It has been over two years since the world was put on hold due to the pandemic. Lots of our plans were postponed, or worse, cancelled. But now that restrictions are easing up and things are starting to go back to normal, our pre-pandemic activities are returning too! One of those is attending concerts. And true to its name, Begin Again: K-Pop Edition is my first concert in two years! Not only that, this is my first K-Pop concert ever!! With an awesome line-up from Alice, Wei, NCT Dream, and SHINee Key, it was a great night!
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Begin Again: K-Pop Edition is Here!
On May 29, 2022, Begin Again: K-Pop Edition happened at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, QC. I was lucky to have been gifted an Upper Box seat ticket by one of my friends. To be honest, I was not that familiar with the artists prior but on days on the lead up to the concert, I listened to nothing but them and I really enjoyed NCT Dream and Key! So, by Sunday morning after doing my errands and hitting the gym, I prepared to leave from Laguna and head to the venue.
The concert was scheduled to start at around 5PM but it was just 3PM when I got there and there really was no need to worry because I got my ticket secured already. Gave myself a quick coffee break at Cafe Mary Grace in Gateway. Right after my quick snack, I headed straight to Araneta Center. This is not actually my first at the Big Dome so I knew going in what the view will be like from Upper Box.
The girl group Alice started the show. I have not heard of them before but I enjoyed their set. It was colorful, lively, and fun! They are like my fave group, TWICE! At the middle of their set was a game break where in they had to tap a crocodile toy and then the one that will be bitten will do a dare. That was a fun way to interact with the fans!
Following them is WEi. Again, I am not so familiar with them but the boys delivered cool performances and vocals! The fans were already losing it at this point! I just can’t help but be drowned and go along with their chants! Few songs later and the lights turned off, the screams grew louder.
NCT Dream and SHINee Key Fired up the Crowd at Begin Again: K-Pop Edition
And the boys of NCT Dreams are on stage. At this point, the coliseum was roaring with screams and cheers from fans! The venue was illuminated with green light as well! I swear, it was a surreal experience. They started with Hot Sauce and the fans were still screaming non-stop. Then it was followed by Dream Into You. After a short break to talk with the fans, the boys continued with Glitch Mode and concluded the set with Hello Future! While it was a short set, I felt the joy and tears of the fans! I should know, I was like this when I witnessed Coldplay in 2017!
As much as we enjoyed it but the night has to come to an end with the final act and from no other than Key of SHINee himself! Dressed in a sleek black and white attire, followed by his backup dancers, Key entered the stage to perform Saturday Night. Being familiar with SHINee myself, I joined the screams and started to stand up and dance with the crowd! To keep the momentum going, Key sang Helium. He took a quick break to interact with the fans. In a cute moment, the fans chanted one of their earlier songs “Ring Ding Dong” and Key joked about how old the song was! Soon after this cute interaction, he then proceeded to perform the closing songs, This Life and Bad Love.
While some fans are complaining about the short list of songs from their idols, it is totally acceptable as it is an ensemble concert. Four to five songs from each group is already acceptable! As for me, a first time K-pop concert goer, I could not ask for more! The incredible energy of Filipino K-Pop fans is more than enough to make the experience a memorable one! After all, isn’t this why we go to concert? To discover artists and their songs? I just know that this will not be my last K-Pop concert! Next on my wishlist is Red Velvet at the Be You concert happening next month.
