Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert: A Dream Come True
JANUARY 19, 2013. FINALLY, WE MEET.
Warning: Very, very, very descriptive. Sorry for the wrong grammar hehe.
TIP: If you don't want to read the whole part, I suggest you read: Manila Hotel Stalking and Concert Proper. These two are the main highlights of that day.
Introduction
Dream Kpop Fantasy Concert. 6 Kpop artists. At the Mall Of Asia Concert Grounds. Thousands of fans gathered to watch their idols in one spectacular night. Who would've thought that the Philippines will be this BLESSED with such an event? It was really a dream come true for us PH fans.
Especially for me.
Arriving
It was about 8:00am when we reached Mall of Asia (MOA).
Note: The concert will start at 6pm. Yeah, we waited for 10 dreadful hours.
All of us were giddy and excited for tonight. I was literally all the air I can breathe since my mind was set that "WE ARE NOW BREATHING SAME AIR". Infinite, Tahiti, and Ukiss were already in our land so why not preserve the glorious air in a plastic bag? Lol.
As we reached the concert grounds... It was jam packed. I was surprised with the crowd's number, and I kept on thinking, "Did they sleep here last night to get in line first?" or "Wow. They are not excited. o.o" Fortunately, the gates were divided according to Section: VIP Section, Gold Section, Silver Section and Bronze Section. Each gate had its own line.
We immediately went to the Gold section and secured us a place in line. I noticed the fans were so prepared with light sticks (mostly pink sabers) and banners. Seeing that sight, I couldn't help but to be excited as well.
This was it. The day I was waiting for. The day I will finally meet Girls' Generation and witness an epic concert from them.
I felt that everything was a dream, considering the countless number of people queued in line, the scary bouncers glaring at the fans and the feeling of their presence arriving in our very own country. It was surreal.
We chatted, spazzed and did nothing in particular as we waited for the opening. That's when a friend of mine approached me and told me that we are going to Manila Hotel (where EXO and SNSD are supposed to be checking in) and see them in person.
Who am I to reject? I yelled "YES!".
Manila Hotel Stalking
We arrived at the hotel by taxi at 9:00am. We were shocked at the sight. There were only a few fans waiting outside the hotel. They were SONEs and EXOTICS.
"Can you see what those koreans did to us?" I thought hilariously. Koreans were manipulating our lives and we like it. Lol.
Long story short, the fans were squealing at EVERY TINTED-WINDOW VAN and thinking that they were SNSD or EXO. Guards were laughing at our desperate measures but of course, WHO WOULDN'T. Exo was in the hotel. EXO. EXO. EXO. Sigh.
Someone from the hotel said that EXO was eating their breakfast and that Sehun played with the elevator. Dork.
Then around 12pm, squeals and screams could be heard from the other side. Without thinking twice, I ran towards the direction and... GOD.
The guards let the fans in to catch a glimpse of EXO. K and M.
Again, without thinking (lol), I ran towards the shuttle bus and saw a familiar side profile leaning on the window.
I THINK IT WAS SUHO, MY VERY OWN BIAS.
I can see through the tinted windows that there was a camera inside. Someone was filming our craziness. OH. MY. GOD.
I didn't care. The camera was shooting in front of me, I shouted like a mentally disabled person. While the shuttle bus was moving, I was running beside it as the other fans were trailing behind me. Hehe.
Then, they left the hotel. Gosh, my adrenaline was pumped up. After waiting for 3 hours, we achieved something :)
We waited until 2:00pm, still no SNSD, the girls who I am mostly expecting to see. Some said their flight was delayed and that they will come around 2:30pm. We then decided to go back to the Concert Grounds since we heard that the gates were getting ready to be opened.
Queued/Rehearsals
As we were waiting in the official line, mics were being test from the grounds. Fans screamed and ran towards the gate, where unfortunately a black cloth was blocking the views. Hopeless, the fans just stared at the silhouette while guessing who was rehearsing.
Then that familiar line boomed through the speakers.
"Careless, Careless. Shoot anonymous, anonymous. Heartless, mindless, no one who care about me."
*Insert piercing and deafening screams from the fangirls*
EXO WAS REHEARSING.
