Five K-Pop acts gathered under one roof for DNM Entertainment’s I-Pop U 2022 Manila at the Araneta Coliseum on October 21. The concert festival powered through sudden member changes, line-up additions, and technical difficulties to deliver a high-energy party.

Araneta City Cubao has never been more hectic than on Friday, with K-Pop fans from all over the country trooping to the area to see Alice, Xdinary Heroes, Golden Child, WayV, and NCT Dream.

Everywhere you turn, you’ll find fans taking photos of fan projects, distributing freebies, and meeting up with friends. A few days prior, the organizer announced that Bomin of Golden Child and Winwin and Ten of WayV would be absent from the festivities. Nonetheless, expectations were high and the energy was fiery.

The Rundown

Alice took the stage first. The seven-member girl group charmed their way into everyone’s hearts with radiant smiles and positive vibes. It may be the Christmas season in the Philippines, but Alice transported us back to summer with their performances of “ Summer Dream,” “This is Me,” and “Jackpot”.

Rock band Xdinary Heroes is not even a year old, but make no mistake about their talent and stage presence. The beauty of a band is that if they’re great, they’ll sound even better live, which is the case for XH. “Strawberry Cake” in all its high-note rage-filled glory hit us straight in the face. A cover of “Zombie” by their label seniors Day6 instantly turned the stadium into karaoke. If the screams they earned with Jooyeon’s prodding during the member introductions were any indication, they’ve already gained a promising fanbase this early in their career. The crowd was so loud it seemed to render Gaon speechless for a moment. Their seven-song setlist ended with their debut track “Happy Death Day”.

Golden Child were consummate performers on stage – singing clear, dancing sharp, and radiating sunshiny cheerfulness. GolCha, as they’re more commonly called, were the kings of fanservice: completing hand hearts, running around all corners of the stage, crouching down to reach fans, and taking as many phones as they could for precious self-cam footage. The Goldenness fandom did an incredible job in pulling off-block seating. A solid cluster of Runebongs filled one section from Gen Ad to SVIP, and the guys immediately took notice. GolCha performed “Burn It,” Ra Pam Pam,” Knocking on My Door,” “3! 6! 5!,” “Breathe,” “Bottom of the Ocean,” and “Replay”.

The ocean of lightsticks was overwhelmingly neon green for WayV and NCT Dream. After all, it’s unusual to see two units of NCT in one place, more so outside South Korea.

To put it simply – this country is whipped for WayV. The screams were so loud everything else drowned.
Even Xiaojun’s orchestra conducting couldn’t tone down the nonstop roaring resonating on a deafening frequency. Anticipation was thick for their performances. Unfortunately, with Ten and Winwin absent for health reasons, Kun and Xiaojun only sang “Back to You”. Q&A and games took place in lieu of what could have been a spectacle. The group was visibly regretful about not being able to perform for Weishennies. Hendery mentioned being nervous because he wanted to show their perfect side.

Xiaojun says, firmly and reassuringly, “WayV is back now”. It’s a loaded statement knowing what they’ve been through the past year – they’re back in the recording room, practicing in the dance studio, together again after being in different countries, to deliver what they do best as artists. Hopefully, their imminent return also leads them back to the Philippines for their legion of fans who they cherish. Hendery said so himself, without fans they are fish out of water unable to survive.
In the end, WayV handed out roses as “Love Talk” played, with the whole dome providing vocals.

NCT Dream were the night’s headliners, pulling some of the best hits from their excellent discography for the audience: “Beat Box,” “Hot Sauce,” “Dive Into You,” “Hello Future,” and “Glitch Mode”.

Youngest in terms of age but oldest in terms of the debut, NCT Dream’s stages embodied youthful playfulness, just best friends living their best lives performing for an audience that hypes their songs like no other. Jaemin extended an invite for the next time they return, which will definitely be the previously announced The Dream Show 2 concert.

A Grand Catch Up

K-Pop concerts aren’t just about performances, it’s also where fans and artists catch up. After waiting for years, fans of Xdinary Heroes, WayV, and Golden Child finally met their idols for the first time. Alice gave a sneak peek of their upcoming comeback for the single “Dance On” set on October 27. Birthday songs were sung for Golden Child’s Sungmin and WayV’s Yangyang and Winwin, despite the latter’s absence.

There’s a sense of community with every single member receiving cheers as they introduced themselves.
People screamed for groups even if they weren’t fans, wanting to show the artists a great warm Filipino welcome. Communication was almost telepathic. A request for louder volume from the seated area and everyone immediately gets the memo to relay the message to the host. An instruction to not help WayV during games had fans deceiving the group into thinking that every choice to the question was correct.

Sound Setbacks

I-Pop U 2022 Manila was marred with audio problems. The sound from the microphones was either too soft or too loud. Numerous performers would walk offstage to try and get the issues fixed. A constant white noise was present during Golden Child’s stage. It’s a given that K-Pop artists prepare meticulously for performances. Ideally, concert producers should commit to the same level of thoroughness. Audio problems equally shortchange the artists who want to showcase their best and the audience who wish to hear their excellence. It would be fantastic for any local producer to offer an aural experience that is crisp, clean, and consistent.

The I-Pop U 2022 Manila Experience

Through highs and lows, I-Pop U 2022 Manila delivered a party the audience will remember. Gunil of Xdinary Heroes put it best: They’re thankful to fans for matching their energy and they hope it’s an unforgettable moment for us because it’s unforgettable for them.

Words: Marijo Endriga

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The I-POP U 2022 MANILA is presented by DNM Entertainment and YOD Entertainment. Special thanks to DNM Entertainment for the invite to the event.