MANILA, Philippines–Filipino fans of K-Pop group SEVENTEEN flocked the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena on Friday, October 6, for the band’s first-ever concert in the country: the “Diamond Edge World Tour in Manila”. The Philippine leg of the tour is also the 17th and final show of the Diamond Edge series, which kicked off July in Seoul, South Korea.
The Philippines—you can say—has completely slipped into the Diamond Life offered by the 13-member boy group as massive crowds of fans lined up early at the venue just to purchase different official merchandise available, and also to bond with their fellow fans and set free their “overflowing feels” for the upcoming show.
Each has their favorite member and unit, but all of them came to experience the SEVENTEEN kind of live performance, which is founded on self-produced music and choreography, soulful vocals, fierce dance moves, and abundant cute acts and playful antics.
When the concert finally started, fans of the group, who are officially called Carats, screamed at the top of their lungs and passionately cheered for one of the fastest rising K-Pop groups of South Korea.
Showtime
One of the best things about being in a SEVENTEEN concert is that you get to experience a colorful rollercoaster ride. Their lead singles alone are enough to make you feel good but it doesn’t stop there because their entire tracklist is downright generous in giving eargasmic music.
The Friday show opened with the light and sweet “Pretty U” (minus the well-loved sofa they used during “Love & Letter” promotion), followed by “Beautiful” and the group’s constantly refreshing debut track “Adore U”.
But the cute and soft demeanor was only the click-of-the-car-key to get the engines started.
When the units performed their own songs showcasing strengths that quite deviate from the usual image of the group as a whole package, you’re suddenly enlightened how diverse the boys of SEVENTEEN are.
The Performance Team was a sophisticatedly fascinating feast to the eyes when they took the stage with “Swimming Fool”, “OMG”, and “Highlight”. True to their unit’s name, Performance Team leader Hoshi, Chinese members Jun and The8 (fondly referred to as China Line by Carats), and SEVENTEEN’s youngest Dino, didn’t hold back in turning the arena into their own world; giving the Manila crowd a firsthand view of how intense they are in their element.
The Vocal Team, headed by SEVENTEEN’s very own composer and songwriter Woozi, and composed of Jeonghan, Joshua, DK, and Seungkwan, was the gentle caress in the midst of the festivity. The word “strong” would probably sound off to describe the soothing notes and emotions of this unit’s performances, but that’s how they owned the stage and sound-bended the energy into a satisfying mellow sway through “We Gonna Make It Shine”, “Don’t Listen in Secret”, and “Habit”.
The Hip Hop Team was the spice that heated up the night. Unit and overall group leader S.Coups, and members Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon rendered their mixtapes “Un Haeng Il Chi” and “Check-In”, and Al1 track “If I” through passionate raps that enveloped the arena in a mature ambiance. If couture had a sound, it would sound exactly like SEVENTEEN’s Hip Hop Team—distinct and quite the character.
And as if all the treats weren’t enough, Jun and The8 delivered the most artistic performance of the night through their ribbon-tangled song and dance number of “MY I”.
The group also performed “Still Lonely”, “Very NICE”, “BOOM BOOM”, “Crazy In Love”, “Rock”, “Chuck”, “Don’t Wanna Cry”, “Shining Diamond”, and “Healing”.
It was at this point that you’d understand why SEVENTEEN is one of the most promising in the K-Pop music scene today; because while each unit wields the strength of an independent group, altogether they create a synergistic performance that conveys passion for excellence and nothing less.
The SEVENTEEN brand
SEVENTEEN is also a group becoming well-known for clean routine blockings and synchronization. True enough, it’s hard not to be impressed when you see how they manage to shift formation almost every second without stirring up mayhem given their number. But what’s even more captivating about this group is when you lay eyes on each member and witness firsthand how much energy they’re putting into their dance moves as they perform.
This makes you realize that SEVENTEEN is not a group to bank on flashy concepts; rather, they produce melodious music and meaningful choreography that accurately communicate every emotion incorporated in their songs.
If you listen close enough to their tracks, you’ll get it from the lyrics and the musical composition that while this group may be young, they’re undeniably situated in a trajectory that can only shoot skywards.
And these are all thanks to their music and artistry crafted from their own creativity.
The Diamond Edge World Tour in Manila was organized by MMI Live, with INQUIRER.net as media partner.
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