Okay, blah blah they practiced Mama, What Is Love, Angel, History then Hawak Kamay - a famous Filipino song :) We spazzed and spazzed while I took time to appreciate their effort in learning a tagalong song. Amazing.
Now, where was SNSD? I was playfully ranting on how late they were and that they were influenced with Jessica's motto. But of course, I know their hectic deadly schedule. They must be so tired. I hoped that they can appreciate what us fans will do for them later *wink*
Opening of the Gates/Concert Grounds
Not much, we from the first line so when we got in, we had a good spot. It was better than expected. I thought our Gold tickets will secure us a very far view but OMG. It was close. Close enough to see them without binoculars --- but I brought one anyways.
I can't believe we were already here. We are about to see 6 kpop artists in one epic night. This was too good to be true.
Not just 6 ordinary kpop artists.
One of them is Infinite - the group I've been eyeing on because of Dongwoo and Hoya's Special Girl. Damn, they are hot.
Another one is EXO - God knows how much I love Suho. And Luhan. And Chen. And Kai. And everyone. Just freaking everyone from the group. It's hard to choose, I know some of you have the same problem. Hehe.
AND OF COURSE. The girls who brought me into this bizarre world.
GIRLS' GENERATION - The only group, I REPEAT, the ONLY group that can make me cry, laugh, spazz, dance, sing, shout, scream, smile, blush, jump, dig, eat, exercise, spend money, and many more.
99% of attending this concert is for SNSD. Nothing else.
After a few hours, fans were shouting from outside. Some group must've arrived. I thought it was SNSD but gah, it was Ukiss. Yeah, false alarm.
Sunset. The concert started. Exactly 6pm.
Concert Proper
1. Mike Chan
He performed first to warm the fans up. He is a Filipino singer, and I just discovered that during the concert. -.-
2. 19 DKFC Finalists
These are the 19 winners from the contest before DKFC. The performed a mash-up of Kpop songs such as Lucifer, Mirotic, Bonamana, The Boys, and many more. They surely had the fans warmed up haha.
3. INFINITE
OH. MY. GOD. When they appeared from the stage, PH Inspirits were hyped and raised their yellow lightsticks while screaming. I raised my pink lightstick (lol) and screamed as well.
They came out in white outfits, looking like godlike creatures. They performed their first song: The Chaser. Fangirls became pregnant, I can tell.
After the song, the MC came out and asked Infinite to introduce themselves.
L was sooooo handsome! Sungjong was glowing on the stage. Hoya was sweating, I wanted to his sweat off but hehe. Woohyun was so cute doing all those fanservices ahhahhaha!!! Seungyeol was smiling his pearly white teeth while looking like a prince. Sunggyu was also smiling, he is such a cutie grampa. Dongwoo was... sigh... being Dongwoo. He was dorking on stage with his glorious pink hair.
Then they performed many more: some ballad I don't know and some song I also don't know. Pardon my cluelessness, I'm still a new born. The last song was Be Mine, sending the crowd to pure ecstasy. They were handsome, cute, hot and cool. They look like princes --;
4. TASTY
The rookie twin-membered group. They were sooooo cute! All I can remember was:
Daeryong: "We don't look alike! My face is different, see-" Then he positioned his face next to his twin, Soryong and both smiled at the same time. Despite their low popularity in the PH, they captured the fans' hearts with this cute gesture. They were adorable, I swear. I wish they could be successful *teary-eyes*
They performed You Know Me, it was catchy. I liked it hehe. And then they performed another one, I don't know the title. They also received a bouquet of roses from their fanclub here in the PH. Their gratefulness was too cute to handle ugh. Why are Koreans so charming.
Commercial: Please bear with me. SNSD is the last performer hehe.
5. UKISS
OMFG. KEVIN. KEVIN. KEVIN. He was everywhere. I'm so sorry but I don't remember what happened in full details. I was calming my friend down since she was literally shouting out her lungs to call Kevin. She was yelling like a crazy old woman. During the Manmanhani perf, she sat down and took heavy breaths. The bouncers were laughing at my friend, she was shameless at that time. But I know it was worth it for her.
