On February 22, Day6 — Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil, and Dowoon — tore through Araneta Coliseum with their sold-out Forever Young concert.

It had been more than five years since their last Manila gig, and My Days had been waiting. The moment the first duk-duk-tak-tak beats of “Best Part” hit, the crowd detonated.

The energy was relentless from the start. For My Days, this was not just a concert, it’s a long-overdue reunion amplified by adrenaline and anticipation. “Tonight, the energy level in this place is legendary!” Young K mused after a blistering opening run of “Best Part,” “Better Better,” “Healer,” and “Time of Our Life.”

The setlist was a 29-song odyssey through their nearly decade-old catalog, spanning from The Day EP (2015) to Band Aid (2024). A particularly ferocious stretch —”How Can I Say,” “I Wait,” “Love Me or Leave Me,” and “Shoot Me”— had the crowd gasping for breath. There was no time to process, no time to recover, only to feel.

Manila crowds have a reputation for turning concerts into communal spectacles, and this was no exception. “Insane energy, so crazy!” Sungjin called it. The band barely needed to tell the crowd to stay on their feet — hardly anyone sat down to begin with. Every section of the arena was alive, with a tidal wave of screams and stomps as each floor got its hype check. Young K, in disbelief, screamed, “This place is about to go down!”

The country’s notorious singalong status had Young K gushing, “Seriously, you guys know how to sing”. The band looked visibly awed by the harmony, the volume, and the fact that the crowd sang even the non-lyrical parts, like the whistle notes in “I Loved You.”

Then came the waterworks. A fan project from Day6 Philippines paired a heartfelt video with an original composition, leaving Young K misty-eyed and Wonpil in full-blown tears. It was a love letter to the band, a reminder that the emotional lifeline their music provides runs both ways: As Day6’s music heals My Days, may they also find healing in return. Wonpil put it best, sharing, “Everything you showed us today was beautiful and nice.”

Between moments of raw emotion, there was no shortage of sweet chaos. The band humored fan demands for instrument solos, playing with deadpan ease. Near the end, chants of “Walang Uuwi” (no one is going home) turned into an impromptu song. The evening was supposed to end with “Welcome to the Show,” but Day6 wasn’t ready to leave either, so they doubled back, ending full circle with “Best Part.”

There’s new music on the horizon, and Sungjin promised, “The next time we see each other again won’t take this long.” Until then, Dowoon leaves a parting message: “When you are exhausted, make sure to lean on us.”

Words: MAJ