U-KISS Manila Concert, Part 1 : FINALLY

♪♪ U-U-U-U-KISS and
Brave Sound...
Brave Sound ~
Bingeul bingeul bingeul bingeul (U-KISSu) ♪♪


that's literally how i felt after watching U-KISS' 1st Major Concert held last June 14 here in Manila (PH). the boys were just simply amazing! performance level was 200% for each member. they've shown us sides of them i didn't expect. though it's their first major solo concert, they performed as if they had been doing it for ages.

U-KISS concert was worth the wait. though it had been pushed back 2 weeks after the original concert date, it's definitely worth it. i think the boys got more pumped-up 'coz of the delay. i mean, they had been excited since the announcement last March then just a few days before the original date, it was postponed. i recall Xander twitting how upsetting it was to learn that they won't be coming to the PH on that same week. after seeing his solo performances, i totally understand why. i totally get why they were sad to have the concert postponed. they had prepared so much for us, i don't even know where to start.

June 14 was a long day for me. i was up early even if the concert was still later that night. my sis, cousin and i went with my brother and his gf to 3 malls before finally heading to the venue, Araneta Coliseum, which is on the opposite side of where i live. waited in line for 4 hours and another 2 hours inside the concert area. 6 hours is no joke. but for the love of U-KISS, it's like only an hour of waiting. for the record, security at the Araneta were too fickle-minded on how they would want the people to fall in line while waiting. because of their fickle-mindedness, it was a bit chaos when gates opened at 6PM, as far as people from the VIP areas were concern. since our area was a standing room, everyone wanted to get inside as early as possible, which later on turned out to be not so important at all since the VIP area was very much spacious. not because there was not much people but it was really big. although only 3/4 of the total floor area was used and about half of the seats were to be occupied, Araneta was still huge.

 

our tickets were at the VIP-R. but really, it didn't matter. you can just move from one area to another as long as you're in the VIP area. VIP and Patron (reserved seating) were just divided by low fences. Lower Box seats were elevated, so as Upper Boxes A & B, and GenAd. honestly, the coliseum wasn't filled-up. i didn't really expect it to be filled since there are only 2 (paid) occasions that can get Araneta jampacked down to the last space - basketball match between La Salle & Ateneo, and an important/heated PBA match between Ginebra San Miguel and another team. people who're on the first come, first serve seats converged towards the center area. stage was about 6ft tall and man it was tall for all of us since the audience's average height was only 5ft. by the show started at 8pm, only about half of the seats were occupied. i don't believe it's because U-KISS has only a few fans here in the PH. i believe that it's because of the pricey tickets and the purchasing power of the majority of U-KISS' fans, who're in high-school. not to mention the timing - enrollment, start of school.  nonetheless, i say that the hardcore fans were all there to give the boys support and love.

the concert was opened by a bunch of girls who danced to U-KISS' Bingeul Bingeul and Mworago. won't elaborate more since there's really nothing special with their performance, individually and as a group. the stage went dark again when they finished. a countdown video started to play on the LCD. it was the boys! well, Eli mostly. there was the beach, tall buildings, beautiful sunshine and some flowers. Man Man Ha Ni Instrumental started to play as the 7 boys were shown, walking forward, full of confidence. at the same time, U-KISS members entered the stage one by one (with some back-up dancers) and went to their designated position for the 1st song of the night. everyone was screaming, of course, since the time the LCD turned on for the countdown. loudest scream when the song began to play - ♪♪ U-KISS & Brave Sound~ You know~ It's Brave~ ♪♪ . you know the rest of the lyrics.

U-KISS opened the concert with MAN MAN HA NI. goodness, gracious! can they be any more gorgeous?! i felt like i was seeing them for the first time instead of the third time! they were wearing an all-black, light-materialed costumes, which was a relief on my part. i can't help but feel bad for them the last time they were here 'coz they were wearing thick clothing back then. clothes like that won't just work on a tropical country such as PH. their (butt-lenght) coats were simply decorated, only with gold trimmings. 3 of them had 2 more pieces of clothes inside the coat while the other 4 only had 1. this i learned later on when they took off their coats after 2 songs.
 

 
view from where i was originally. i stayed put for Man Man Ha Ni & Talk to Me. i wanna kick the speaker & the light.

