Reviews on Nights Dreamed to Last Forever (AON Manila, BB MADE Manila, MTV Music Evo and One K in Manila)
It's true that music unites people by speaking what words fail to express.
And it took twenty four years before I realized that and finally attended a real concert. The first time was really the best one. There were no expectations but the feeling seemed to last forever. From then on, I enjoyed going to concerts with my sister.
Here are the concerts that so far captivated my heart. Credits are hereby rendered to the owners of the photos I downloaded from the internet.
2NE1'S ALL OR NOTHING (AON) MANILA
I was very thrilled when my sister told me that she will treat me with a lower box A ticket for AON Manila. This was our first concert and it was our favorit KPop girl group, 2ne1. Yes, 2ne1!
With the hype of going to Mall of Asia Arena, we went there so early along with the Blackjacks all over the world. And it's a normal thing for Kpop fans to wait in line and have a chat with their fellows. Alongside, we're so busy looking for fan site administrators who were giving away 2ne1 memorabilia, We did not miss that chance too.
As soon as we found our seats, the excitement went wild as we sang along with their songs. I instantly memorized them all because I got goosebumps with all the fans singing along at that time.
When the concert began, there's not even a minute that we sat down. We sang and danced as 2ne1 entertained the whole arena fully packed with Blackjacks who earnestly waited for them. The fun was not over as they celebrated their 5th anniversary in Manila. Their happiness and gratefulness can be felt as they thanked and praised the Filipino fans. They even talked in Tagalog as the Pambansang Krung krung ng Pilipinas, Sandara Park, led the way to let the fans feel the warmth of 2ne1 towards us. It was an ecstatic feeling! My love for them grew and it will never be changed.
As of the time of writing, there were only three of them. The AON Manila was my last chance to see 2ne1 complete. There were no regrets for I saw with my bare eyes the love they have for each other. It was well enough for an ordinary fan like me to stan them forever.
BIGBANG'S MADE CONCERT
It was the second concert that my sister paid so we can enjoy watching together. I felt so guilty for her to be with me in the general admission section. She was supposed to line up in the VIP ones but due to my budget issues, she was forced to be with me. But, I was very thankful for this rare chance to see Bigbang live.
It was also the second time that BB visited Manila. The first one was on 2012 when I did not know them at all. We chose to go to our Palawan trip rather than watch BB Alive Tour. And with BB Made Manila, we went to MOA before it opened. We met VIPs who were trading stuff and also fansite admins who were distributing BB merchandise. Luckily, we completed all 5 members' memorabilia. We may be sitting in the gen ad section but the fun we shared was same with those in the VIP ones. We may not saw them in the sound check and meet and greet but we saw them up close when they arrived at the MOA arena for the rehearsal.
Still, AON Manila still ranks 1 in my heart since BB MADE has a lot of gaps where we sat and waited for them to be on stage. We sang along with the Bigbang all time and hottest hits.
And it was a bonus moment that Dara was also there to support them. She came at the middle of the concert and went out before the ending. Seungri greeted her along with the other members. Many Daragon or Appler fans shouted and we were also among those who almost fainted when GD somehow waved at her and sang Daragon in one of his songs. The night was so complete right then and there.
GD and Dara made our night not only with that interaction but because of the unexpected hangout with friends right after the concert. GD met with Dara in the Palace Pool Club to celebrate his birthday along with Dara's Filipino friends. Many attested this and we were so delighted that GD, despite being so tired, found time to be with Dara before leaving Manila. Our Daragon hearts were about to burst with excitement and love for them.
SUNGHA JUNG LIVE IN MANILA 2016
I began listening to acoustic songs at times when I felt so stressed. The sound of guitar calmed me then. And among my favorite acoustic stars in Youtube, Sungha Jung stood out. It's a plus factor that he did a collaboration with GD and 2ne1.
When we heard the news that he will have his second concert in the Philippines, we immediately bought tickets to watch him in Newport Performing Arts Theater.
At first, we saw how simple the stage was. But, the whole black ambiance turned into a shining one when Sungha Jung entered along with his precious guitar.
He politely introduced his songs which garnered praises from the audience. We fell in love with his version of Ed Sheeran's Photograph and BTS' Butterfly. And what wowed us that night was that he made his Filipino fans the first ones to here his version of Justin Bieber's Love Yourself.
As music lovers, we really enjoyed how Sungha Jung maintained his astonishing talent surrounding the whole venue. It was a bonus for us to see him up close after the concert.
MTV MUSIC EVOLUTION 2016
It was pure luck this time but it was my sister's luck of course. The night before the MTV Music Evolution Manila 2016, she won two tickets from GIST PH.
I immediately asked permission from my boss to go to Manila so I will not be caught in traffic during the rush hour. I arrived in MOA before 3pm which was the time for claiming the tickets. At 4pm, I finally got our general admission tickets. I waited for hours before my sister arrived at the area. It was past 7pm when we went in the concert grounds. The concert was indeed wet and wild. The rain was pouring hard. We were lucky enough to go inside when the rain stopped and we stayed in a tent selling water bottles. We enjoyed all the acts included in the line up.
MTV VJs Alan Wong, Hanli Hoefer and Yassi Pressman and Andre Paras hosted the event.
