Seventeen brought different kinds of energy for each day of their two-day concert last weekend.
On the first night, they were the excited boys who couldn’t wait to talk and catch up with their friends. After all, this is their first meeting in two years.
On the second day, it was all about relishing every moment with the Filipino Carats (their fandom name). You could feel the desire of the members of the South Korean pop act to prolong the moment, as if the usual two-hour and 50-minute concert was not enough time to spend with their fans.
Seventeen made sure that both nights were special.
The sold-out “Be The Sun” (BeTS) concert was held at the Mall of Asia Arena and organized by Live Nation PH. All members of Seventeen—S.coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, Vernon, Woozi, Jeonghan, Joshua, DK, Seungkwan, Hoshi, Jun, The8 and Dino—were present.
Freebies provided by fans were given away outside the venue. Sponsors such as Smart also printed free hologram photos for those who downloaded the GigaLife app. VIU set up a message board for fans to write on—the board was to be given to boys later. VIU carries shows where Seventeen appeared in, such as “Amazing Saturday,” “Mom’s Diary,” “Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-staurant,” “Dogs are Incredible” and “Men on Mission.”
Hot, hot
The screams were deafening from the moment they came out on stage to perform their hit song “Hot,” which was followed by” March.”
“Manila’s energy is no joke,” said performance leader Hoshi. “You guys are crazy and so hot. This has been a long time coming.”
They were the one of, if not the last, foreign acts to perform in the country before worldwide lockdowns in 2020. Back then, S.coups was on hiatus. Their return to the country was met with much anticipation. They fueled the excitement through their social media accounts.
Mingyu posted a photo of the sunset and the Ferris wheel during his walk on Seaside Boulevard in Pasay. Hoshi shared a group photo in his story where they feasted on Jollibee and Mang Inasal inside their hotel room. The8 took a photo on Conrad Manila’s rooftop, while Jun talked about his fascination of the Christmas tree in S Maison.
“I am so lucky that I can be loved here even in Manila. I love your voices, Your (Christmas) decorations are really pretty,” Jun told the crowd.
Learning Filipino words
If they feel right at home, that’s because they came back to where they were two years ago. Jun said it best when he told everyone that “the hotel is the same, the restaurant is also the same, the amusement (park) is also the same. Most importantly, Carats’ love is the same.”
Seventeen also made a point to learn a few Filipino words and not just the usual greetings. When Hoshi raised his hand for his trademark paws-up, the audience followed. On the first day, they even chanted “Horanghae! Horanghae!” meaning “I tiger you”. The idol is a big fan of the striped cat.
When he did it again on the second day, the screams and the jumps of the fans made Joshua say, “Sana all!”
Vocal team leader Woozi did his entire ending ment (“ments” in K-pop-speak are when the idols chat with the audience) in Filipino.
“Na-touch ako. Masaya ba kayo? Kita tayo ulit! Mahal ko kayo. Masaya ako,” Woozi said.
They would come back, they told the fans repeatedly.
S.coups did his ment in Taglish, even giving hints that Carats might see them sooner than they think.
“Masaya ako na-catch niyo ako! We’ll come back as soon as possible. I think I’ll be so happy (if) you guys (sell the show) out like this time. We’ll come back really fast. If I say it like this, you know that there’s something, right?” S.coups said.
Whenever that will be, the curious and the Carats will be there.
Hypnotized
Experiencing Seventeen’s concert once will leave you wanting more. “Manse” and “Left & Right” made fans shake their carat bong in unison. There were crowd pleasers too, such as “Darl+ing” and “Very Nice.” We were also hypnotized by the choreography of “Shadow.”
The subunits’ performances were also an opportunity to enjoy the talents of each member. Vernon and Joshua’s “2 Minus 1” was an enjoyable bop. Then the performance team came out in white and silver to do their magical number of “Moonwalker” before they did “Wave.”
It was a joy to listen to the vocal team as they belted out “Imperfect love” and “Come to Me.”
“Our song was titled ‘Imperfect Love,’ but your love was perfect. I was touched,” said Seungkwan.
Everybody in the audience danced during the hip-hop team’s “Gam3 BOI” and “Back it Up.”
It’s not a Seventeen concert without the playful chaos they bring with them. Their skits sometimes include fights. In Manila, Mingyu and S.coups were at odds.
Chaos
“We get along really well,” they said before they comically stared each other down.
Dino, boosted by the cheers and urging of Carats, danced “Billie Jean.” He would compliment the crowd by telling them, “You guys were singing very well.” Vernon also danced to “Single Ladies.”
It was riotous when S.coups held the autotune mic. He said that he can’t sing very well with the auto-tune. Mingyu grabbed the mic from him before he started belting out a made-up song with the lyrics, “Auto-tune, Auto-tune, auto-tuuune!”
DK would start off his turn with the same “auto-tune” lyrics before urging the Carats to sing “Oh My” with him. When Wonwoo held the microphone, Hoshi went to him and whispered something. He then sang Super Junior’s “Sorry, Sorry” while Mingyu danced with him.
Hoshi, the mood maker, was so impressed that he said, “Manila is the best.”
“Masaya ba kayo? I really had fun. Your energy gives me strength. I hope you will cherish our memories together. Mahal ko kayo,” Jeonghan said.
DK sang the final verse of “Campfire” before wishing everyone to stay healthy until they come back for another concert.
They will be back
“Babalik kami ulit,” DK said. But before he gave up the mic he asked, “Guwapo ba ako?”
The encore marked the start of the party.
“Snap Shoot” became a dance-off, at one point, S.coups even b-boyed (breaking dance). They made those who came in costumes dance with them.
Finally, they performed the never-ending “Very Nice,” described as such because, well, it never ends—at least for the next 15 minutes. They would alternate between talking to the fans and making them jump.
Joshua said, “We’ll be back as soon as possible, guys. Hopefully next time it’s going to be at a stadium.”
Live Nation PH announced that Seventeen is returning on Dec. 17. They will hold their third “Be the Sun” concert in Philippine Arena Bulacan.
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