BTS EPISODE: Jin — RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR in Goyang

EXACTLY ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL I SEE JIN IN PERSON!!! 

BTS EPISODE: J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Asia

The amount of hard work, planning, practice, dedication, endurance, creativity, and stamina — not just from J-Hope, but also the dancers and staff — that went into this tour is just remarkable. I am so glad that I got to witness a part of it in person. 

Jin — RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR in Newark

Okay, I was legitimately scared for this ticketing run because both of the Amsterdam shows sold out in 10 minutes, but not only did I manage to get FLOOR TICKETS, I also got SOUNDCHECK PACKAGES!!! (And at regular pricing, too, not bullshit Ticketmaster Platinum pricing!!!) Jin, we're coming to see you!!!

Jin — RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Poster

(Image source: BTS Weverse)
Just as I'm riding down the high of Hobi's Hope on the Stage Tour, we're now getting an unexpected but extremely exciting tour announcement for Jin (the first from the vocal line!!!). I didn't expect to have to go through ticketing stress again so soon, but LET THE (HUNGER? SQUID?) GAMES BEGIN. 

Unboxing: J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour Official Merch

You didn't think I'd go see J-Hope on tour and not get merch, did you?

J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Zip-Up Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Zip-Up Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour US Exclusive Brooklyn Acorn Keyring Charm
Yes, my friend Iris and I decided to get in line for merch at Barclays Center at 7:00AM. There were about 100 people in front of us when we got there which, compared to the last time I was in line for merch at the BTS Permission to Dance concert in Las Vegas a couple years ago, seemed quite reasonable. (I guess, to be fair, there were also about 5 times more people at that concert.) We waited for about 3.5 hours to get in (the merch booths opened at 10:00AM, so all things considered, we actually got in pretty fast), and both Iris and I managed to get everything we wanted. For me, that included the two US-exclusive hoodies (that, frankly, cost a small fortune with the atrocious USD to CAD exchange rate) and the Brooklyn-exclusive acorn keychain (SO CUTE — every city in the US leg of the tour gets a city-exclusive acorn keychain).

J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour Hoodie
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour Blanket

Of course, when I got home, my Weverse Shop package from Korea also arrived with the general Hope on the Stage Tour merch I had ordered a few weeks ago — I picked the hoodie and the blanket. Yes, I, too, am wondering where the hell I'm going to fit three new hoodies in my already packed closet.

Now, did I get a cold when I got back from NYC from waiting in line for nearly four hours in 5°C weather on three hours of sleep? Yes, yes, I did. Was it worth it? Yes, yes, it was.

J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn at Barclays Center — Day 1

J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1
J-Hope Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn — Day 1

Yesterday was the first date of the North American leg of J-Hope's Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn (sadly, the only day of the tour that I got tickets to). It was a flawless concert with an absolutely loaded set list that included old classics ("1 VERSE"), new favourites (the world premiere of his unreleased new single, "Mona Lisa"), songs across his entire solo discography, and a select few BTS bangers: 

1. What If…
2. Pandora's Box
3. Arson
4. STOP
5. MORE
6. On the Street
7. Lock / Unlock
8. I Don't Know
9. I Wonder…
10. Trivia: Just Dance
11. Sweet Dreams
12. MONA LISA (World Premiere)
13. 1 VERSE
14. Base Line
15. HANGSANG
16. Airplane
17. Airplane, Pt. 2
18. MIC Drop
19. Silver Spoon (Baepsae)
20. Dis-ease
21. Outro: Ego
22. Daydream
23. Chicken Noodle Soup
24. Hope World
25. = (Equal Sign)
26. Future
27. NEURON

Tens of thousands of ARMYs from all over showed up (let's not talk about the insane line-ups) and proved why we are still the biggest and baddest fandom in the world. The crowd was electric, just pure energy. I am so, so, so glad I got tickets to this concert (and lower bowl seats, at that!). It was entirely worth flying to NYC for only one day. 

(I've uploaded about one minute-long reels of almost every performance from this concert on my Instagram, in case you're interested. And so I can re-live this show until the next OT7 concert.)

J-Hope — Hope on the Stage Tour Official Trailer

Hmm, some things to note in this video:

• J-Hope is stuck in a room and peering into the vent
• J-Hope's military enlistment date on a poster on the wall
• The clock on the wall set to his birthday (2:18)
• A pill and glass of water set on the side table (reference to BTS' Wings era)
• The toy airplane on the floor (reference to J-Hope's Hope World album)
• Zooming out of the vent and realizing the room J-Hope is trapped in is in a box that another J-Hope is holding
• The Snickers bar, the "Arson" lighter, and the "More" key in the drawer (references to BTS' Love Yourself era and J-Hope's Jack in the Box album)

That's a lot of Easter eggs in a 43-second trailer, but all we gotta know is that J-Hope is ready to escape his past and start his new era with a bang.

