Five acts converged for a special night at the “I-Pop U 2022 Manila” show on Oct. 21 at the Araneta Coliseum.
K-pop boy bands NCT Dream and Golden Child, Chinese idol group WayV, Korean rock band Xdinary Heroes and girl group Alice headlined the show that ran for three hours.
The coliseum was filled with loud cheers and screams from fans to the amazement of the performers.
ALICE
K-pop girl group Alice (formerly Elris) opened the show with “Summer Dream,” the main track of their 2018 album of the same name.
Alice, composed of Do-A, Yeonje, EJ, Chaejeong, Yukyung, Sohee, and Karin, first performed in the Philippines in 2019 as Elris at the K-pop World Music Festival. They changed their group name to Alice this year.
At the “I-Pop U 2022 Manila” show, they also performed “This is Me” and “Jackpot” from the 2020 album “Jackpot.”
Xdinary Heroes
Korean rock band Xdinary Heroes debuted last December under JYP Entertainment’s Studio J.
Composed of Gaon, Jun Han, Jooyeon, Gunil, Jungsu and O.de, Xdinary Heroes made their debut performance in Manila at the “I-Pop U 2022 Manila” show.
Xdinary Heroes performed “Test Me,” “Sucker Punch,” “Pirates,” “Knockdown,” “Zombie,” “Strawberry Cake” and “Happy Day.”
Members of the group were surprised by the warm reception they got from Filipino fans at the show.
“It was very amazing, guys. Actually it is our first time in the Philippines and I feel so happy with your cheers. We’ll be back for sure,” said Gaon.
Jun Han said, “Thank you so much for the energy just as the energy that we poured to prepare for this concert.”
Leader Gunil said, “You guys made my night. I would like to share my feelings...that I will never forget this moment. It’s a dream come true.”
Golden Child
K-pop boy band Golden Child also made their debut performance in Manila at the show.
They performed “Burn It,” “Ra Pam Pam,” “Knocking on My Door,” “3! 6! 5!,” “Breath,” “Bottom of the Ocean” and “Replay.”
“This is really fun. We actually have our Philippine fans online. And it seems like a dream come true meeting in person,” said Golden Child.
They added, “It took five years for us to come to the Philippines. Listening to your cheers, it seems like the wait is all worth it.”
Members of the boy band had a good time, taking selfies with fans’ phones and interacting with them.
Golden Child debuted in 2017. Members who were present in Manila were Donghyun, Seungmin, Jaehyun, Y, Jangjun, Tag, Jibeom, and Joochan. Daeyeol is fulfilling his military service while Bomin is recovering from injury.
WayV
This was also the first visit to the Philippines of WayV, the Chinese boy band which is a subunit of NCT.
Kun, Xiaojun, Hendery and Yangyang played games and performed a song at the show.
When asked what would be the first thing they would do if they were given free time in the Philippines, Kun said skydiving.
“It’s our first time here in the Philippines. You guys have been so supportive of us. I just hope that one day we can come back,” said Yangyang.
During the dance battle segment, WayV danced to Girls’ Generation’s “Gee,” Red Velvet’s “Red Flavor,” Aespa’s “Next Level” and Super Junior’s “Sorry Sorry.” They also danced to their own song “Kick Back.”
They also played “sipa” and performed “Back to You.”
At the end of their performance, each member gave their messages for the audience.
“It’s been three years. Seeing you guys happy, healthy, so alive, I feel so happy too. I really deeply appreciate you guys waiting for us,” Xiaojun.
Kun said, “It’s sad to say but Winwin and Ten could not join us this time. Next time we will come back.”
“Actually I feel very sad about this concert for today but I promise we will be back. Please wait for a little bit more time. It’s our first time to visit the Philippines. Actually I was so nervous. The reason I was nervous is because I just want to show our perfect side to you guys,” said Hendery.
WayV wrapped up their segment by giving flowers to the fans.
NCT Dream
K-pop boy band NCT Dream became the final act of the show.
Renjun, Jeno, Chenle, Jaemin and Jisung opened their spot with “Beat Box,” the main track of their repackaged album of the same name that was released last May.
They also performed “Hot Sauce,” “Dive Into You,” “Hello Future” and “Glitch Mode.’
“It’s been a long time since we came here. It feels like something new to see here. I’m really thankful for the Philippine Seasonie. Every time we come here, you give us these warm cheers,” said Jaemin.
Jeno said Filipino fans always welcome NCT Dream with loud cheers.
“We actually feel the passion of Philippine Seasonies every time we come here,” he said.
About their special memories in the Philippines, Jisung said, “Actually we visited the Philippines three to four months ago to perform. I actually wanted to come back soon.”
“Actually every time we come here, the meal is really good. I ate a lot, that is why I’m having good energy right now,” said Chenle.
In the end, Jaemin said, “Although it is so tiring and our schedule is hectic, we will come back for sure for the Philippine Seasonies. See you next time.”
The “I-Pop U 2022 Manila” show was presented by DNM Entertainment.
