November 11th was a memorable night for Filipino fans as iKON hit the stage for their first-ever concert in the Philippines!
A total of 18,000 iKONICs gathered inside the Mall of Asia Arena for iKON’s first concert in Manila as part of their 2018 Continue Tour. iKON started off with a bang with their track ”BLING BLING,” followed by another swag-filled song ”SINOSIJAK.” The track proved too hype for fans to stay in their seats.
With Bobby leading the way, iKON started to walk closer to the platform near the audience and performed ”RHYTHM TA.” B.I, iKON’s leader, soon greeted their Filipino fans as the group began to introduce themselves one by one in the order of B.I, DK, Chanwoo, Junhoe, Yunhyeong, Jinhwan, and Bobby.
The group soon began to chat with fans, sending the crowd roaring when Jinhwan shared that he used to stay in the Philippines, particularly in Davao. He went on to share that he had such good memories there. He proudly stated that the Philippines is his second home. Bobby asked Jinhwan to say a few words in Tagalog and the Bisaya dialect, but instead of Jinhwan obeying, he whispered to Bobby to shout ”Mahal ko kayo” (a Tagalog phrase which means ”I love you”) to everyone. Afterwards, Yunhyeong shouted ”Sakot akong tiyan”(a Bisayan phrase which means ”My stomach aches/I have a stomachache”) and shared that Jinhwan has made them fond of certain words by saying them often.
When Bobby asked him of his memorable moments in the Philippines, Jinhwan confidently said that he used to be popular in Davao since so many girls liked him. He then asked the crowd if they liked him too, and they answered with a wild ”YES.” Jinhwan also added that the time he had spent there was so precious and special to him that after iKON’s debut, he wished to come visit again but never had enough time. When Yunhyeong was asked about what he liked in the Philippines, he immediately answered that he loved the food. Jinhwan shared that they had eaten at ”Jollibee” (a popular food chain brand in Philippines) and then asked Junhoe to drink San Miguel (a popular liquor brand in the Philippines).
When Bobby asked Jinhwan about which foods they should try, he encouraged them to try Filipino pork BBQ. After their conversation, iKON promised their fans that they had prepared special gifts for them.
The next songs iKON sang were refreshing and chill songs like ”Cocktail,” ”Only You,” ”Perfect,” and ”Beautiful,” where the group made fans’ hearts melt with their amazing vocals. They also sang their debut track ”My Type,’’ to which Jinhwan thrilled fans by adding to the crowd, “Sa’kin ka na lng’’ (which means “Just be mine’’).
B.I and Bobby had their solo parts in the concert as well. Bobby performed his hit solo track ”Tendae,” which left everyone banging their Konbat light sticks with excitement. B.I then sang ”One and Only” in front of the fans, as well as to his family who was present in the crowd. His mother was even caught waving her hands up in the air and his father took a picture of the crowd. Together, Bobby and B.I then formed a duo and sang ”Anthem.”
The rappers had their own small talk and a fun game of singing ”Love Scenario” with the crowd splitting up into teams. Team A was on the right side of the stage with B.I as their leader, and team B on the left side with Bobby. Unsure of which team won, they decided to just play ”Kawi Bawi Bo” (paper, scissors, rock) instead to determine the winner— which ultimately led to B.I’s victory.
Jinhwan had fun with B.I as he sang ”Goodbye Road” in acapella, trying to kiss B.I. Even Yunhyeong spoke in Bisayan dialect saying, ”He is handsome.” Bobby then asked iKONICs if Yunhyeong or Jinhwan was better looking. When Bobby shouted Jinhwan’s name, fans shouted with all their might. With confidence, he asked Yunhyeong to try harder, thus leaving the Filipino fans laughing. Suddenly, fellow iKON members asked Junhoe to show off his abs, which left fans laughing at the group’s antics.
Next, they began choosing their partners for their song ”Best Friend” and ultimately left Jinhwan standing alone. He left but came back wearing a unicorn costume which made him stand out among iKON members. He even did a handstand to entertain fans!
The highlight of the event was when iKON performed three of their comeback tracks from this year: ”Love Scenario,” ”Killing Me,” and ”Goodbye Road.” iKON continued to heat up the stage with their swag-filled performances of ”ANTHEM,” ”Rubber Band,” ”DUMB & DUMBER,” ”Apology,” and ”B-DAY,” making fans rock out to the beat of every song and shout fan chants for the group. The ”B-DAY’’ song was particularly a fan favorite as everyone jumped for joy!
Their song ”FREEDOM” was played as Bobby cheered up the fans. iKON sang ”Just For You” during the encore and were then surprised by their Filipino fans who made a “rainbow ocean” as part of iKON Philippines’ project called ”Iridescence.” The beautiful project of colored lights was made by placing colors on fans’ cellphones to create a gorgeous scene.
Filipino iKONICs had a great and memorable night with iKON, especially due to their extravagant fan service where they even went off the stage, giving fans the opportunity to interact with the iKON members up close. There were no backup dancers or translators throughout the show, impressing fans with iKON’s ability to both fill the stage and communicate with the audience.
Overall, iKON and their staff worked really hard to provide a great and remarkable performance for the fans who totally immersed themselves into every performance. A big applause to Pulp Productions as well for a great job with the event!
Not only did iKONICS have an amazing time, but iKON also seemed to have a memorable night as well. In fact, the members expressed their gratitude many times to fans with Bobby saying, ”Thank you for waiting. Sorry for the wait. But we finally came here to see you guys and we are so so freaking happy,” and “Manila, you guys are the best’’ before leaving the stadium. As such, it seems likely that iKON will come back to the Philippines with more amazing performances for their Filipino fans.
Did you attend this event? What did you think of the concert? Let us know your thoughts!
ging1030 is a multi-fandom fan of Kpop since 2010. She enjoys watching Asian dramas and variety shows like “Running Man”. She is an avid fan of Song triplets and Song Joong Ki. For her, Kdrama is life. They are her inspirations in life so she can live on and do what her heart desires!
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