Jin's Solo Tour Brings Happiness and a Lot of Fun to Dallas

When BTS’ Jin announced dates for his first-ever solo tour, Dallas ARMY were lucky to have not one but two nights with him this summer.

The #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR, named after his solo variety web series, spanned nine cities, kicking off on June 28 in Goyang, South Korea, and then headed to the U.S. in mid-July. This pair of shows at the American Airlines Center was the only stop Texas got. It was nice that BTS fans didn’t have to drive to Fort Worth this time, given the last major BTS tour was Love Yourself in 2018.

Outside of BTS, Jin joins his members in embarking on a solo career. If you follow them individually, each has extended the BTS imprint through their solo music. J-Hope wrapped up a tour this year, broadcasting live from the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan, for his final show that Dallas fans got to see in theaters. There are also films by Suga, Jungkook and RM that invite viewers into their journey of being global icons through documentary-style interviews, intimate looks at them recording songs and concert footage. Jin, the oldest member and the first to be discharged from his mandatory military service, has turned the variety show format into two hours of fun and sincerity.

By the time we got to AAC for Tuesday’s show, the lines to get in were long after doors opened at 6:30 p.m. There was a photo op available with a cardboard cutout of Jin posing near a mic stand, unsure if it was true to size because he looked tall. Fans were dressed in silly styles in honor of him: Pokémon-inspired outfits and cowboy looks for his song “Rope It.” They brought small gifts to share, called “freebies,” to give to people going in. We got a pair of hearts cut out of construction paper to use for the show later.

As we made our way inside, the first thing that caught our eye was him holding Jin Ramen instant noodles in a booth display that said “Jinjja Love, Jin Ramen,” a K-drama-inspired marketing campaign for his love for the Otoki brand. He was named a global brand ambassador, and because of that, the ARMY gets to eat. “Come grab FREE Jin Ramen after the concert!” a note instructed us. All the singing will make us hungry.

By 8 p.m., a burst of cheers rang through the arena as they realized Jin was on stage. He was wearing a shimmery outfit, his hair down instead of slicked back, with his forehead exposed, and he calmly walked towards a podium with a buzzer on top. He held up his hand and slapped the buzzer. Everything activated at once: the confetti, the pyro and his graphics for Run Jin lit the screens. He danced around to “Running Wild,” celebrating the good times with the ARMY. “Welcome to RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR,” Jin says in English, asking how everyone was doing. “Ah, so excited!”

For just one member of BTS, AAC was packed, with almost every seat taken. After each song, the screams reached deafening levels. He would return the love by staring seductively into the camera and blowing a kiss to the audience, which was met with more screams.

Jin’s songs are melodic, upbeat tunes. When you attend a BTS show of this magnitude, you notice how incredibly diverse the fans are, spanning all ages. Everyone is singing songs like “With the Clouds” and “Falling” in English or Korean. Some are barking at him, which is a chant he’s still confused by. Some fans, like the ones behind us, hit every note in Korean perfectly, getting praise from two girls who have been recording their favorite songs.

When Jin pauses the concert to do the variety show elements, it adds a level of full crowd interaction that you don’t normally see at other K-pop shows. Jin plays games to better connect with ARMY, the first being a type of charades where, if he guesses correctly, he’ll wear one of the outfit options for the next song. It was funny to see the audience attempt to act out the words, as Jin tried to mimic the movements on stage. The outfit of choice for this evening was a taekwondo uniform after a 90-second wardrobe change. He did “Super Tuna,” an uptempo, sun-soaked song about his love for fishing and tuna that shouldn’t be this good. The video sees him pretending to propose to a tuna with a ring, which shouldn’t be taken seriously, but totally should. In another game, he spun a wheel that had a selection of songs. Previous stops had Jin performing “Anpanman” when the wheel stopped. For Dallas ARMY, everyone shouted “Magic Shop.” With screens projecting the lyrics in Korean, the arena turned into BTS Karaoke. Some parts were hard to keep up with if you aren’t fluent in Korean, but overall, Jin was pleased by everyone singing well.

After appearing on stage with a piano to perform his slower, heartbreaking songs like “Abyss” and “Background,” he played another sing-along game in which he sat under a tray. If fans weren’t able to sing it correctly and he guessed wrong, the tray would fall on his head. His expressions when hearing hurried and butchered Korean brought laughter from the crowd. Clearly, he was a pro at looking worried and appreciating their effort. “Are you sure that’s my solo song?” he joked.
Later, Jin changed again to a cowboy outfit. This time, he didn’t run backstage and switched coats in front of everyone, stunning fans with his muscular physique that had them swooning over him. “They are a wee bit feral,” a fan next to us said.

Jin, dressed up in a black cowboy ensemble and his custom-made hat by Turquoise Desperado Hatworks that AAC gifted him, jumped right into “Rope It.” It’s one of those songs that, if you hear it without context, you would probably be upset that a K-pop star is trying to make pop country, diluting its codes and traditions. Here, the fans ate it up, lassoing along with Jin and making this performance truly Texan.

As a teaser to BTS’ new album and world tour in 2026, Jin did a medley of their hits – “Dynamite,” “Butter,” “Mikrokosmos,” and “Spring Day” – then had a moment of reflection. “Thank you, everyone, for coming to the tour,” he says. “It was an amazing night.” Wearing his city jersey that was made for Dallas, Jin stepped out from the darkness to take us home during “Epiphany” and wanted to give a message to his fans. He didn’t want to say goodbye quite yet, as the camera panned the arena to see the many different versions of his fans, from the princess protector wearing a Super Mario Bros. costume to someone holding a Texas flag with Jin’s face alongside Buc-ee's and Whataburger logos.

Just when you thought it was over, Jin had an encore (or two). Speaking in Korean, he asked if anyone was going to work the next day. He hoped his performances were a “sweet break” for us. “As you guys keep working hard in your lives, I will come visit Dallas again and be your sweet break,” he says through a translator. “I’ll continue to work hard.”

He ended on “Moon” and “To Me, Today,” both songs written for the ARMY in mind, showering them with love and telling them to embrace the moment.

But those who remembered the free ramen started lining up early as the final notes of “To Me, Today” played. Hey, we’d get down on one knee to a cup of noodles too.