Pinoy fans enjoy quintuple K-pop treat in I Pop U 2022 Manila
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino K-pop fans had a quintuple treat when South Korean acts NCT Dream, WayV, Golden Child, Xdinary Heroes and Alice came together for the I Pop U 2022 Manila concert.
Presented by DNM Entertainment, the recently-held music festival saw the Smart Araneta Coliseum crowd’s unwavering support for the K-pop idols from start to finish.
NCT Dream’s Jeno, Jaemin, Renjun, Chenle and Jisung marked their second visit to the country this year with their return to the Philippine stage, bringing out the beat with tracks Beatbox and Hot Sauce.
“Every time we come here, the cheers and passion of the Pinoy Czennies are increasing year by year. That’s why it’s giving us energy to perform better,” main vocalist Chenle addressed their fandom who lit up the venue with lime-green light sticks.
The NCT sub-unit also had fans singing along with them during the Dive Into You, Hello and Future performances, before ending the show with Glitch Mode.
“Though it’s so tiring and our schedule is hectic, we’ll come back for sure for the Filipino Czennies,” stated Jaemin.
NCT’s Chinese sub-unit WayV largely charmed the fans through mini-games such as Filipino food quiz and random dance battle while facing funny consequences when they lost.
Hendery, Kun, Yangyang and Xiaojun performed a bit of their 2021 single Kick Back and threw out roses to fans while singing their single Love Talk.
The Xiaojun and Kun also serenaded the crowd with a heartfelt rendition of their pop-ballad Back To You.
The group, minus Ten and Winwin, hopes to come back and perform in front of their Pinoy fans as a whole.
Their agency, SM Entertainment, previously announced that the two would miss the show due to health reasons. Lucas, meanwhile, is still on hiatus following his apology in 2021 over alleged past behavior involving ex-girlfriends.
Meanwhile, for Golden Child, it was “worth the wait” meeting their fans here, also known as Filo Goldennessm, for the first time in person since the group debuted in 2017.
“It took five years for us to come to the Philippines. Listening to your cheers, it seems like it’s all worth it, the wait,” said Seungmin, lead vocalist of the group under Woollim Entertainment.
He and other members Donghyun, Jaehyun, Jangjun, Jibeom, Joochan, Tag and Y showcased high-energy performances of Burn It, Ra Pam Pam, and Breathe.
They also took videos of themselves on some lucky fans’ phones while performing their English language track Bottom of the Ocean.
The 10-member group sans Daeyeol, who is currently fulfilling mandatory military service, and Bomin, who’s recovering from a facial injury, also rendered Replay, and two B-side tracks from their sixth mini-album Aura.
Xdinary Heroes, the six-piece rock band under JYP Entertainment, described their debut in the local concert scene as a memorable experience after receiving nonstop cheers from the Big Dome crowd.
“I would never forget this moment. It’s a dream come true to meet you here tonight,” said Xdinary Heroes’ drummer and leader Gunil.
Gunil, alongside Jungsu, Gaon, O.de, Jun Han and Jooyeon, got the audience hooked with their addictive songs such as Test Me, Pirates and Strawberry Cake.
Concertgoers got more hyped when the rookie group started playing the cover of labelmate Day6’s Zombie and capped off the set with debut single, Happy Death Day.
The I Pop U Manila was also the second time for Alice — formerly called Elris — to hit the Philippine stage this year after the Begin Again concert in May together with NCT Dream.
The only girl group in the line-up of K-pop artists opened their set with the 2018 sweet, summery track Summer Dream and gave fans a preview of Dance On, which was officially released on Oct. 27.
Members Do-A, Chaejeong, EJ, Yeonje, Karin, Sohee and Yukyung also performed 2020 songs This Is Me and Jackpot.
I Pop U 2022 Manila was just among the latest in the succession of events headlined by K-pop artists this year, following the continuous lifting of crowd restrictions brought about by the pandemic.
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