J-Hope — J-Hope on the Stage Tour in Brooklyn

I GOT THEM!!!!!! 

I was quite literally 14,423 in queue when the presale started and I thought there was no way I would get any tickets because that's basically the number of people that can fit into an arena, but I somehow managed to get LOWER BOWL SEATS. THANK YOU, BANGTAN GODS, FOR BLESSING ME TODAY.

J-Hope — J-Hope on the Stage Tour in North America

(Photo source: BTS Weverse)
Just applied for the Membership Presale for the US and Mexico 'cause I ain't taking any chances here. PRAYING TO THE BANGTAN GODS. 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

J-Hope — J-Hope on the Stage Tour

(Photo source: BTS Weverse)
Oooof. Let the first bloodbath of 2025 begin.

SUGA | Agust D TOUR Announcement

I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SEE THE DAY. I applied for both the ARMY Member Presale and the General Verified Fan Presale for Newark, so pray for me because I NEED TO SEE AGUST D IN ALL HIS GLORY.

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, Day 4

Allegiant Stadium. 7:30PM PDT.

The final day of BTS' Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas. 

ARMY Bomb activated!
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas — "ON"
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas — "Fire"
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas — Opening Ments
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas — "Blue & Grey"
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas — "Black Swan"
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas — "HOME"
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas — Ending Ments
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage in Las Vegas — "Permission to Dance"

Tonight's set list:

1. ON
2. Fire (Remix)
3. Dope
4. DNA
5. Blue & Grey
6. Black Swan
7. Blood Sweat & Tears
8. FAKE LOVE
9. Life Goes On
10. Boy With Luv
11. Dynamite (Remix)
12. Butter
13. Telepathy 
14. Outro: Wings
15. Stay
16. So What
17. IDOL
18. HOME
19. Anpanman
20. Go Go
21. Permission to Dance

Thank you, BTS, for another spectacular concert that I'll never forget. 

Unboxing: BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merch

So, last night, we took a cab over to Allegiant Stadium to check out the BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise Booth, knowing that there would be no line-up since everyone would be inside the stadium already for the Day 3 concert. We were right, of course, and got straight to the booth with no wait, but there was also little to no merch left. So we talked to one of the guys that worked at the booth and he said if we wanted to get our hands on any merch, especially any of the clothing, that we would have to come back tomorrow at 6:00AM at the latest, because there were already people lining up for tomorrow and it was only 9:00PM. He said that he's worked every day that the merch booth has been open and that there are literally hundreds of people that camp out overnight. I absolutely refused to camp out (we paid for 3 nights at our hotel, after all), but agreed with Ying to return at 6:00AM.

And when we got there at 6:00AM, this is what we were met with:

Line-up for BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise Booth — 6:00AM
Line-up for BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise Booth — 7:00AM
Line-up for BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise Booth — 7:30AM
Line-up for BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise Booth — 8:00AM
Line-up for BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise Booth — 9:00AM
Yes, hundreds and hundreds of people already in line waiting for merch.

We waited 5 hours. To be fair, the booth actually opened at 9:00AM, but we still waited until just past 11:00AM until it was our turn. And by then, 75% of the merch was already sold out. The guy we talked to last night was not kidding. So, after all of that, what did I end up getting?

BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — Black Photo Hoodie
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — Black Photo Hoodie (Detail)
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — Black Photo Hoodie (Back)
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — White Photo Sweatshirt
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — White Photo Sweatshirt (Detail)
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — White Photo S/S T-Shirt
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — White Photo S/S T-Shirt (Back)
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — Umbrella (Outer Box)
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — Umbrella (Pouch)
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — Umbrella (Open)
BTS Permission to Dance: On Stage Official Merchandise — Umbrella Photo Postcard
A hoodie, a sweatshirt, a T-shirt, and an umbrella. Okay, it's not that bad considering so much of the merch was already sold out, but none of these were actually my first choice items. They only had one style of black hoodie left (there were originally three) and there was only one size left (XL), so I was like, "I'LL TAKE IT! WHO CARES IF I LOOK LIKE A BAGGY HOBO?" And in my sleep-deprived, delirious desperation, I decided I liked white all of a sudden, too? And I don't even like merch with faces on them, but I ended up with three items with their faces on them? (Well, at least they're handsome.)

I can't even imagine all the hundreds and hundreds of people behind us who got there after 6:00AM. Did they even get anything? BigHit, how hard is it to produce more merch knowing that there are hundreds of thousands of people who want to buy it? This is just perpetuating the inflation of prices of their merch from unofficial third party sellers.