IF you put together a list of the best reviews of Seventeen concerts, it would be an injustice to the memory of Gianna Maniego not to put her name and her article in this paper (bit.ly/3s8iXUz) on it. Gianna, who passed in 2020, was the biggest Carat. She was also an excellent writer and my mentor. We were best friends for over 30 years and in the last years of her life, she did her best to convert me to become a Carat but she did not succeed. I, however, recognize the talent of Seventeen and, thanks to Gianna, appreciate how hard the group worked to where they are now.
Gianna was already sick when Seventeen came to Manila for their Ode to You concert in 2020. If I hadn’t been traveling, I probably would have been there, too, as I was for Ideal Cut in 2018. Fun fact: I even got to go to a The Saem fan sign event for Seventeen in 2018 and Gianna woke up early and watched from Robinsons Galleria’s higher floors to support me.
If you’re a non K-pop loving civilian and you see a music video of the group, you will probably initially notice Mingyu, the tall and good-looking rapper, but let me tell you that Seventeen is made up of 13 talented and handsome members. My Seventeen favorite is Woozi, who is a singer, songwriter and producer. I also like Vernon, the English-speaking rapper whose looks have been likened to that of a young Leonardo DiCaprio. I used to own a phone case with Vernon’s photo on the back and during a media event for Momoland, one of the members actually talked to me to ask who the person was. Other Momoland members helped to translate for us and they were all amused by the image. If you’re a long-time Carat, you’d know what Vernon photo I’m talking about.
For the Be the Sun tour in Manila, Seventeen sold out two concert days—October 8 and 9—at the Mall of Asia Arena and during the weeks leading to the concert, people were still asking me where and how to get tickets. The ticket I received from Smart was for work. When I watch concerts as fan, I buy my tickets like everyone else. The two-day concert was made possible by Pledis Entertainment, Hybe, and Live Nation PH, in partnership with Smart Communications and Viu Philippines.
As expected, Seventeen exceeded my expectations with Be the Sun. If they were good in 2018 for Ideal Cut, they were even better this time. The concert’s title was very apt because the group really lit up the MOA Arena for two nights and made their fans forget the difficulties they went through just to get tickets to the concert.
As someone who has been watching Seventeen since their early years, I felt proud seeing them as these accomplished and seasoned performers who are able to sell out stadium tours worldwide.
As someone who likes K-pop, I know how Seventeen—composed of S.Coups (Gianna’s favorite), Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, The 8, Mingyu, Dk, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino—became a source of comfort for their fans in the Philippines and elsewhere during the pandemic. Non K-pop fans may scoff at this statement but hope is a big thing. The hope that someday you will see your favorite group is a strong enough reason to live. It is not shallow to love K-pop. I wish parents would understand that their children loving K-pop doesn’t mean they will not study hard, or that they will spend all their money on wasteful things.
Anyway, to get back to Be the Sun, one of my favorite performances was “2 Minus 1” by Joshua and Vernon. I love anything with Minghao or The8 in it as I’m such an admirer of his dancing skills, so I also enjoyed the Performance unit’s (Hoshi, The8, Jun, and Dino) “Moonwalker” and “Wave.” The Vocal unit (Woozi, Seungkwan, DK, Jeonghan, and Joshua) mesmerized the MOA Arena with “Come to Me.” Woozi is my favorite, of course, but Jeonghan’s voice was so sweet in this performance. I know that Seventeen is known for its powerful performances and perfectly synchronized dancing but I will always say that these would not be possible without the Hip-Hop unit (S.Coups, Vernon, Mingyu, and Wonwoo). I loved the unit’s “Back It Up” during the Manila concert. My daughter was in VIP Standing at that time while I was in Lower Box, so I asked her to take pictures of S.Coups that I could send to Gianna’s daughter Cat (who is also a Carat), who wasn’t able to get a ticket to the concert.
If you missed the concerts, Seventeen will be coming back to the Philippines to hold their Be the Sun concert for the third time. Pledis Entertainment, the group’s agency, announced that Seventeen will hold the concert at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan on December 17.
“We would like to inform you that additional shows have been added to the Seventeen World Tour: Be the Sun—Asia, thanks to Carats’ enthusiastic support. We look forward to the love and support from Carats,” said Pledis Entertainment.
Seventeen will also hold the concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 28 at the Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium.
Image credits: Smart