6. TAHITI
They appeared on the stage with After School's Flashback-like outfits. They were H O T. The fire effects from the stage added fuel to my feelings. Tahiti sang good, they enjoyed their performances :) I also heard that we are their first overseas concert. I couldn't help but to feel proud and happy for them. They really enjoyed, I can see.
One was running around the stage despite her tight dress, shaking hands with fans with contented smiles plastered on their faces. I also hope that they will be successful, along with Tasty.
They performed Hasta Luego. It's a good song, try listening to it sometimes :) And then Tonight. They also sang Gangnam Style Hyuna Ver, they were so good at it. Is it me or koreans dance flawlessly? Then they sang Wanna Be by Spice Girls. By the way, they speak english fluently. Cool.
What touched me most was one of their members cried while perfoming. She must be overwhelmed with the number of fans present. It made me cheer for them more, they were really having a good time performing.
AND NOW, THE MOMENTS YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.
7. EXO
CARELESS CARELESS SHOOT ANONYMOUS ANONYMOUS HEARTLESS MINDLESS NO ONE WHO CARE ABOUT MEEEE~
The fans roared in response seeing Exo live for the first time. While they were performing Mama, let me describe their looks:
CHEN. Oh my Chen TT TT He was ing handsome. SMent really looks for physical appearance. He was the prince of my dreams, the way he sang... I think I was impregnated. His eyebrows, his face, his sweat... Perfection.
LUHAN. Baby Luhan omg TT TT He is handsomely adorable I just want to take him home. His eyes... Gah. I think he took my soul, his voice was sooooo smooth! His hair was very... distracting. His face was already small yet his gorgeous blond hair was covering half of his profile. Whatever, still cute.
LAY. Yi freaking Xing. His sharp face was so handsome :( The way he smiled, the way he danced, the way he sang... HANDSOME. COOL. SMOOTH. LOVEABLE. PERFECT.
XIUMIN. GAH YOU HANDSOME BAOZI!! His face... Help me with this. I just want to squish every part of his face. His chinky eyes... I don't know if he was looking at me (lol) or what.
TAO. Tao was handsomely quiet. The way he removed half of his jacket to show his shoulder blades, I heard ovaries exploding. And when he did his wushu thingy, uhh. I can't believe I saw that with my own eyes O.O
KRIS. Oh my Kris. :( He was very funny last night. Very handsome, TALL (I mean it) and charismatic. I promised myself to laugh at his pointy chin but I was too busy staring at his eyes and eyebrow. How could someone be more perfect?
Example of Kris's humor:
Kris: It's hot in here!
Fans: Woooo!!
Kris: Not you guys, okay!
Fans: ...
Kris: Okay, I'm just kidding. *smiles* YOU GUYS ARE HOT!!
Fans: *dies*
Then, EXO-K.
SEHUN. Gray haired Sehun. I can't believe I saw this handsome creature yesterday. Too bad he didn't do aegyo throughout their part, but still... It's freaking Sehun.
CHANYEOL. Still not sinking in my mind that I saw this derpy man. He was sooo handsome. H A N D S O M E. Speechless.
BAEKHYUN. His voice. His presence. His everything. He was very very very handsome TT TT I never thought I will see him in person. The smoothness of his voice was piercing through my soul, he was really talented. Lol, heck why am I saying this.
D.O. Kyungsoo's cheeks :( When the camera caught his side profile, his cheeks were so fluffy and were protruding out of his face. I just want to run up on stage and pinch his cute cheeks. His eye, his round eyes O.O He was adorable doing all those fanservices. HE'S HANDSOME!! *squeals*
SUHO. My bias. Gosh, I laughed out loud at his outfit! The others were wearing sparkly jackets and pants while Suho was in full white clothes. He looked like he was going to bed or smth. STILL HANDSOME. I never noticed his eyeliner before, he looked good with it. I love him so much. He looked gloriously happy throughout the night.
KAI. HOT. HANDSOME. NOT DARK. If he was dark skinned, I would probably made out of charcoal. He was so hot. I'm so sorry for the fans but I want to kiss him. He was wearing a sleeveless shiny shirt, showing off his bulgy muscles. How can he seduce me in a matter of seconds.
EXO K and M are HANDSOME. Obviously lol. They did a lot of fanservice, maybe they were satisfied with the number of fans waiting for them.
