Living up to their name, South Korea’s hottest hip-hop and R&B label, AOMG, delivered ‘above ordinary’ stages and showed the Manila crowd what a real party feels like during their ‘Follow The Movement’ 2023 World Tour in Manila at the New Frontier Theatre last January 15.
Given the continued growth of K-Hiphop and K-R&B communities in the Philippines, it was no surprise that the concert venue was jam-packed to the brim with enthusiastic fans. With Simon Dominic, Loco, GRAY, LeeHi, Woo, and Yugyeom on the line-up, the AOMG Family made sure to give everyone a night to party hard as they performed straight for four hours!
WOO
Kicking off the show, Woo performed ‘R.I.P’ and ‘Chik Chik Pok Pok’ while hyping up the crowd. Loud cheers from excited fans were heard from the moment he step on the stage, as everyone is jumping and dancing to his songs.
The top-notch rapper made sure everyone won’t forget his performances as he captivate the crowd with ‘Pop It’, followed by his hit ‘Chingiz Khan’ before he ended his set with ‘Me.’
LEE HI
Next artist who graced the stage was the vocal powerhouse and the princess of K-R&B, LeeHi, who gave a breathtaking performance of ‘ONLY’ from her latest album. She was surprised as she watched the crowd sung along to every line of the song as loud as they could.
Afterwards, she performed ‘Breathe,’ a song that never fails to bring tears to everyone’s eyes. This song has always remained popular and loved by her fans throughout the years.
She also captivated the crowd with her performances of ‘Savior,’ ‘Rose,’ and ‘H.S.K.T.’ Before ending her set, LeeHi, together with her back up dancers, performed another batch of her popular songs which are ‘No One,’ “1,2,3,4”, and “Red Lipstick.”
LOCO
As soon as his name was flashed on the big screen, everyone went wild. Loco opened his set with ‘MBTI’ and the amount of energy inside the venue even increased!
The high energy and loud cheers continued as he took the stage with ‘Party Band’ and ‘OPPA.’ He sure knows how to keep the crowd going as everyone came together to jump and sing along as one.
Loco continued with ‘Too Much,’ ‘Like Water’ and ‘No Manners.’ The crowd went crazy and the screams became much louder as he took off his top, showing only his bare skin, while he threw water to the crowd. It was fun, wild, and full of energy performances from Loco.
And if Loco had surprised us by throwing a party-like performances, Filipino fans also took him by surprised when everyone sang to the lyrics of ‘Say Yes,’ an official soundtrack from the hit drama ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ which features non other than Loco himself!
He mentioned that he knew that the song was very popular in the Philippines but he can’t believe that the Filipino fans knew every line of the song. He promised to sing it again live with the crowd.
GRAY
Next to perform is the versatile rapper and producer GRAY, whose name can be heard on every song he produced for his labelmates and other hip-hop/R&B acts.
Gray hyped up the crowd with ‘Dream Chaser.’ He also showcased his dance moves with ‘Moon Blue.’ Followed by ‘Show Window,’ ‘STAY THE NIGHT,’ ‘Summer Night,’ and ‘U’. He played the keyboard on stage, highlighting his skills and talent. Moreover, during his performance of ‘Lose Control,’ he also played the melodica.
Joing Gray, Loco took the stage once again for their collaboration songs ‘Just Do It’ and ‘Late Night.’
YUGYEOM
It has not been long since Manila saw Yugyeom on his solo tour at the same concert venue last August 2022. He had the same setlist but what’s different now is that he is with his AOMG Family.
The GOT7 member and a rising K-R&B superstar opened his set with ‘I Want U Around’ and ‘Take You Down.’
Afterwards, he captivated the crowd with his performance of ‘Lights‘ before bringing Loco back to join him with their collaboration song ‘All About U.’ The collaboration onstage did not stop there, as GRAY also joined Yugyeom on stage for ‘Running Through The Rain’ and ‘All Your Fault.’
Yugyeom, as the great dancer he is, also showcased his sleek moves to Woo’s ‘Chingiz Khan.’ He also did not end his set without performing his latest single ‘Ponytail’ which was released just a few weeks ago.
SIMON DOMINIC
The last performer needed no introduction as he had the crowd screaming, shouting, and spelling his name out.
SIMON D-O-M-I-N-I-C!
A truly legendary name in K-Hip-Hop who’s living up to the title by giving the highest energy of performance and his charismatic stages demonstrating the reason he has been adored and respected for all these years.
Simon Dominic wowed the crowd with ‘DAx4’ performance prior to his much-anticipated performance of ‘Simon Dominic’, that had everyone jumping and screaming on top of their lungs. It was then followed by ‘Ya Ain’t Gang’ stage.
Simon Dominic stages were also full of collaboration ones as he performed ‘GOTT’ and ‘I’MMA DO’ with Woo, and ‘At Night’ with Loco.
He also gave astonishing stages of ‘POSE!,’ ‘WIFEY,’ ‘NO THANXX,’ ‘Make her dance’, ‘Comfortable,’ and his version of Jay Park’s hit ‘MOMMAE.’
ENCORE
When we thought the night was over, all six performers surprised the audience with a round of encore performances!
As promised, Loco sung ‘Say Yes’ with the crowd. They also performed songs ‘Upside Down’ and ‘TFFU’ as they chugged down a bottle of Emperador, a local liquor.
It was indeed a party as all six of them sung and dance to ‘Party for the Night,’ ‘On Air,’ ‘We Are,’ and ‘Who You.’
As the cherry on top of the thrilling evening, standing ticket holders had the opportunity to see and interact with them up close, take photos with their favorite artist, as well as have their phones and albums signed on the spot. Indeed, there ain’t no fanservice as how AOMG artists do it!
The four-hour long of ground-breaking performances, powerful vocals, mesmerizing stages, as well as the never-ending energy from crowd were such an unforgettable moment and truly a great experience to witness live.
It was such an incredible night for both the artists and the fans. Manila really followed the movement and made sure to bring home all of the memories shared that night.
Photos taken by: Mary Mildred Irene dela Cruz
AOMG ‘Follow the Movement’ 2023 World Tour in Manila is presented by PULP Live World.
