What better way to celebrate the return of concerts in Manila than watching a few of the biggest names and freshest groups in K-POP right now?
“Begin Again: K-POP Edition” took place last May 29th at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, made possible by CDM Entertainment. The line-up included fresh groups Alice and WEi. It also featured some of the biggest names in K-POP under SM Entertainment, NCT Dream and KEY of SHINee.
ALICE EXTENDS THE SUMMER VIBES
With their bright looks and personalities shining through, the ever-delightful girl group ALICE takes the stage and gets welcomed warmly by the Filipino audience.
The group performed their biggest hits “Summer Dream,” “Jackpot,” “This is Me,” “We, First” and their latest ballad track “Power of Love.” The group also played the Pirate Game with all members participating in the challenges and dares as consequences— which allowed audiences to better see the girls’ lovely personalities.
The girl group assured fans that they’ll definitely come back to Manila, with hopes of performing the songs off of the mini-album that they are currently working on.
BYE BYE BYE WITH WEi
6-member group WEi (pronounced we-i) continued to elevate the crowd’s energy for the night with their powerful performances. With intense choreography and stable vocals (yes, the mics were on!), they definitely swept the Manila crowd away and made us want more.
The group expressed how happy they were hearing loud cheers coming from the Manila RUis, as restrictions prevented their supporters from Korea to express their cheers during their last performance in the country. Like the previous group, the boys also played a game to treat fans with some dares.
WEi definitely got the crowd sweating with their performances of “Twilight,” “All or Nothing,””Bye Bye Bye,” “Super Bumpy,” and “Too Bad.”
ALL SCREAMS FOR NCT DREAM
Definitely one of the crowd's favorite, NCT Dream delivered the big dreams and big thrills for their Filipino NCTzens (us included!). The 5Dream (minus Mark and Haechan) members Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung kicked off their energetic set with hit “Hot Sauce”.
Following the performance, the Dreamies took time one-by-one to greet the green ocean. As a special treat, all members of the group also spoke Tagalog in their most charming ways.
They quickly followed it up with performances of “Dive”, which is the song’s first performance overseas, “Hello Future,” and “Glitch Mode.” The powerful stage got fans wanting more and were left with an assurance that the Dreamies will try their best to come back with a full concert soon.
WORRY NOT, KEY IS HERE
Ending the night is soloist KEY from one of the OG K-POP groups, SHINee. Key proved that he can make the most out of a festival set with a perfectly-crafted setlist and a warm connection with his audience.
He opened his stage with “Saturday Night,” and “Helium,” from his 1st mini album. He spent a few minutes talking to fans, showing his ever-quirky personality by sharing that he already took 2 showers because of the country’s heat.
Moreover, he jokingly shared that his hotel is just 2 minutes away as TMIs. One of the highlights for OG fans of KEY and SHINee was him asking fans what they wanted to hear, and him receiving requests such as “Ring Ding Dong,” and “Replay.” The performer gladly gave fans what they wanted, which had the entire coliseum roaring in cheers. Key ended his set with a motivational dance-track “This Life,” and latest single “Bad Love” with full-production including back-up dancers, which elevated the overall performance of the soloist.
The concert festival is a great reminder to K-POP fans that concerts are making a huge comeback this 2022, with “Begin Again” being the first concert festival to happen in the Philippines after 2 years. It reignited our passion for live music and it definitely made us want more.
Now that we’ve crossed off K-POP in events we’re looking forward to after 2 years in heavy lockdowns this May, we’re definitely keeping our eyes glued on other “Begin Again” experiences. 😉