During the talk.
MC: Exo might surpass SJ right?
Exo: *shocked while disagreeing*
Audience: Oh. *Awkward silence - disagreeing too*
MC: *changes topic* They will be big like SJ, SNSD, DBSK and BoA right?!
Well, I'm not a hardcore ELF but I think what she (the MC) said was wrong. She shouldn't have said that. Lol, she's digging her own grave.
EXO performed Mama together, then Angel by EXO K, What Is Love by EXO M, Open Arms (omfg Chen's voice was so good), then Hawak Kamay :) Chanyeol and Lay played the guitar skillfully while the singers sand with much passion. They pronounced the tagalog lyrics very well, I really appreciated their effort in learning this song despite the language barrier. Then lastly, they performed History together.
Honestly, I can't focus at EXO anymore. My heart was beating so fast and my mind was reminding me for the next group. I held on the barricade tightly as I my Pink Lightstick once again. This is it. The moment I've been waitng for. The very moment I've been desiring ever since 2011.
Finally, I will see the 9 members of Girls' Generation.
8. Girls' Generation
Fans were chanting, "GG! GG! GG!" while the lights were still closed. I yelled along, feeling the thrill throughout my system. This is going to be awesome, I can feel it.
Considering the facts that I've only watched them via internet and computer for 2 and a half years, that I've only seen them through posters, albums and photos, and that I've been patiently waiting for this day to come. God blessed me with so much blessings.
Then there they are, the 9 members of SNSD walking towards the center of the stage wearing their IGAB costume --- the one they wore during the V Concert. Despite the darkness, the pink lightsticks created the first PH Pink Ocean that lighted the night. I think we surprised the girls, maybe they thought we were few. Well, they were wrong.
They fell in line with Yoona in front. Yes, Genie. Yoona was waving her slim arms to the crowd, sending us into another level of excitement. I shouted my heart out, joining the thousands of fans cheering for our favorite kpop group.
"That's right, come on!"
"Sowoneul Malhaebwa..."
"MALHAEBWA!!!!!!!" The bouncer in front of me flinched at the loudness of my voice. I shouted each fanchant with much fervor and support, finally I was one of their audience. Well, I sang along with them while yelling the fanchants.
Then Yuri's part came in.
"KWON YURI!!! KWON YUUUURIIII!!!" I shamelessly called her in vain, I finally saw with my eyes the inspiration of my life. Kwon Yuri.
When the chorus part came, that was the time I cried. I broke down into tears. Yeah, it was supposed to be a happy song but hearing it live for the first time, seeing them dance in synch for the first time, witnessing their talents and passion for the first time... I crumbled. It was all so surreal. My mind couldn't process what I was experiencing, I only thought of seeing them in flesh and blood. I was also breathing the same air as them, stepping on the same soil as them and being in the same place as them. I never thought I will actually see them in person.
Then I noticed while I was bawling my lungs out during the second chorus, 4 large sized bouncers were in front of me, eyeing my pathetic appearance with concern. One even walked up to me and asked me, "Don't faint, okay?" I replied with my hoarse voice, "I'm fighting it, I won't faint don't worry." Of course, all are in our language.
"PHILIPPINES! Put it back on!" Tiffany yelled. I can't believe it. I thought I was dreaming. It seemed impossible but she actually did it. Now my feels became worse as I cried like a baby, gripping tightly at my friend's arm. Then hearing Taeyeon's powerful voice in person was the best eargasm I've ever had. Well, their whole perf was eargasm.
After Genie, I sat down and held the bars with tears kept rolling down from my eyes. I was not yet over with it then The Boys played. I immediately stood up and raised my lightstick so high and sang with them again. This time, with a huge smile across my face. Those bouncers must've thought I was a bipolar piece of crap. I couldn't care less. I sang The Boys with our girls and witnessed their powerful choreography. WTH, best girl group no doubt.
Then Hoot performance. I was literally restless. I keep on shouting and yelling and screaming! I was getting lightheaded but I fought with all my might. I shouted Yulsic too, lol. Since they were singing partners throughout the song.
After the perf, there was a small talk. SNSD introduced themselves. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE I HEARD IT WITH MY OWN EARS, IN PERSON.