• DONGHO was so cute! he had a tiara and his make-up made him look like a girl but not girly at all; made me wanna bring Dongho home and make him my youngest brother. i would definitely spoil him. i noticed also that he lost some weight; his cheeks weren't as pronounced as before. 
• KISEOP's blonde hair was fixed differently from the usual flat style; made him look even more handsome than he already is. he has smokey eye make-up which he pulled-off so great. he also lost weight by the looks of his cheeks.
• KIBUM's more handsome than the last time i saw him. his hair was styled better than before and the color complimented his complexion so well. he even dyed his eyebrows! like Dongho & Kiseop, he also lost weight. his built seemed smaller than before. heavy make-up on his eyes, which made it harder to know if he's looking at you or someone else.
• KEVIN was still the prettiest angel amongst them. i totally love the way his hair was clipped similarly to his MMHN PV look. my sister said he had very thick foundation/concealer, which i didn't notice much. he had similar eye make-up with that of Kibum. he didn't lose nor gain weight; he still look the same, only a lot prettier.
• SOOHYUN pulled-off the grayish haircolor pretty well. it added up to his manly look. so glad that he chose to dye his hair as oppose to the one he sported last March. the style was also nice. he lost weight just like the rest of them but he didn't look thin at all. he looked just about right, muscles with meat. he didn't have heavy make-up; just about right, but he did have a silver maskara.
• ELI, this guy would just leave you speechless. i mean, i was again staring at him for a few seconds (just like before) when i finally saw him when he's about to do the rap parts of MMHN. he's sporting a very black and very short hair as oppose to a dyed one from before. his hair was styled in such that his eyes were emphasized so much that you wouldn't wanna take your eyes off of him. he's was damn gorgeous! like most of them, he lost weight. significantly! very much evident when you see his cheeks. he still has the muscles but with lesser meat this time. he had the same smokey make-up with that of Kiseop, which makes his eyes overly noticeable. again, my sister said he had thich foundation/concealer like Kevin.
• XANDER, my fave U-KISS boy and the last one i saw when they rotated for MMHN. if you think he would look girly with long hair, think again. he was more manly looking with long hair than having short one. he was also pretty, like Kevin, when i saw him last March but he's prettier this time in a more masculine way. i didn't notice if he was wearing the sparkly contacts that makes his eyes twinkle but i'm definitely sure he had heavy eye make-up as well and silver maskara. like Kevin, he didn't seem like he lost nor gain weight. 

             the eyeliners, i'm now totally addicted to in seeing in guys wearing one. never thought that it would make them prettier but in a manly 
             way. they totally rock that looks!

Man Man Ha Ni's my most favorite song of U-KISS. although i knew them before they released this single, i really didn't pay them much attention. not because they don't have talent or anything but because they look so young that i try to avoid them. their youngest, Dongho, is only half my age, while their oldest, Xander, has the same age as my youngest brother. the range of their age falls on the ages of my cousins. it didn't feel right to fangirl little boys a year ago. but when MMHN PV was released late last year, the boys had certainly turned into young men. they really are NOT YOUNG anymore! at least with make-up and such. the music, the choreography, the looks, everything worked perfectly. good thing the company decided to package them differently. though they are really still young compared with most of the Korean boybands nowadays, MMHN made them appear grown-ups. and with the addition of Kiseop, who's an excellent dancer, i'm glad that they finally made it to the Korean scene.
 

and as expected, they performed MMHN with an energy level that radiated to everyone inside the coliseum. they were so hyper, like there's no more tomorrow. you'll be embarrassed not to even sway your body or something if you got to see them perform it live during the concert. their movements wer very well polished. they move with more sharpness and more energy than they did during their mall shows. i felt like what they have shown us before was so ordinary as compared with that they showed us even it was just the beginning of the concert. Kevin & Soohyun's voices didn't seem to have changed a bit even if it's a live. they were both powerful in their own ways, only that Soohyun's voice would really move you so much more. although there were times when their voices can't be heard, which i think was mainly due to bad microhpones, it's totally fine. their crazy dance steps and routine added up to the cause. the boys danced and sung like it's the final moment of the show, to think that it only had just began. MMHN was a really good opening song. it pumped all the blood of all the fangirls inside the coliseum. everyone was screaming, and dancing, and singing, showing the boys an equal power that they were showing us.
 

