MANILA, Philippines – Three different fandoms flocked to the Araneta Coliseum on Friday, September 24, for the 2022 K-pop Masterz 2 in Manila, but the night ended as just one memorable event to remember for all concert-goers.
Presented by PULP Live World, the three-hour show saw Ahgases, ATINYs, and iKONICs cheer to their hearts’ content for the performances prepared by GOT7’s Youngjae, ATEEZ, and iKON.
The show kicked off with Youngjae, who delivered beautiful back-to-back renditions of his songs “Vibin’” and “Sugar.” And while this is his second visit to the Philippines this year, Filipino Ahgases were still delighted to watch his performance. Even Youngjae himself was ecstatic to be returning on a “bigger and fuller” stage.
ICYMI: GOT7’s Youngjae (@YOUNGJAExArs) kicked off #KPM2inManila by serenading the Filipino Ahgases with “Vibin’.” | via @ysa_abad pic.twitter.com/HLxqBS09tK
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) September 24, 2022
In between his performances, Youngjae also greeted the crowd and participated in some mini-games with host Ryan Bang. For his “TMI” (an expression that K-pop idols use when they share random information about them), Youngjae disclosed that he has written more than 30 unreleased songs and is currently gearing up for his second mini-album.
Ahgases also got sentimental when Youngjae confirmed that he has several GOT7 songs on his personal playlist, such as “Girls Girls Girls,” “NANANA,” and “Never Ever.”
With the concert held just days after his birthday, the Filipino fans also sang “Happy Birthday” to Youngjae – both the Korean and English versions. He also added that he wants to visit Cebu, too, in the future. “It could be fast, it could be slow, but if you just wait for me here, then I’ll be here soon,” he promised fans.
ATEEZ then takes center stage, wowing the crowd with their powerful performance of their newest single “Guerilla.”
The 2022 K-pop Masterz 2 in Manila marks the group’s first-ever show in the Philippines, and the members’ pent-up excitement and energy is palpable as they officially greet their Filipino ATINYs for the first time. After saying their greeting “8 makes 1 team,” the members then individually introduce themselves and share their first impressions of the Philippines.
ATEEZ (@ATEEZofficial) made their much-anticipated debut on the Philippine concert stage with a fiery performance of “Guerilla.” #KPM2inManila | via @ysa_abad pic.twitter.com/EQ4OS1NEwc
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) September 24, 2022
“We can’t wait for our concert here someday,” leader Hongjoong said.
ATEEZ then performed the songs “Pirate King” and “Say My Name,” before they participated in a series of mini-games. The missions include a game of sepak takraw, moving archery, and a relay quiz. The group then capped off their set with “The Real” as they conveyed their gratitude to their fans.
“It’s our first time here in the Philippines and ATINYs were able to give us a warm cheer so we were able to enjoy it very much…. We want to come back here again.… We’re so happy that we’re bringing such happy memories,” the members said in their ending ments.
The night was far from over as iKON finally made their return to the Philippine concert stage after almost four years – opening their set with fiery performances of “Sinosijak” and “Rhythm Ta” that brought the crowd to their feet. “Guess who’s freaking back,” Bobby said.
The emotions of Filipino iKONICs were all over the place. Even the members were surprised by the loud screams, declaring that “Manila is the best” and “[the show] is iconic, this is crazy.” They also acknowledged that they saw several messages from Filipino fans about how they’ve waited for a long time to be reunited again: “It’s gonna explode tonight.”
Filipino iKONICs went wild when iKON (@YG_iKONIC) opened their set with “Sinosijak.” #KPM2inManila | via @ysa_abad pic.twitter.com/oDSpA8OUnd
— Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) September 24, 2022
Taking breaks from performing, the members engaged in an interview segment with host Ryan. Jay sang a bit of his cover of “Dahil Sa’yo” by Iñigo Pascual, Chan talked about trying Filipino food like halo-halo and banana cue, and DK, who recently made his runway debut at New York Fashion Week, give fans a glimpse of his runway walk, with the rest of the members also following suit. As part of a game, the iKON members also shared some of the things they do every morning and once a week.
We could tell that the iKON members were grateful as they watched everyone sing along and wave their lights, with member Bobby even asking the fans to sing his rap verse of “Love Scenario.” “We were worried that you might have forgotten about us,” Bobby told the crowd, adding that the Filipino iKON’s warm welcome reassured him that there was nothing to worry about.
When iKON performed the songs “Freedom” and “But You” for the encore stage – the strong bond between the group and the fans was really evident.
After the concert ended, many attendees – who initially went to the concert for a specific act – confessed that the other performers have now also caught their interest. And isn’t that the magic of K-pop? Sure, we might have our respective biases, and our own fandoms, but at the end of the day, we’re all bound by our love for K-pop. – Rappler.com