Okay ARMYs, here’s your daily dose of facts-the-world-should-already-know: J-Hope didn’t just make history at Lollapalooza 2022. He rewrote it. And now, Lollapalooza’s own director, Houston Powell, is finally giving that moment the flowers it deserves.
In a recent statement that made the internet collectively scream, Powell admitted that while he’d heard of BTS, he wasn’t really tuned into K-pop until Live Nation casually dropped J-Hope’s name as a last-minute headliner. And because he didn’t fully grasp the tidal wave he was about to unleash, he said yes. Oops. That single yes turned into a festival-defining moment.
What happened next? A phenomenon. A shutdown. An event so iconic, the fandom dubbed it Hobipalooza. Powell now openly credits J-Hope for opening the doors for K-pop at Lollapalooza, acknowledging that his show sparked a massive shift—making space for other K-pop acts to be featured in one of the biggest music festivals in the world.
And let’s be clear: J-Hope wasn’t just “good.” He transformed a Western festival stage into a stadium-level K-pop production with precision, charisma, and energy no one was ready for. The crowd? Electrified. The industry? Shaken. The impact? Permanent.
Fans, as expected, are thriving off this overdue recognition. Social media lit up with well-deserved pride: “NEVER underestimate BTS or ARMY,” “He made history, period,” and our personal favorite: “It’s not Lolla—it’s Hobipalooza now.” Because when you change the cultural weather, you get naming rights.
It’s one thing to be the first K-pop act on a Western stage. It’s another thing entirely to make it so unforgettable that the people running the stage still talk about it three years later.
So here’s your friendly reminder: J-Hope didn’t ride a wave—he created one. Lollapalooza will never be the same, and neither will anyone who witnessed that show.