 
i seriously wanna go up the stage and throw the speakers away. 'twas annoyingly blocking my view.

there was a very short greeting before the 2nd song, TALK TO ME, a little mellow than MMHN but still lively. they released this song before Kiseop joined the group. when they performed this during their mall shows before, Kiseop was not included in the routine, although he knows the steps. my sis and i were hoping that he'll be included when they performed this on the concert. and they didn't fail us. Kiseop was in the routine. he knew the steps by heart, just like the rest of the members. Talk to Me may not be manly but it is cutesy. not overly cute but cute enough to show another side of them. the 'hand step' for 'Talk' is very easy to remember. i like most the part where they move from left to right as a group. it is very good to look at how they execute these parts. after Kevin's solo before the last chorus, they walked towards the front stage, where they finished. i stayed put where i was and filmed their backs. i stopped recording when they started to greet everyone and introduced themselves.

not my shot since i was still in my original position.

"Mabuhay! We are U-KISS!"

they greeted everyone afterwards and did the members' introduction.

"Hey everyone! I'm Eli from U-KISS!"
"Hi everyone! I'm Alexander from U-KISS!"
"Hey everyone! Mabuhay! I'm Kevin from U-KISS! Mahal Kita."
"Hi everyone! My name is Kiseop! B-bye!"
"Ladies! I'm Kibum from U-KISS! Nice to meet(ing) you guys!"
"What's up Philippines! My name is Dongho from U-KISS!"
"Hi everyone! I'm Soohyun! We love you!"

it was very hard to hear what they were saying even if i was already in front of the huge speaker. the screaming was just too loud that the entire coliseum was shaking. it really didn't matter that there were empty seats. what mattered was that we equalled the screaming whenever the coliseum was full. that's how powerful and energized we all were. just like the boys. nways, i might be mistaken with what Soohyun said. i already searched for the clearest audio that i can find and that's what i heard. same thing with Kiseop's last line. but i believe he did say 'B-bye', since i heard someone said that word during the con, i just didn't know who. pretty hard to catch everything they said. i think i only caught a word or two of what each of the member said during the concert. fangirls were crazily screaming at everything they say. they (not we 'coz i really wanna hear them and so i wasn't screaming all the time) didn't pipe-down to at least breath and let the boys greet us without competing with the loud cheers.

the boys took off their coats after telling everyone that it was so hot. of course everyone screamed. and at this point, i decided to move to take videos from the front stage. Kibum, finally, was free of the coat and was wearing only a vest, which was 1 or 2 buttons away from being totally open. Soohyun was also wearing a vest but not as open as Kibum's. Kiseop had a lacey-type of vest with a bolero. Eli also had only a single piece under the coat, which was very much fitting unto his body. all 4 have really nice arm muscles - Eli and Soohyun have bigger arms than Kiseop and Kibum. Kibum's so thin though. his ribs were very much noticeable underneath his skin; it's as if he's got no more meat at all. Kiseop was also thin but not as alarming as Kibum. Soohyun and Eli look fine. on the other hand, Kevin, Dongho and Xander all had 2 more pieces. Kevin had a see-through longsleeved shirt under a vest, while Dongho was wearing a silver sando and a see-through cardigan on top. Xander had a black shirt underneath with a see-through sleeves and another coat with short sleeves. actually, i'm not so sure if Xander had 2 or 3 more pieces of clothes under the long coat. ohwell~
 

 
i always think that Kibum's shoulders look awkward whenever he does that step. i failed to check it during the con.
first pic : Xander, Soohyun, Kibum, Kiseop, Kevin, Dongho & Eli)
second pic : Eli, Dongho, Kevin, Kiseop, Soohyun, Kibum & Xander

3rd song was I LIKE YOU, another cutesy song from their cutesy days. it's another upbeat song which they released before Kiseop became a member. and since this is another cutesy song, it has lots of cutesy steps and formations. not much on going around while dancing real fast. steps were fairly easy and cute. fave part was whenever they make the train formation. they're just too cute to be holding unto the others shoulders while dancing. i also like it whenever they form one line. Kiseop's included again in the dance even if it was before he joined. he was always at the center whenever they form a line.

 
the boys have grown-up to be more good-looking, except for Dongho who's still a cute maknae.

