7 moments from Day 1 of J-Hope's Manila concert that BTS ARMY will never forget

Spoiler warning: This article contains details on J-Hope's performances that you might want to remain a surprise if you're watching Day 2 on Sunday.

Eight years after BTS' Wings Tour in 2017, J-Hope returned to perform in Manila and it was nothing short of legendary.

The artist, also known as Hobi, brought his Hope on the Stage concert to the SM Mall of Asia Arena for two nights on April 12 and 13. An epic stage was set for an epic artist, who gave it his all for the two-and-a-half hour show and got fans singing, dancing, and experiencing all kinds of good energy all night.

Here are seven moments from J-Hope's Manila concert that ARMY will remember forever.

1. Fans gave out good vibes

There was no shortage of positive energy and good vibes from the BTS ARMY.

Fans gathered hours before the show dressed in their best concert attire. A lot were dressed in black and red to match the Hope on the Stage aesthetic. Fans also paid tribute to J-Hope's eras and wore checkerboard patterns for his debut solo album "Jack in the Box," colorful accessories for his debut mixtape "Hope World," and brought out their Mang gear, which is J-Hope's BT21 character.

ARMY also made sure everybody had a fun time. They were willing to answer questions, talk about BTS and Hobi, offer to take photos, gave out fan-made freebies like stickers and banners, and many more simple yet touching acts.

Of course, J-Hope gave back all that love to the BTS ARMY. He greeted fans—who were made up of kids all the way to senior citzens—from VIP to General Admission and performed on every corner of the stage.

"You guys make me so happy," he said early on in the show. "I want to make you guys happy too."

For more fan energy, J-Hope told fans, "You sing so great, no cap. OK ARMY, let's sing one more song OK." Then, he led ARMY into singing the chorus of "I Wonder…" featuring Jungkook of BTS together.

There were also moments when he went down from the stage to give high fives and handshakes.

2. J-Hope is a master storyteller who danced through his eras

Hope on the Stage saw J-Hope pay tribute to every chapter of his life, from his days as a street dancer, to being a BTS member, and now a solo artist. He also said the name of the tour is because he is the happiest when he is onstage.

J-Hope is best known for his energetic and fluid dance moves, as well as his impactful lyricism—and he made all of that known in the show.

The stage was set up like a checkerboard, which rose, opened, and showed off props like smoke and a bed. J-Hope used the stage to his advantage, showcasing how every move he made was part of the story he wanted to tell. A live band and backup dancers also helped him tell stories.

J-Hope first appeared in an all-red outfit to perform songs from "Jack in the Box." It was a more raw era of Hobi. The album featured more rock songs about J-Hope's state of mind and was a complete turnaround from his upbeat pop tracks from before.

Then, he appeared in a green hoodie and cap to mark "On the Street," which is an EP reflecting on J-Hope's days as a street dancer.

This was followed by a more laidback outfit of a muscle shirt, jacket, and jeans. J-Hope performed some well-loved tracks from his earlier years, as well as this year's releases "Sweet Dreams" and "Mona Lisa." Everybody was up from their seats, singing and dancing with Hobi, and the energy was overflowing.

3. The production design was everything

From the stage to the confetti, J-Hope made sure to make his stories known through the production design.

The stage was an experience in itself as it moved depending on the lyrics or choreography and flashed video graphics. It almost felt like it was also J-Hope's backup dancer.

At one point, the stage opened to reveal J-Hope lying in bed for "Daydream," just like how he was in the music video.

Three floor-to-ceiling screens did not just provide a better view of the artist, but also showed graphics fit for each song.

The show also featured fire for the passionate "Arson," pyro for the explosive "Pandora's Box," and blew out confetti designed like money for "Hope World," a song about Hobi's success.

4. An epic BTS medley

Of course, J-Hope made sure to perform some of BTS' top hits!

During his solo song "Airplane," ARMY was in for a surprise in the second vere as Hobi sang the BTS song, "Airplane Pt. 2." This then led into him performing a medley of more of the band's songs "Mic Drop," "Baepsae (Silver Spoon)," and "Dis-ease."

J-Hope also sang his solo tracks released in BTS albums like "Just Dance" and "Outro: Ego."

ARMY screamed BTS fan chants and sang along with J-Hope. Everybody stood up to dance the choreography with Hobi.

"You guys know how to party. It's so fun singing and dancing with you guys," Hobi said.

"Astig ang ARMY," J-Hope added.

5. 'Walang uuwi!'

After the epic, non-stop performance, J-Hope spoke to the crowd.

"I know it's hard to believe, but the next song is the last song," he said.

"I know it may be sad, but…" J-Hope continued, but was cut off by ARMY who chanted, "Walang uuwi!"

Hobi, understandably confused, also started chanting. He asked the crowd if he could speak Korean, then asked his translator what the sentence meant.

After getting the meaning, J-Hope asked the crowd through his translator, "Edi dapat dito lang ako?" And then he lay down on the stage.

6. J-Hope promises to return to Manila

Hope on the Stage in Manila was the first stop of the tour's Asian leg, and J-Hope gushed at how it was so inspirational for him.

"Alam n'yo, today is 'yung beginning ng Asian tour, kaya napaka precious nung moment tsaka nung concert ngayong gabi," J-Hope said through his translator.

"It has been a long time since I last visited Manila, Philippines and s'yempre, it's beyond expectation," he added. "You guys gave me a lot of inspiration today. S'yempre nabigay n'yo na ang hope sa 'kin para sa aking Asian tour."

Hobi thanked everyone for enjoying the evening.

"S'yempre, babalik ako dito," J-Hope said. "I will never forget Manila and make sure to come back."

"Salamat!" Hobi said. "Love you, ARMY."

7. The surprises never ended, even during the encore

After "Hope World," J-Hope exited the stage and the lights were turned off.

But after a few moments, the screens flashed to ARMY's handmade concert signs. Some of them read, "OT7 in 70 days," "You are my hope," and "BTS in the Philippines 2026."

After a while, J-Hope entered the stage again in a tour shirt, baggy jeans, and accessorized with a scarf. He held a mini version of his tour stage, which was lit bright red.

"Surprise!" Hobi said.

He asked the crowd if everybody was ready for the encore and said, "Don't lose the energy."

J-Hope headed to the audience, gave high fives and handshakes, called fans "goddess," and then started "Equal Sign."

Following this, he then performed "Future" with his group of dancers.

It was what fans felt like the final song, but ARMY was in for another surprise as J-Hope sang "Neuron," the same name as his street dance crew before his BTS days.

He asked fans to sing the last chorus with him before high-fiving his dancers, and they all took a bow.

J-Hope had an equally epic exit as he ran around the stage before heading out.

"Manila, thank you. Mahal ko kayo!" —MGP, GMA Integrated News