J-Hope Lights Up the Stage and Pays Heartfelt Homage to BTS on Spectacular First Solo Tour

The world-famous rapper is the second member of the K-pop supergroup to sell out a U.S. tour ahead of their reunion this June

By Mackenzie Schmidt

Published on March 21, 2025 05:55PM EDT

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COURTESY OF BIGHIT MUSIC

J-hope’s stage is breathing.

An undulating sea of red fabric pulsing with light, growing ever upwards toward the roof of Allstate Arena outside Chicago until at the center, a figure emerges: the BTS rapper, clad in red leather and rhinestones, alone in front of a matching mic stand.

The K-pop superstar, 31, is in the middle of a sold out arena tour in the U.S., the second member of the groundbreaking group to do so after his bandmate Suga in 2023.

While showing out at this scale on his own is a massive step for j-hope the soloist, as he stands alone in the middle of the stage, he still introduces himself as "j-hope of BTS" and addresses the approximately 18,000 fans in attendance each night as "Army," the group's fandom name.

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