You didn’t have to be at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, CA, during j-hope’s Hope on the Stage tour to know about this interaction, as the photos between j-hope of BTS (aka Hobi) and this awesome ARMY went viral on social media (and ARMYs everywhere could not stop talking about it!)
But if you were there that night back in April 2025, then you remember just how awesome it was to witness this encounter in real time!
Because she is now amongst the legendary ARMYs in Bora-land, she gets the celeb treatment and we will refer to her only by her first name: Lisa (and she is indeed legendary, as Hobi still has this solo image of her posted on his IG page).
Lisa caught the attention of Hobi for his special artist-fan collaboration, which was created as a way for Hobi to interact with ARMY. It was a segment of the show in which Hobi walks down to the front row of the audience (known as the barricade) and selects an ARMY to join him for the intro of his song “Equal Sign.” It’s a part of his show that all ARMYs looked forward to (especially those in the coveted front row seats that surrounded his stage!)
“Thank you for coming!” (The greeting heard around the world!)
I had the opportunity to ask Lisa a few questions about her experience:
AEC: When did you first discover BTS?
LISA: One of my best friends discovered BTS, and she’s the one who got me into them. She actually got my teenage daughters interested in them first, then they made me watch their content and listen to their music, and I quickly fell down the rabbit hole. That was August 2021, not long after “Permission to Dance” came out.
AEC: BTS music has a lot of depth to it. Is there a BTS song that is your all-time favorite or one that makes you reflective?
LISA: It’s impossible for me to pick a favorite, but “Spring Day,” “Mikrokosmos” and several of the songs on “Love Yourself: Tear” would be near the top of my list. And the lyrics to “Magic Shop” made me cry the first time I read them.
AEC: Your husband was with you at the concert, which is awesome! Does he have a favorite member or favorite song?
LISA: It was really fun for me that he was there! BTS started out as something my daughters and I shared, but as they got older and a little less interested, my husband started watching BTS content with me. We watched all of the “Hope on the Street” episodes together. Still, I was really surprised when he said he wanted to come to the concert with me! His favorite member is RM, and his favorite BTS song is “Black Swan.”
AEC: I think I know the answer to this but…who is your bias and why?
LISA: It’s probably obvious that Hobi is my bias. He stood out to me when I started watching BTS content, and when I first listened to their music, there was one member whose voice I loved best and who always had the coolest parts. When I found out that it was Hobi, it sealed the deal.
I love his energy, and he has such sincerity in the way he approaches his music and dance, in the way he treats the people he works with, and his love for his fans. It really comes through in everything he does. I’m also so impressed by his artistic vision. I just watched the documentary from the “Hope on the Stage, the Original” set (my husband and I have a split-second cameo near the end!) and he was so clear on what he wanted for the music, the outfits, the set design — basically every part of his tour.
AEC: What was your first BTS concert and what other BTS concerts (group or solo) have you been to?
LISA: The Weverse announcement for the PTD shows in LA came out when I’d only been ARMY for a month. My daughter and I were sitting in a very quiet waiting room at the dentist’s office, so instead of screaming when the notice popped up on our phones, I remember us texting each other in all caps. My ARMY friend and I were able to get tickets, and we all flew to LA and saw their very first post-Covid concert in front of an actual audience. We also saw them in Las Vegas. I didn’t get to go to Suga or Jin’s concerts, but I watched lots of live streams and movie theater screenings.
AEC: I don’t know if you are aware of this but so many ARMYs were thrilled that Hobi selected you for his “Equal Sign” intro, as you represented a major demographic of this fandom (ARMYs over 30). Were you aware of the impact it had?
LISA: One of the first Twitter (now X) posts I saw right after the concert said something about how “age is no barrier” to being a fan. I was almost offended because even though I’m older than a lot of fans, I don’t think of myself as old! But over the next two days, I saw so many posts from people who said that moment made them feel seen as older ARMYs and that they finally felt truly welcomed as fans. Honestly, some of the posts made me cry. They were so heartfelt, and for me to play a role in making people feel loved and welcomed and seen was a bit overwhelming.
AEC: I have a theory that when Hobi did his sound checks, he scoped out the audience looking for his “Equal Sign” person. It’s just a theory, but I think he may have already known who he wanted! So, what I wanted to ask is, the moment Hobi approached you what was going through your mind? Did other ARMYs at the concert approach you afterwards? (If so, what was that exchange like?)
LISA: When Hobi came out for the sound check that day, he took his Instagram video then came over to the side of the stage where my husband and I were standing. To my complete shock, he waved and pointed at us as he walked past. I had gone to both Oakland shows by myself and was lucky enough to also have a front row seat for the second night there. At send-off after that concert, I gave Hobi my phone to take a video, and he made a hand heart with me. So, I don’t know if he recognized me from Oakland or if he was just happy to see my husband in the front row.
I would love to ask Hobi when and why he picked me. But I definitely think he chose me before the encore started. During ARMY time, when they show the fan-made signs during the break before the encore, the staff was cleaning up the confetti that had piled up on the floor in front of the barricade. My husband pointed out that they stopped after they got to me. I remember laughing at the thought that it could mean anything, but it secretly made me super nervous when Hobi came back out on stage, and I knew “Equal Sign” was next. Hobi talked for a few minutes, then suddenly he was walking down the stairs. As he got to the bottom step, he glanced over at me, and I remember thinking, “No, there is no way this is actually going to happen!” But it did!
Photo Credit: Lisa’s TikTok account (@gemini_nabi)
Hobi started coming in our direction, shaking hands and nodding his head as he moved down the line of people. As he got to me, he stopped.
Instead of shaking my hand, he grabbed it! In that same instant, he lifted his microphone with his other hand and said, “Thank you for coming.” I managed to reply “Thank you” in a ridiculously high-pitched voice. When I watch the video, there’s really just an instant before he says “Ok, let’s go,” then changes the grip of our hands and starts the song.
But in that moment, I felt like he and I were staring at each other for several seconds before I finally started laughing. I remember him looking back at me a couple of times as he was singing, and I remember the firm, very intentional way he held my hand.
The next thing I knew, I was jumping up and down. I think he started the movement, but the rest was just my pure joy at that moment. Then he gave me the biggest smile, and he headed back to the stage.
(Hobi appears to give “heart fingers” to Lisa before taking the stage for his encore!)
Right after the concert, I walked past a group of ARMYs who wanted to shake my hand because Hobi had touched it. The woman next to me sent me the video she had taken, and one of the people I sat next to in Oakland came up to me and congratulated me. I even had a few people recognize me at my hotel the next day.
AEC: You scored awesome seats at Hope on the Stage LA! With the comeback approaching, any advice to other ARMYs on getting tickets?
LISA: I was just really lucky. I know there were thousands of people trying to buy tickets, and somehow, I ended up with a double-digit number in Ticketmaster’s queue for both Oakland and LA.
AEC: I have to ask, are you planning on attending any BTS comeback shows?
LISA: Yes! I don’t know if I will have the same luck that I had with Hobi’s concerts, but I’m planning to be there somewhere. And my whole family wants to come with me.
AEC: With so many people discovering BTS, what advice would you give to “Baby ARMY” to help them with their journey?
LISA: Falling down the BTS rabbit hole is a crazy, all-consuming experience. Enjoy the ride but remember to eat and sleep occasionally! Also remember that ARMYs who have been around for years still learn new things and discover content they’ve never seen.
AEC: Any final thoughts on Hobi or your Equal Sign experience?
LISA: I just adore Hobi. I am so incredibly grateful for the experience and hope he knows how happy he made me. I will never forget it.