The starting act was the Pinoy Pride duo of Gary and Gab Valenciano. The pure energy poured and the rain did not stop them at all. The chemistry was undeniably beyond words for this father and son tandem.
The real life couple, James Reid and Nadine Lustre collectively called Jadine, made the crowd go wild as their love through songs was easily felt by the people around them. They fondly called each other as partner in crime and love of my life. The smiled were not removed from our faces as we enjoyed seeing them dance, sing and tease on stage. And I forgot to say that we're Jadine fans.
It was so surprising that we were transformed into Bebe Rexha's fans as we were mesmerized by her beauty and talent. She revealed that she was discovered by Eminem and was later own became a renowned singer and composer. She sang Monster and her other hit songs drawing the people's attention and love towards her craft.
We may not be Pink Pandas to adore APink but this Kpop group deserved the warmth of Filipino fans who prayed for their first concert in Manila. Their performance may be short but they made sure that it will be something that Filipinos will never forget. The fan chant and surprise pink confetti made the night incomparable to other music festivals.
Far East Movement is known for its EDM and they got into me because of Like a G6. The love grew when enthusiastically performed in front of the Filipino audience. The concert grounds transformed into a bar as the effects and their music combined to create the ambiance of going wild during the concert. My heart was pound and we unleashed our wild selves dancing to their music. By the way, we grooved our way to the VIP section o the mosh pit when most of the APink fans went home after their performance. KPop is indeed a huge thing in the Philippines.
And my most awaited part of the concert came. It was a dream-like experience to see One Republic so near and to sing along with their songs. There were flash backs suddenly when I sang Apologize and Counting Stars. We were all smiles when we saw them and they were worth the wait as the last performers of the night.
To sum it all, MTV Music Evo was a night full packed with talented people and a moment that will remain in my thoughts for a long time.
2017 GLOBAL PEACE CONCERT 'ONE K IN MANILA'
It was indeed a unifying star-studded night last March 2, 2017 in Manila because of the first K-Pop show in the country, One K in Manila, that happened at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The lineup of artists made us decide to buy tickets immediately. The show made it possible to let Filipinos and other KPop fans to see AOA, BTOB, B.A.P, B1A4, CN Blue, SHINee and PSY in one stage.
Thanks to One-K Global Campaign Organizing Committee, consisting of 850 domestic NGOs including Action for Korea United (AKU) for starting the civic-led unification movement One-K Global Campaign in 2015 to seek global support for unification.
It was the first time that the campaign was brought outside South Korea. This year, the committee did a collaboration with internationally renowned producers, Jimmy Jam, terry Lewis and American singer-songwriter, Peabo Bryson and various acts from South Korea.
From this successful effort, we enjoyed the night with the aim of unifying Korea as one.
The show opened late since it started at around 9pm. The fans forgot the long wait when the first Kpop group showed up on stage. B.A.P opened the show and set the standard high for the night as they performed their hit songs Skydive, One Shot and No Mercy.
Next to them is B1A4. Filipinos went wild when they saw Jinyoung who portrayed Kim Yoon-sung in Moonlight drawn by the Clouds. The rest of their time onstage were filled with awe when they sang Beautiful Target, What’s Happening? and Baby Good Night.
AOA's Seoulhyun and Shinee's Minho were the hosts of the night. We're lucky to have witnessed this rare chance.
The only girl group in the show did not bring down the bar. AOA heated up the floor with their sexy performances of Mini Skirt, Excuse Me and Heart Attack.
Aside from the performances of each group, there was a surprise stage set for the Filipino fans. One K Global Peace Concert relived the 2009 era of going crazy because of Boys Over Flowers. B.A.P’s Daehyun and Youngjae performed the well-known official sound track (OST) of the drama, Paradise originally by T-Max.
Not only did the Filipinos miss BOF, more Korean dramas were reminisced then. B1A4’s Sandeul also performed Swallowing My Heart, his OST from ‘Moonlight Drawn By Clouds‘.
Everybody thought that Gummy was there because AOA’s Choa perfectly sang her song You Are My Everything from ‘Descendants of the Sun'.
And one of the highlights of the show was the performance of Freddie Aguilar's Anak. The song is popular also in Korea that even KPop idols are familiar with it. Eunkwang and Hyunsik wowed the crowd with their special stage and even had a Tagalog accent throughout their singing.
The crowd also missed how the septet, BtoB or Born to Beat, make the people feel hyper. The memory of Goblin was still fresh that there were loud screams every time Sungjae performed. He also greeted in Visayan language. They were really born for the stage since they made the audience sang along with I’ll Be Your Man, Beep Beep and Wow.
CNBlue is the main reason why we attended One K. There were no regrets since our OT4 exceeded our expectations particularly the fan service king, Young Hwa. They made the audience jive with Can’t Stop, You’re So Fine and Cinderella.
The audience became sentimental with the banner "Shinee, You are worth the wait!" It was the first time for Shinee OT5 to perform in front of Filipino ShaWols. Shinee did not fail them and everybody else when they sang View, Everybody, 1 of 1 and An Encore.
It was Psy who performed last. He rocked the whole MOA Area with his world-renowned songs, Gentleman, Napal Balji, Father, Daddy and of course, Gangnam Style.
The night ended well with lots of memories. My sister and I adored all the groups that we suddenly became a multifandom girls aside from being YG stans for a long time.
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