“Begin Again” Kicks Off K-Pop Concerts in PH with Key, NCT DREAM, WEi, and ALICE
Words and photos by Danica Lacson
Begin Again: K-Pop Edition makes up for the last three years of no K-Pop concerts with an unforgettable showcase of performances from Korea’s top idols and the unwavering love of Pinoy K-Pop fans.
Coming back to the Smart Araneta Coliseum after more than two years since the CoViD-19 pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization seems surreal, but the energy of Pinoy K-Pop fans told us otherwise. They are ready to fill arenas again. They are all set to Begin Again — lightsticks in hand, banners ready, and loud cheers waiting to be heard.
And CDM Entertainment made sure that the wait is most definitely worth it. A new beginning unfolded last May 29 at The Big Dome with Begin Again: K-Pop Edition, featuring SHINee’s Key, NCT DREAM, WEi, and ALICE.
ALICE gift Filipino K-Pop fans with an unforgettable summer dream
ALICE kicked off the concert with “This Is Me”, a track from their fourth extended play Jackpot which was released in 2020. EJ, Do-A , Chaejeong, Yeonje, Yukyung, Sohee, and Karin did not only charm the crowd with their refreshing vocals and lively dances but they also got the Philippines falling for their sweet greetings for their local fans. The girls relayed their happiness to have had the chance to return to the country and bring new members EJ and Chaejeong.
But the girls were only starting. Bringing the energy higher, they took the crowd back to their debut days with their debut song “We, First” from the mini-album of the same title which they followed with “Summer Dream”, the title track of their extended play of the same name.
ALICE definitely had a lot in store for the fans as they also gamely played the pirate game on stage and faced the penalties that came from losing the game, including doing a random play dance and saying cute and sexy versions of “I love you”. Love was felt even more in the air with the girl group’s performance of “Power of Love”, their latest digital single. After showcasing their dream-like vocals in “Power of Love”, they gave an all-out performance of “No Big Deal”.
Before closing their stage with “Jackpot”, EJ, Do-A , Chaejeong, Yeonje, Yukyung, Sohee, and Karin promised to come back to the Philippines and shared their plans of releasing a new mini-album soon.
WEi say hello to PH RUi for the first time thru Begin Again concert
Firing up the concert stage next, WEi made their highly-awaited debut on the Philippine concert stage in Begin Again, opening their stage with their debut song “Twilight” from their first mini-album Identity: First Sight. Daehyeon, Donghan, Yongha, Yohan, Seokhwa, and Junseo expressed their thanks to the Pinoy fans for welcoming them with thunderous cheers, relaying that, due to the CoViD-19 pandemic, concertgoers in South Korea were not allowed to cheer when they had their concert in their homeland.
There was no stopping the boys from giving their all as they showcased a strong performance of “All or Nothing”, before taking a break with a crocodile game. Junseo was the crocodile’s favorite, having to do two punishments in a row which include a random play dance (with all the members joining their maknae) and saying “I miss you” in a cute manner (with leader Daehyeon giving his shot of the punishment too!).
WEi then treated RUi with “Bye Bye Bye” and “Super Bumpy” from their Identity: Action and Love Pt.1: First Love albums, respectively. After giving out their ending meant which is also filled with smiles and promises of meeting Filipino fans again, the boy group ended their stage with their latest song “Too Bad” from Love Pt.1: First Love.
Hello, Future? We want more NCT DREAM in Manila.
NCT DREAM held the last K-Pop concert in the Philippines before the world stood still because of the pandemic. More than two years after, Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung were part of the line-up of the first K-Pop concert in Manila.
In the midst of the preparation for the release of the repackage of their second studio album Beatbox, the boys kept the promise back in 2019 to return to the Philippine concert stage, bringing their latest tracks and being welcomed with the unwavering love of NCTzens.
NCT DREAM opened their Begin Again stage with “Hot Sauce”, their first studio album which was released in 2021 and sold more than a million copies on the first week of its release. The boys then greeted their fans amidst the thunderous cheers that filled The Big Dome.
The boy group reciprocated the warm welcome of PH NCTzens with a special stage of “Dive Into You”. The performance marked the first time they performed the song overseas. Following “Dive Into You”, they treated the crowd with “Hello Future”, earning loud cheers from fans who also sang along.
NCT DREAM closed their stage with “Glitch Mode”, the title track of their second studio album of the same name. The album recorded more than two million copies sold in its first week. Glitch Mode broke the personal record of the boy group they previously set with Hot Sauce.
The boys said their goodbyes with hopeful words of coming back to the country for another concert.
The Almighty Key shines bright in Begin Again
No one does it like Key and that Sunday night was proof that the SHINee member definitely deserves the title “Almighty Key”. The multi-talented star opened his stage with “Saturday Night” from his 2021 extended play Bad Love.
He then shared that his members wanted to come to the Philippines too, adding that they are envious of him for being able to come back to the country and the group’s desire to perform again in the Philippines. SHINee last visited the country for a concert in 2017. Begin Again also marked Key’s first performance as a solo artist here.
Nonetheless, Key shone brightly on every stage as he delivered exceptional performances of his solo songs “Helium”, “This Life”, and “Bad Love”. He also entertained fans’ requests for SHINee songs that brought everyone back to where it all started — “Replay” and “Ring Ding Dong”. The singer even joked that he was not expecting such throwback requests.
Still, with Key as the final performer of the night, Begin Again ended with the biggest blast for all fans and a hopeful spirit that the concert energy is coming back — slowly but surely. The night wrapped up with good memories of the evening that saw us return to The Big Dome. It was a night when we heard the loud cheers of the crowd once again and saw lightsticks color the arena once more.
Begin Again: K-Pop Edition was presented by CDM Entertainment, in partnership with BRODYWORKS. Philippine Concerts would like to extend its gratitude to CDM Entertainment for the invitation to the event.
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