Over the weekend, j-hope made Manila even hotter as he held his two-day show as part of his Hope on the Stage world tour, a Smart 5G Max event.
For many fans, it was a long-awaited moment, a chance to finally see one of BTS’ brightest stars live onstage. For others, it was an unexpected introduction to the kind of energy and emotion K-pop concerts are known for.
We were both there, but from two very different places—one as a longtime ARMY, the other as someone who had never followed BTS closely.
What we experienced, though, was the same kind of awe you get when something, or someone, lives up to the hype.
Day One:
‘No More Dream’
If you had asked me before if I ever imagined myself attending a BTS concert, I would’ve said yes—a thousand times over.
From liking them quietly during their early days to their music becoming my source of comfort during the pandemic, BTS had become those people I would look forward to watching each night after summing up the increasing death toll brought by the coronavirus.
From listening to their songs repeatedly, non-stop, to binge-watching their “Run BTS” shows without noticing that the sun had already shown itself. At first, those were enough—or so I thought. Each day passed, and there was this part of me hoping to see them in person.
But that missing piece of being an ARMY was finally filled with j-hope bringing back the Philippines to the BTS map tour. I never imagined that quietly liking BTS would one day lead me to scream my lungs out in a packed arena for j-hope.
Presented by Live Nation Philippines, the two-day event marked the return of a BTS member to the Philippines, ending the eight-year absence in Manila since the group’s last visit for the “Wings Tour.”
I entered the arena with my right hand holding the Army Bomb I had been keeping for years. It felt surreal. I was feeling a lot of emotions inside me that I couldn’t even explain. I was so thrilled, so excited, but nervous at the same time as it was the first-ever BTS concert I had attended.
As we waited for the concert to begin, I could hear the fans cheering and screaming for j-hope, waiting for him to hit the stage. Until he finally showed himself to his thousands of fans, the screams continued to fill the whole arena.
The BTS dance leader then kicked off his Asia tour in Manila with “What if,” “Pandora’s Box,” “Arson,” and “STOP”—songs from his solo debut album, “Jack In The Box.” The Filipino crowd didn’t disappoint j-hope as you could hear the whole arena doing fan chants every time he performed his songs.
“ARMY, welcome to ‘Hope On The Stage.’ I’m j-hope of BTS,” he said.
And then it hit me, it was really, finally happening. A BTS member was finally in the Philippines, and I was there seeing him in person.
But what made me unable to contain anything else was when he finally played those classic BTS tracks that I only used to listen to on my Spotify, especially “MIC Drop,” as fans began to do the group’s fan chant, stating each member’s name. Goodness, I could finally say this fan chant.
I got teary-eyed hearing those words. Others might not understand this, but it wasn’t just about seeing j-hope live. It was about closing the distance that had defined my fan journey as ARMY for years.
Day Two: ‘I Am Number Four’
If you had asked me before whether I ever imagined going to a BTS concert, the honest answer would be no. Not because I had anything against them, but because I was never really a fan.
Like most people, I’ve heard a few of their songs. You don’t have to search for BTS to hear them—they’re just everywhere. But I never followed them closely or listened to them religiously.
That said, I found myself attending the second day of j-hope’s Manila concert. Somehow, I ended up fourth in line in the VIP HOPE area. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I figured I’d just take it in and see what the hype was about.
The soundcheck was the first surprise. It was a smaller crowd, more laid-back, but the energy was still intense. j-hope came out in a casual outfit, smiling like he had nothing to prove. He performed “Sweet Dreams,” and at one point, handed the mic to a fan to sing along. After that, he gave her a hug. The crowd went wild.
He followed it up with “Just Dance” and “Daydream”—songs I had heard in passing but never really paid attention to until that moment. Then, in a quick move that caught us off guard, he ran toward the barricade to hand out high-fives. Before heading off, he said, “Kita tayo mamaya.”
Later that night, he performed the same setlist from the first day, but you could tell he was feeding off the energy in the room. It was loud. It was packed. Even for someone like me who wasn’t part of the fan base, it was hard not to get swept up in it.
He performed “MONALISA,” one of his newer tracks, and that one stood out. It had a different vibe. The beat, the delivery—it stuck with me. Such a banger.
At some point, I found myself shouting along. Not because I knew the words, but because the energy was contagious. There was no pressure to be a superfan. You could just be present and enjoy the show.
During his ments, he spoke in a mix of English and Tagalog, making the crowd laugh as he repeated, “Walang uuwi,” over and over again.
“This is really one of my happiest stages. You guys can tell, right?” he said.
I didn’t leave the show calling myself a fan, but I walked away understanding what makes him—and BTS—click with so many people. It’s not just about the music or the performance. It’s the way they connect with fans, stay grounded, and give everything they’ve got onstage. That’s something anyone can respect—and something Smart 5G Max helped bring closer to Filipino fans.
Editor’s note: Angelica Villanueva attended the first day of the concert, while Jasper Valdez covered day two.