SOSHI: Hana, deul, set!
Audience: Annyeonghaseyo! So Nyuh Shi Dae Imnida!
SOSHI: *laughs*
We made them laugh. OMG. We introduced with them lol.
Then the MC came. She said some things that made the crowd go wild like, "GIRLS' GENERATION, EVERYBODY!" Just a simple announcement yet the crowd yelled in response.
SNSD came in late. SNSD didn't have any rehearsals. SNSD performed their first two songs. SNSD still received the best cheers. Indeed, majority of the crowd were waiting for them.
MC: You guys should look at them real close, they look like living dolls!
Audience: *cheers loudly*
Then they are asked to introduced themselves. One by one. My ears were not deceiving me, it was really happening. Taeyeon. Jessica. Sunny. Tiffany. Hyoyeon. Yuri. Sooyoung. Yoona. Seohyun. They spoke in english while introducing. During Yuri's introduction, I pushed myself up and yelled the loudest "KWON YURI" I've ever shouted.
Maybe that explains why I can't hear my voice right now -.-
Tiffany said his brother and his family were watching the concert and were living and working here in the Philippines. I was shocked, I didn't know that. But what surprised me most was Tiffany's statement.
"It's nice to be back here!" WTH she's a ninja. How come we didn't know she already came here for a few times?
Tiffany did all the talking, as expected from manager Hwang.
"Concert! Concert! Concert!" We yelled in petition.
Fail Tiffany heard it as "Closer!", that's why they walked nearer the crowd. I just have to laugh at that.
Tiffany said, "I know you've waited for us long enough right? That's why you're holding up the sign 'We thought YOU'D never COME..'" Aww. Tiffany noticed our banner project.
After a while, the MC spoke up again.
MC: GUYS, tingnan niyo si Sunny! Ang cute-cute niya oh!
(translation: Guys! Look at Sunny, she looks so cute!)
Sunny: *clueless but adorable*
Sunny skyrocketed on my bias list. I don't have a list anymore. To SNSD, have fun fighting for the #1 place in my heart. Sunny was so cute and small and fluffy. I didn't expect her to be THAT cute. I think I can keep her in my pocket and take her home.
Jessica also sang a short part of Someday, a Filipino song with english lyrics. Her voice in acapella was magnificent. I just want to listen and cherish the moment.
After the short talk, they will perform a supposed to be secret song. But they were dorking around singing, "Yeah~ Yeah~ Yeah~" Omg. Dancing Queen.
Then Tiffany just had to ask after teasing us, "Can you guess our next song?"
They now performed Dancing Queen. We sang along again, maybe it's our country's trademark: Fanchants while singing along. Haha.
After the Dancing Queen, fans were cheering for "I got a boy! I got a boy!" But Sooyoung's korean voice suddenly sounded from the speakers. She was talking so fast with her members like she was suggesting something. I swear, her voice sounded like an Ahjumma in a hurry. I laughed so loud when I saw her huddling the others like they were planning something.
Sooyoung reminded them to perform Gee first before IGAB.
"Listen Philippines! Thank you all for coming tonight~" I died. I resurrected.
I'll describe them here.
Honestly, I didn't feel Taeyeon at all. She must've been tired from all the performances and flights. Well, she still sang well despite the crappy mic again. She danced with the same swag. But watching this in person was 9999999999x better than youtube. And it's Kim Taeyeon. She was in the same location with me. How often is that.
Jessica was so pretty. She looked like a doll. Good thing she was hyper and moving around. If not, I will take her home and put her inside our freezer. She might melt. After seeing her, I can't help but to feel emotional. I don't know why, but she had this impact on me.
Sunny, as I said earlier, was cute and small. She looked the same in MVs or shows but 9999999999x better in person. Her blue hair made her look like a living cotton candy. I take every word I said about Sunny being weird looking, she is definitely an adorable person inside and out.
Tiffany was showing her eyesmile everywhere. She was on killing spree. I believe all of the fanboys died haha! She was so beautiful in person. She was also waving every now and then to the fans. Sigh, what have you done to us Hwang. Her legs were so slim. Her hair was fabulous.
