Attending a concert of your faves is certainly the ultimate dream of most K-Pop fans. At concerts, fans get to finally see them in real life and hear them sing and perform live. Dreams do come true!
I am grateful to have experienced that for the first time in my two years of being a K-Pop fan and an NCTzen (the fandom name of NCT).
So the day when PULP Live World announced that NCT 127 is coming to Manila, I was so thrilled. As this is also their first solo concert in the Philippines since their debut back in 2016. Their concert for one night was held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena (aka MOA Arena) last September 4, 2022.
But it wasn’t an easy journey for me and most fans in getting the tickets for the concert. I went through a rollercoaster ride on, before, during, and after the concert with my friends. So join me as I tell you about my first K-Pop concert experience.
NCT 127 Neo City: The Link in Manila concert experience
Getting the ticket
After the official announcement, we had one week of preparation for the ticket selling day. When D-Day arrived, we had help from our friends in securing tickets. All of us got up early in the morning and prepared all our devices to get on the website.
Once the clock strikes noon, ticket selling starts. Despite me and my friends getting more than 10,000 on our queueing numbers, we’re still hoping to secure a ticket. But it became nerve-wracking due to the fear of it being sold out since a lot of people are queueing to secure tickets just like us.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to secure tickets since the organizers announced it was sold out after just more than an hour.
But the hope did not stop there.
The concert organizer, Inang, as Filipino K-Pop fans call her (Mrs. Happee Sy-Go) assured us of something called the Hwaiting Lounge for those who tried to secure tickets. It’s a way for them to find unsold tickets and give them to interested buyers.
We filled up the form, hopeful. But after waiting for days to get a text, we weren’t chosen for a slot in the Hwaiting Lounge. Out of the 15,000 people who registered on the form, they only took 800.
At this point, I was so close to accepting my fate. But there’s still a part of me who wants to go on until the end, so I did.
Trying until the end
My friends and I decided to wait outside the venue on the concert day in hopes of still getting tickets. Inang announced that they will be selling tickets on-site but these seats will have obstructed views.
We took the chance and lined up for 2 hours and a half at the ticket-selling booth, experiencing both heat and rain on that day.
So after everything we’ve been through, we were able to secure tickets less than two hours before the concert starts. We got upper box tickets and it was so worth it!
The actual concert experience
Honestly, everything felt surreal when I realized that I was finally seeing NCT 127.
I was nervous before the concert starts because I was about to hear first the iconic “PUKUPUKUPAWPAW” intro from their song Kick It.
When NCT 127 came out on stage, the whole MOA Arena were screaming their lungs out as it was so loud.
Everyone was just screaming, and singing their hearts out through all the songs. There were no fan chants at all, except on the part of cheering their names during the “ment” (their speech time). It’s like the Filozens (Filipino NCTzens) were challenging NCT 127 in singing the songs.
The view from our seats was great. It still felt like we were close as we watched them perform. But in some performances, we weren’t able to see them properly since our seats had obstructed views. Even so, that did not stop us from enjoying the concert.
Their performances were so good!
- All of them looked incredibly handsome in person and all of them are charismatic. But the member that got me captivated the most was Haechan… I have no words.
- Their energy was off the roof just like the fans during their performances. They sang their hit title track songs such as Kick It, Sticker, Cherry Bomb, Favorite, and more.
- Along with their B-sides from different albums such as BACK 2 U (one of my favorite b-sides), Lemonade, Dreams Come True, White Night, and more, it was truly an unforgettable experience.
- Not only did we see their group performances but each member had their solo performances. Also, mind you, their mics were so on.
- Their live vocals were so beautiful to hear, they sounded exactly like the songs’ studio versions.
As Jaehyun said, “Manila sweet as vanilla!”
The concert was so fun, you can see how happy and loose NCT 127 are on stage. As much as we enjoyed seeing them perform, we hope the group felt the same as the crowd cheered them on.
They were so interactive with the fans, they even took the things given to them on stage without any hesitation. At one point, Haechan even took a fan’s phone and filmed himself.
Their ment was filled with heartwarming messages too about their experience during the concert. Even Johnny said that he can’t believe that it was their first concert in Manila. From the words they told the crowd, we certainly felt that they enjoyed their concert here.
NCT 127 wants to have a 2-3 day concert next time
During Jaehyun’s solo performance, he smiled and even removed his earpiece to listen to the crowd sing the song. Meanwhile, the other members kept saying that they love Manila and they wanted to come back soon to have a 2-3 day concert.
The last song from the concert was Promise You. As the song ended, they kept saying their thank yous. They even reminded us to go home safely and drink a lot of water. Their leader, Taeyong asked the members to bid their last goodbye on stage and they did a 360° bow.
Even before the big screens on stage closed, they bowed again for the final time. It was a bittersweet moment seeing them leave the stage. The duration of their show was almost 3 hours long and I know that I’m going to treasure every moment of it. Seeing them in concert was an amazing experience.
What I felt that night was almost indescribable. I don’t think words could give enough justice for what I felt. But to make things simple, I was so happy and everything was worth it. I hope to see them again soon.
✨🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱✨#NCT127 #NEOCITY #MANILA#NEOCITY_THE_LINK#NCT127_NEOCITY_THE_LINK#NEOCITY_THE_LINK_MANILA pic.twitter.com/71ZiamqRyG
— NCT 127 (@NCTsmtown_127) September 4, 2022
NCT 127 has an ongoing tour
- After their Manila stop, they are going to other countries to continue their tour. They are going to the U.S., Indonesia, Thailand, Latin America, and other places soon. If you don’t see your country in the schedules, we just have to wait as they announce their schedule bit by bit.
NCT 127 2ND TOUR ‘NEO CITY – THE LINK’
LOS ANGELES ➫ 2022.10.06 (PDT)
NEWARK ➫ 2022.10.13 (EDT)
AND MORE TO COME…
〖 LA & NEWARK TICKET SALES 〗
➫ 2022.08.29 3PM (Local Time)
➫ https://t.co/h7w5NUudk7
#NCT127 #NEOCITY#NEOCITY_THE_LINK#NCT127_NEOCITY_THE_LINK pic.twitter.com/jgpZtdC6ET— NCT 127 (@NCTsmtown_127) August 28, 2022
NCT 127’s fourth full album is called ‘2 Baddies’
- They also have an upcoming comeback this week. This is for their 4th album coming out this September 16, Friday at 1 p.m (KST).
- It has a total of 12 new songs including their anticipated 2 Baddies title track.
- The members have been very vocal about this comeback saying they like it very much. So we’re really looking forward to when it drops on Friday!
NCT 127 엔시티 127 ‘질주 (2 Baddies)’ MV Teaser
〖질주 (2 Baddies) – The 4th Album〗
➫ 2022.09.16 1PM (KST)#NCT127 #질주 #NCT127_질주#NCT127_질주_2Baddies💿Pre-save & Pre-orderhttps://t.co/0pHAzdfGUq pic.twitter.com/0xdPkRhhcU
— NCT 127 (@NCTsmtown_127) September 13, 2022
That concludes my first K-Pop concert experience with NCT 127 in Manila. I’m grateful to be part of the beautiful “Neo Pearl Champagne Ocean”. It was a night to remember forever. Let’s manifest together to see our faves soon in concert. Hwaiting!
You may also want to check out here at Spiel Times for more updates and content about K-Pop in the latter days.
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