4th song was NOT YOUNG. they went back to the back stage for this song. i think my sis flailed so much seeing Kiseop with them performing this song. this is U-KISS' debut song. though Kiseop wasn't a member yet, he had a cameo on the PV. perhaps you didn't recognize him since he was on only for a few seconds. although Not Young isn't as upbeat at I Like You or Talk to Me, it is still a very lively song. i think this is the the cutest song, with the cutest steps, they have since it's their first one. funny how Eli tried to cover his armpit when he raised his arm while saying, 'We're all grown-up'. well, they really are grown-ups now, except for Dongho, as oppose to when they filmed the PV for this song. they have matured already, though still young looking.

Kevin & Soohyun's powerful voices weren't much showcased in this song, just like in their other cutesy ones. when it was Eli and Xander's rap parts while the other 5 remained at the backstage. i was gonna video Eli and Xander but since i'll just be getting their backs, i decided to just focus on the remaining 5. i was annoyed with the LCD at the back. it made the video so dark since the colors being shown were too colorful and bright. i tried to focus each member but all i got were their shadows. Eli and Xander went back and joined the group at the backstage after the rap parts. the ending pose had Kiseop at the center. Xander pointed him out after the song ended and said, 'Our new member'.

 
ok, weird caps i made. i was trying to make caps that would have everyone. i did actually, only they look awkward.

5th song, BINGEUL BINGEUL. their new manly song after MMHN. what can i say more. 5th song and the boys were still as energetic as they were when they did MMHN. Bingeul Bingeul's an addictive song. if MMH is very catchy, BB has this tendency to sound better and better each time you hear it. much more if you see the boys perform it and see for real the crazy and tiring dance steps. the moves were absolutely a 100% turn from all the cutesy ones they used to do. many people call BB as MMHN2 - the sound, the dance moves -  they may sound alike since they were penned by the same composer/s but the dance steps for BB, i think, are a lot more tiring than MMHN. they just move so much in BB. i always flail whenever they do the head thingie. i just can't do it. i can move my head back and forth but not from left to right. absolutely love this step. not to mention, Soohyun & Kevin's voices were showcased. not much with Kibum since he's got only a few lines. Eli still get to do the rap parts along with Xander and Dongho. not a single line for Kiseop but hey, he totally nailed the dance moves with no effort. i hope he'll get lines though in the future. same with Kibum and Dongho. Xander and Eli totally rule the rap parts.

great set list for the first part of the show. they sandwiched the cutesy ones in between the manly songs. solo performances came next.

~ END OF PART 1 ~

i'll stop with Bingeul Bingeul since the solo performances came next. i'll pause here and sleep now since it's almost 6am. mommy had woken up and my 2 brothers will also be up in a few more minutes. pictures i posted are very LQ since they're from the videos i took, which are in LQ since my memory card has small capacity. i took pictures in HQ but that will be on a different post. forgive me if there's any grammatical errors, i typed this in the wee hours of the morning. i actually wrote a totally different entry already about the concert but when i started to paste it here and re-read, i decided to just make a new one.

i was planning to finish everything tonight but i got sidetracked by U-KISS' Singapore Presscon videos and some more videos from their PH Concert. i try and make Part 2 later. oyasumi~ yay! ohayo gozaimasu!

 

PART 2

ETA: i accidentally deleted my original entry, which luckily, i was able to retrieve by clicking the back button of my window. goodness! i panicked when i saw this part was gone! thanks God, i haven't closed this window or i would forever lost this entry. i would be so pissed if i wasn't able to retrieve this that i won't be continuing anymore.

purple_cola  , original entry was accidentally deleted so as your comment. gomen.