Hyoyeon DEFINITELY looks so gorgeous in person. Her tummy, oh god her tummy. It was so flat! My friend from the VIP section said that she wanted to touch it but of course, she couldn't. Haha! And her dance moves!! It was so much better watching it live. The way her blond hair flows... *drools*
Sooyoung was y. She was thin y. She was beautiful. I can't believe I saw that Shikshin in real life. Although her voice sounded like a machine gun earlier, her singing voice was another eargasm. They are really talented. And boy, she was tall. O.o I think we all know that.
Yoona was sooooooooooooooooooooooooo pretty!!!!!!!! I can't even say anything else! Her face was unique, her tummy was flat with abs and her smile was breathtaking. Speechless. Why did God create such an inspiring beauty?
Seohyun was thin! Her face tells otherwise, since her face was chubby, but her body! o.O Why are they so thin? And also her voice! Too much eargasm. Fans cheered loudly for our maknae haha! She was so cute in her outfit. She's as tall as Sooyoung.
Lastly... Kwon Yuri.
Her body. Her waist. Her hair. Her face. Her legs. Her dance moves. Her smiles. Her eyes. Her voice. Her presence. Her everything. That moment she waves her body or whatever... I screamed my lungs out. I want to meet her personally and confess my undying love for her and her group. The way she smiled throughout the performances, I felt she was really enjoying that night. Her tummy... it was strangely hot. She's y.
After the Gee perf, they went backstage to change their hand mics to head mics. When they appeared once again, the familiar beats blasted through the speaker then...
"AYO GG!!"
That was it. The crowd's energy increased and sang again with the 9 legendary girls. Seeing IGAB in live, it was really a different feeling. I felt like I was watching it in youtube without buffering... but in 5 dimensions. lol. They didn't sing it live. But their dance was really good. The effort they put in dancing, I still can't get it. How can they manage their energy?
After IGAB perf, they said their thanks. 30mins of SNSD ecstasy. I think they are in a hurry. They have inkigayo on the next day. I wish they have more time here and rest. -.- They didn't even check in the hotel. From the airport, they went straight to the concert. After concert, they immediately went back to Korea -.-
We shouted, "We want more! We want more!" but unforntunately, they were obviously in a hurry. They bowed for the last time before exiting the stage. It was over. I was still in cloud 9.
After Concert/Going Home
As the MC thanked the sponsors and such, I sat down on the ground and stared at nowhere. I fixed my things mindlessly as the crowd exited the grounds. It was really over. And I was dead tired.
I was still unfocused as my friends helped me get out of the place. I was still blank. I was trying to process what I've seen until I saw a mic in front of me. I looked up and saw a blinding light and a camera.
"How was the concert?" Someone was interviewing me.
I gulped and held on the mic then answered, "Awesome. Fantastic. It was so good. Kwon Yuri! Oh my gosh, Yuri. Kwon Yuri and Suho, I love you." I blabbed sincerely then another fan grabbed the mic to shout "SNSD!"
The mic was turned back to me as the man asked me again, "Who's your favorite group?"
Okay, this was the embarassing part.
"SNSD!! GIRLS' GENERATION!!" I shouted while dancing IGAB. I wished they won't show it on TV.
The crew laughed as I left the scene in shame. I can't believe I confessed my love for them in the Philippine media. Must be a hangover.
After that, not much had happened. I arrived home at 2am, tired and voiceless. I was walking around the house like a dead soul, I can't believe I finally saw the characters in fanfics, the girls from my room's posters, and the girls from those music videos.
Then we have classes that day too, Jan. 20 at 7am. I slept at 3am. When I arrived at school, I was still managing my bodyache and hangover. People were asking me about the concert but I was voiceless and blank. And when I was quiet by myself, I slowly realized that...
I finally saw Girls' Generation. I attended their concert. I became part of the pink ocean. All happened last night.
Until now, I'm still processing. I saw Taeyeon. I saw Jessica. I saw Sunny. I saw Tiffany. I saw Hyoyeon. I saw Yuri. I saw Sooyoung. I saw Yoona. I saw Seohyun. All in person.
January 19, 2013 was definitely one of the major events in my life, it will remain as a happy experience and I will never ever forget what happened that night.
See you next time, Soshi. :) I miss you already.
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