IU in Manila
Hey kids, today your butihing inahin will share another unforgettable concert experience with IU!
Just a quick background I've known her since the "Good Day" era, back when Kpop was all about singing live vocals on music shows. The 3-high notes were an instant hit in SoKor, and she gained tons of new supporters overnight. She continued with "You and I", and is actively slaying the music charts with her music since then.
She first had her concert here in 2019 with "Love, Poem in Manila", my best friend and I promised to go but the ticket got sold out even before we could secure one. I remember we just jammed our disappointed hearts' on the day of the concert. My favorite album is "Palette", it has everything from upbeat, sexy, and funny to the saddest and most depressing songs. Out of all, "Full Stop" is my top pick. Honestly, for every life event I went through, there will be an IU song I could associate it with. "Full Stop" was my comfort song once before, and even if she has so many songs that can top this, I'd still go back to this one.
Anyway, when we found out that she would be having her second concert here after 5 years, I swore to watch her this time and so I did. It was so chaotic, I was in the queue for over 5 hours and when it was my turn, the site kept crashing and wouldn't let me proceed. I almost gave up so I messaged my friend, Ruth, and asked if she was able to score her tickets which she did, I told her my situation and she tried to buy me a ticket on her end and it EFFIN WORKED!!! Happy tears, yall!
Fast forward to the day of the concert, I haven't gotten a wink of sleep coming from my shift the night before. Told myself I'd just sleep in the shuttle service that we rented.
We got there a little early and the weather was hot and humid with a little drizzle on the side. My makeup was starting to melt lol
Posing on random posts to kill time.
with Ruth and Bill!
We got there around 12pm and the gates opened at around 3 or 4pm, a long wait, so we took our time to do some photo ops!
It was so nice when people came up to us to hand freebies, I got stickers and other merch, while other IU fan groups even had meet-ups to give away fans, crocheted accessories, ribbons, etc.
When we got inside the concert hall, I bid farewell to my friends, we had different sections they were in Lower B and I was in Lower D. Anxious about being alone but I found comfort in knowing that my co-Maena would be welcoming. I went out for the last time to take more solo photos lol and I was approached by a group of friends and asked if I could take their photos. I agreed and they also took mine HAHA
I honestly love how everyone was just so nice and enjoying themselves.
I found my seat and immediately talked to the person sitting on my left, who came with her 3 other friends. I introduced myself and we all spoke like we had known each other a looong time! They took me in like I was their own lol It's been a pleasure meeting you, Rachel, Alyssa(?), and the other lady whose name I forgot! I'm sorry!
The concert started and IU emerged from the stage below singing "Holssi". She wore a very fairy-like dress and even in the Lower box section, her beauty was just captivating! At this time, the whole arena was just screaming so loud, that my ears hurt, I couldn't hear myself at all!
One of the strict rules IU's team had requested was that no cellphone recordings are allowed. She does this because she doesn't want to ruin the concert experience for her fans who will most likely be on their phones throughout the concert. PH is not exempted, there were marshals in every row that had the "no filming signage". if they caught you, you might get kicked out of the concert hall.
I'm pretty sure that this policy was not followed thoroughly, I, myself admittedly took some photos and short clips but just a few of them since I couldn't afford to be escorted out! True enough that not using your phone during the concert allows you to immerse and enjoy yourself. I was singing at the top of my lungs!
This was all the songs she sang and it lasted for about 3 hours!
Everyone gasped when she started singing a cover of "Pasilyo", a popular love song by Sunkissed Lola. For someone who was actively going on tour and with a short amount of time, I appreciate all the effort she puts into learning this song, this was such a big deal for us Maenas! The way she pronounced "simbahan" as "shimbahan" and "pasilyo" as "pashilyo" were just so cute.
The songs that struck me the most hearing live were, "You & I", because this was a classic song, "Through the Night", which takes me back to the day my best friend and I covered this song while sitting on the floor drinking alcohol. "Above the Time", another underrated ballad!, "Someday" because honestly, I have yet to watch "Dream High", but this song was a hit back in the day - another classic. "Eight" - a theme song of my friend and I and also my go-to IU cover song. Of course her most recent - "Love Wins All", hearing it on YT is one thing but hearing it live is another. LIKE WHOLE ANOTHER LEVEL! She even subtly put a disclaimer that she would try to sing it beautifully because it was just a difficult song but she still nailed it! I'm not surprised though. She got the pipes lol And it wasn't just that, in the last part of the song, she gave us an alternate ending of the music video with her and V driving away in a minivan shown on the screen, GOOSEBUMPS all over!
Here are the upbeat songs I enjoyed, "BBIBBI", coz I like screaming "Yellow C-A-R-D!!!" lol "Coin"- such a badass song! "Ah Puh" and "Jam Jam", - a mix of cute and sexy! "Palette" - coz I miss the Palette album sm!!!
Songs I wished she had sung:
1.) Full Stop - ofc my fave
2.) Knees - a song I dedicate to my brother
3.) My Old Story - another comfort song
3.) The Visitor & Love Alone - sad ballads
4.) Can't Love You Anymore - love the sexy duet
5.) Dlwrma - because I covered this song once before lol
We also had a chance to sing during the sing-along part, the IU PH team prepared a "Good Day" acapella for us Maena to sing while IU was changing backstage. She was so happy and overwhelmed by how good we were. To the point that she was scared if she could still sing properly due to the fans' loud screaming noise lol
During the encore, the security was relaxed and the recording was allowed as long as the main part of the concert was done. IU came out wearing her merch shirt with the sisiw hair clips that became a trend here in the PH. She was so cute!!! This is where she took song requests from the fans.
The boys behind my back kept on screming "Strawberry Moon" and "My Sea" during the encore and they were so adorbs but I applauded the guy who shouted "Knees!!!" though.. because ughh same!! my boy got a taste lol you could immediately tell the old fans from the new ones just by their song requests haha
As the end of the encore approached, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. And before we knew it, IU bid her last farewell and exited the stage.
I hurriedly went to meet my friends, and luckily there was a reception and they were able to reach me.
This concert experience was more than just a show, it was a night of connection, amazement, surrealness, and unforgettable memories. I will not get used to hearing the artists sing live compared to just hearing it from streaming platforms, it's just... different.
Thank you, IU for gracing the stage with your talent. I went home that day with a full heart. Girl, your voice was literally healing!
Grasya
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