Why BTS's concert game stays fresh and unstoppable—even in solo eras with Jin, Suga and J-Hope

No one quite knew or understood what BTS’s eldest member Jin had planned. The memes were already beginning with the notices and warnings about wearing raincoats. No heels. There was a climbing wall outside the stadium. Was this first solo concert going to be an episode of his own variety show, Run Jin? Will they be sprayed with water if they got the lyrics wrong?

One common thread held the theories together: Laughter. Fans were certain of one thing, if nothing else: They would be entertained.

And, going by the first two shows itself, they were. Perhaps it was the magic of Jin slamming a button and saying ‘Dojeon’ and kickstarting his concert. Perhaps, it was his karaoke session with ARMY’s, pretending to police them on the lyrics of old and new songs. Maybe it was him laughing as fans tried to hit the high notes. The crowd laughed, and so did the members. RM, V, and J-Hope showed up on Day 1, with Jimin, Jungkook, and Suga attending the next.

And then, there was his own setlist. The inexplicable, delightful madness of Super Tuna, the emotions of Epiphany, and Astronaut, the latter hits viscerally for fans as it was the song he had sung before leaving for his military service. He brought back the old BTS hits—Dynamite and Butter.  There were jokes strewn in the middle, teasing them to come on stage, and when a shy RM hid, a stern Jin said, “I came on stage one day after my discharge, alright.”

And so, there seems to be an explosion of joy on the timelines, especially for ARMY. They knew that Jin’s solo concerts would be just as memorable as the other two before him—Suga and J-Hope, they just didn’t know how. And as one fan duly noted, there is something so distinct about each other solo concerts. While BTS as seven performing has been documented for its spectacular thrills, fireworks and synchronised magic, each solo member did something for the fans. They showed that a concert, isn’t just about a setlist. It’s more. So much more.

In Suga’s D-Day concerts in 2023—it was storytelling, with his voice, and an audiovisual experience. He joked and teased fans yes, but his tours and concerts were also a path to his healing. Every now and then, a video of him, singing Amygdala, Dear My Friend, Snooze and breaking down into tears  as he sings, goes viral. And the crowd sings with him, especially for Snooze, comforting him with his own lyrics.  He bared his own story in front of fans—unleashed all the emotions that he had suppressed within him. 

In his final performance, he walked through the door—a door that he had been looking for desperately as his video Amygdala showed—and walked free of all that had held him back. 

Meanwhile, J-Hope, who went on tour this year, brought fire with his performances. There has never been a doubt that J-Hope has lived for dancing, but in his own concert, he allowed himself to get lost in the lights on stage. Each performance was theatrical, vivid and immersive—be it Monalisa, focusing on fun Monalisa like frames in the audience, or Hangsang, where he stood on the stage box, and held the mic so the crowd could sing with him. And then he returned to the vintage charm of old BTS songs like Mic Drop and Bapsae, singing only a few parts and letting the crowd do the rest.

Each member brings a distinct flavour to their relationship with ARMY—and it shows. When they’re together, the bond only deepens, with conversations flowing between songs, not just performances. Maybe that’s why ARMY chose to surprise BTS in 2019 at the historic Wembley concert by singing to them. It’s a relationship built on mutual respect—and it’s always been two-sided.