 fanchants during Mic Drop, including a thunderous “Mianhae eomma!”—Suga’s iconic line, which means “I’m sorry, Mom” in Korean.
The OT7 chant reverberated across the globe anew when j-hope performed Mic Drop in Paris earlier this year, and ARMYs showed love and solidarity for Suga (real name: Min Yoongi), who endured relentless bullying last year. That same spirit carried over to the entire HOTS tour, and j-hope soaked in every bit of the love, loyalty, and unshakable support.
Onstage, it was clear j-hope released every ounce of energy bottled up during his military service—rapping and singing, jumping, running, dancing, from one end of the stage to the other without missing a beat.
ARMYs set up a make-up station for fellow ARMYs outside the Mall of Asia arena.
These ARMYs came in full purple Filipiniana-inspired regalia.
Of course, a sunflower for our sunshine
As a Filipino often skeptical of things local (sorry na!), I had doubts about whether Live Nation Philippines and MOA Arena could pull off the show’s technical requirements, especially the intricate stage hydraulics.
But they delivered. The stage design is crucial to j-hope’s HOTS narrative, beginning with a VCR that introduces his story as an artist. Then the moment onstage: platforms draped in red—a metaphor for Pandora’s box—rising and falling as j-hope emerged to perform What If. He launched into Pandora’s Box, Arson, and STOP amid flames, fireworks, and lasers that elevated the raw emotion of his Jack in the Box tracks.
Despite not having an extended stage, the Manila show never felt lacking. (Let’s be real—Hobi’s choreo in Baepsae could set even a bare stage on fire. ARMYs, IKYK.) Three massive LED screens gave even those in the nosebleed seats an incredible view. In fact, fan videos from the upper sections captured the full grandeur of the production and the power of Filo-ARMYs’ voices.
Despite not having an extended stage, the Manila show never felt lacking. (Let’s be real—Hobi’s choreo in Baepsae could set even a bare stage on fire. ARMYs, IKYK)
It’s often said, and I can say this as a suki of general admission, there are no bad seats in a BTS concert. Whether as a group or solo, BTS always manages to make their shows feel intimate. I can’t quite explain how. Maybe it’s their storytelling, their song choices, their all-out performances, or the way they connect with ARMY—maybe it’s all of the above.
j-hope performs ‘On the Street’ on a platform with images of butterflies.
ARMYs reaching out for the butterfly confetti
One of my favorite moments was the shadow projection of butterflies on the box panels during on the Street, followed by a gentle shower of butterfly-shaped confetti. As an intro to Daydream, j-hope invited the crowd to clap along before falling into a virtual splash of water.
The citizens of our karaoke nation did not disappoint at HOTS. Filo-ARMYs sweetly sang Jungkook’s verse in I Wonder, filled in Miguel’s parts in Sweet Dreams (No Miguel? No problem!), nailed the “Ooohhhh” part in Mona Lisa, channeled their inner Latinas by belting out Becky G’s Spanish verses in Chicken Noodle Soup. Before the concert, Filo-ARMYs geared up: We weren’t colonized by Spain for 333 years for nothing.
Hopeful in Manila, the Filo-ARMY fanbases, also pulled off a breathtaking recreation of the Philippine flag ocean—first seen by BTS during the fan song 2! 3! (Wishing on More Good Days) at the Wings tour in 2017.
This time, we used colored stickers on our phone flashlights to create a twinkling Philippine flag during Sweet Dreams. j-hope’s reaction was pure joy—crouched and waiting for the stage to rise, peering as he saw the arena turn into yellow, red, and blue. There was a sense of wonder in his eyes, and he wore a smile the entire time. When he finally emerged, he had a hand heart for all of us.
We were all over the moon when j-hope said Manila was one of his “happiest stages.” “You can tell, right?” he asked the audience—and Filo-ARMYs cheered. J-hope also gave us one of the best compliments ever: “Manila ARMY, you guys know how to party! It was so fun singing and dancing with you.”
BTS always knows how to wrap up their concert in a way that will make ARMYs yearn for more, like you just want to hang on, hoping the night will never end. J-hope ended his show with back-to-back-to-back performances of Equal Sign, Future, and Neuron—all upbeat songs that leave us with positive messages.
A message that ARMYs carry in their hearts
The final song, Neuron, showed black-and-white videos of j-hope and BTS in dance rehearsals, giving a sense of longing, but also a steely courage that we will all be together again soon. J-hope also left the first verse of the song on screen for ARMYs:
“I’ll tell you again
We’ll never ever give up, forever
I’ll say it again
We’ll always be alive to move us.”
Three days since the concert weekend, and as I write this, my voice is still hoarse from all the screaming and off-key singing (I’m an exception to the rule that Filipinos can sing). It’s proof of my love for j-hope and BTS that I’ll always cherish and enjoy their music and artistry, that I love them because they make me laugh, because they are always authentic and down-to-earth, that I stayed in the magic shop, never straying away, even in the most trying times of Chapter 2. Because I am ARMY.
Beautiful man
The Philippines had two unforgettable nights with j-hope—and a pinky promise that he’ll be back. In a video from one of the sendoffs, as j-hope was leaving the venue, an ARMY shouted, “Come back with BTS!” He turned, smiled, and waved.
That sweet smile for ARMYs
That sunny smile said it all.
