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K-pop boy band Highlight returns to Manila after 9 years for first concert
K-pop boy band Highlight returns to Manila after 9 years for first concert
At A Glance
- Member Dong-woon remembered living and studying in Sta. Rosa, Laguna
After nine years, K-pop idol group Highlight returned to Manila for their first-ever concert that brought back memories for fans.
Highlight’s Doo-joon, Yoseob, Gi-kwang and Dong-woon had a great time performing for their Filipino fans at their “Ride or Die in Manila” concert on Aug. 23 at the New Frontier Theater.
It was on March 19, 2016 when Highlight (하이라이트), under the group name Beast then, held their “1st Fan Meeting in Manila” at the Araneta Coliseum.
Before the 2016 event, Beast performed in Manila on June 19, 2010 at the “K-pop Meets P-Pop” benefit concert at the Araneta Coliseum and held an album signing event.
Their Filipino fans met them again after so many years.
“Long time no see,” Doo-joon greeted the crowd while Gi-kwang said, “I missed you all so much.”
Dong-woon said, “Hello. I’m Dong-woon from Sta. Rosa,” referring to the time when he went to study English in Sta. Rosa, Laguna before becoming a member of Beast.
He added, “So now we are able to meet here in Manila for our first concert! It's been 16 years since our debut. It's actually our first concert here in Manila. You’ve been waiting for a long time, right? As much as you guys are waiting for us, we've also waited for a long time to have a concert here in Manila as well. Thank you.
Yo-seob told the crowd, “Ang ganda niyo (You are beautiful).”
Gi-kwang said, “You know, I'm feeling a lot that everywhere we go around the world, there are a lot of Lights [fans] who are actually supporting and loving us.”
“But Manila is really different. I’m so happy right now,” he added.
He said the concert’s title “Ride or Die” means that “no matter what happens, we'll go together with you. So no matter what happens, you're gonna join us to the end, right?”
Highlight’s setlist for the concert was a mix of different songs that they released throughout their career.
They originally debuted under the name Beast in 2009 with six members. In February 2017, they announced they would start using the name Highlight instead of Beast. They are now composed of four members.
Highlight opened the concert with “Chains,” “Switch On,” “Stay,” “Shadow” and “Sad Movie.” They also performed “We Up,” “Dance With U,” “Hands Up,” “Kimi Wadou,” “Celebrate,” “Dream Girl,” and “Thought I Call Your Name.”
In addition, they sang “Endless Ending,” “On Rainy Days,” “Time (12:30),” “Drive,” “Good Day To You” and “Daydream.”
The two songs that evoked nostalgia among fans were “Fiction” and “Shock,” two of the group’s most popular tracks.
Doo-joon said because of the fans’ reactions, “we can actually visit here next year, right?”
“Actually, I’m not gonna lie but this is the first time that I’ve seen such passionate cheers. I feel good about this show,” he added.
Highlight continued their set with “Feel Your Love,” “Plz Don’t Be Sad,” and during the encore, they performed “Don’t Leave,” “In My Head,” “Follow Me,” and “Freeze.”
Gi-kwang asked the members if they could visit Manila again for travel, what would they like to experience.
Dong-woon said, “Taho! Surprisingly our Manila Lights presented me taho. So I was able to taste taho after a very long time.
Highlight thanked Filipino fans for coming to the show.
“You know it says that it's been nine years since we last visited the Philippines. We're so sorry we came here too late. We'll do our best to come back as early as possible for you guys. If you guys would support us just like today, we'll make sure to come back as soon as possible for you guys, okay? You know, for all the Manila Lights who actually came for us today, mahal kita! Thank you!” said Dong-joon.
Yo-seob said, “Because of your hot cheers and passionate love for us guys, we were able to perform really happily tonight. I had so much fun to the point that, you know, I feel kind of sad that the concert day is only one day. If we get an opportunity to meet you guys again, you know, we'll definitely come back for you guys, so please stay healthy, okay? Salamat po. Mahal kita (Thank you. I love you).”
“You know, I was expecting this passionate welcome from you guys. You know, your cheers are like we don’t need an Energizer [battery]. You know, I kind of feel like I just drank three cans of monster energy drink. Because of your fan chants and love, we were able to truly enjoy it. I don't know how things will actually go, but we'll promise you that we'll be back as soon as possible. I'm giving you my promise. Until then, please stay healthy, wealthy, okay?” said Gi-kwang.
Dong-woon said his neighbors in Sta. Rosa called him Harry Potter because he wore circular glasses.
“Actually though the period was not that long, I was able to study in an area called Santa Rosa. And the neighbors who were living in that house in Santa Rosa actually called me Harry Potter. Because I was wearing circular eyeglasses at that time and they were actually calling me Harry Potter because of that reason,” he said.
“Thank you so much for sending us a magical day and a magical concert,” he said.
Highlight’s “Ride or Die in Manila” concert was organized by O.N Worldwide and co-organized by Three Angles Production.
