j-hope has once again proven his status as a world-class solo artist by headlining the iconic Lollapalooza music festival, this time in Berlin.
On July 14 at 3 AM KST, the BTS rapper and dancer stood on the final main stage of Lolla Berlin, held at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany. He delivered a powerful 90-minute performance that brought the festival to an electrifying close.
A day before his performance, he watched sets by IVE, Gracie Abrams, and Justin Timberlake, who headlined on July 12. Today’s lineup also featured Raye, Benson Boone, and more.
Roughly 60,000 fans gathered at the stadium, many lining up from the early morning just to get the best view of the BTS star. Long before he even appeared, chants of “j-hope! BTS!” and “j-hope, we wanna party!” echoed across the venue.
True to his promise, the 31-year-old rapper fully embraced the spirit of the festival. Backed by a live band, he kept the crowd moving with a 20+ song setlist. j-hope opened the show dramatically, appearing on stage via a lift and launching straight into “What if…” and “Pandora’s Box” from his first solo album “Jack In The Box.”
Greeting the crowd, he exclaimed, “This is my second time at ‘Lollapalooza’. Welcome to the second round of ‘Hobipalooza’! Are you ready to go crazy tonight? Let’s go!”
He then delivered tracks from his recent special album “HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1,” including a solo version of “on the street” and “lock / unlock”, a collaboration with Benny Blanco and Nile Rodgers.
His charisma hit another level during “Killin’ It Girl (Solo Version),” leaving the audience roaring with cheers. When he performed “MONA LISA,” the entire stadium joined in, singing every word at the top of their lungs.
One of the night’s most emotional moments came during “Sweet Dreams (feat. Miguel) – FNZ Remix” when fans surprised j-hope by raising purple heart slogans.
As expected, he didn’t leave out BTS hits. When he performed “MIC Drop,” followed by a remix medley of “Dynamite (Tropical Remix)” and “Butter (Hotter Remix),” the crowd sang along in Korean without missing a beat.
For fans who couldn’t be there in person, the entire show was streamed live on Weverse Live and BTS’s Bangtan TV YouTube channel. Millions more joined in real time to catch ‘Hobipalooza’ live.
Near the end, J-Hope paused to reflect on what the performance meant to him.
This year meant a lot to me. I have done this set so many times all over the world. Closing it out for the very last time here at Lollapalooza, with you guys, feels so right. I am going to focus on my team productions and work on the (BTS) album.
The audience responded by shouting “I love you” back in Korean. The chants didn’t stop when he stepped off stage. Fans kept calling for more, so he returned for an encore and finished with “= (Equal Sign),” “Future,” and “NEURON.” j-hope showed no sign of fatigue as he gave his all to the very end.
The performance was an outdoor version of his solo world tour, j-hope Tour ‘HOPE ON THE STREET’. He used the same symbolic lift, vivid visuals, a cube-shaped band setup, special effects, and striking lighting to adapt his tour production to the festival stage.
j-hope’s return to Lollapalooza comes three years after he made history as the first Korean artist to headline the main stage at Lollapalooza Chicago in 2022. Berlin showed how much he has grown as a solo performer since then, with a bigger production and even more confidence.
Meanwhile, BTS members Suga, Jimin, Jungkook, and RM are currently in LA for the production of the BTS album, slated for spring 2026. j-hope, V, and Jin will join them soon, and they will likely not return to Korea for around two months.
