One of the member of K-POP’s Legendary Group EXO and also a successful solo artist, Chanyeol, showed his love for his Filipino fans during the Manila leg of his solo concert “City-scape,” performing some of his biggest hits, interacting with fans, and treating them with many surprises.
On October 19, thousands of fans gathered at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, one of the largest venues in the country, for the “City-scape” tour, to experience a special night filled with music and a personal connection with Chanyeol.
Chanyeol appeared on stage in his sleeveless black shirt with his electric guitar as he opened the show with ‘Back Again.’ From his entrance, the crowd cheered as loud as they can while waving their lightstick in perfect harmony. He also performed some of the crowd’s favorite such as ‘Good Enough‘ and ‘Tomorrow.’
Filipinos are clearly enormous fans of Korean dramas, and for those of us who enjoy the series and the original soundtracks, this is likely one of the night’s highlights. Chanyeol performed one of his beloved OSTs, ‘Stay with Me‘ from the popular Korean Drama “Goblin.” He also treated the fans with one of his best collaboration song with LeeHi, ‘Yours.’ He was in awe as the crowd perfectly sang the verses of Punch and LeeHi. He even praised the crowd, saying “You guys are such good singers.”
Chanyeol also showcased his impressive guitar skills as he played snippets of popular rock hits such as the intro of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine‘ by Guns N’ Roses, the guitar outro of ‘Hotel California‘ by Eagles, and even singing and covering ‘Basket Case‘ by Green Day. These rockstar stages of him undoubtedly captivated his fans.
Aside from being a soloist and a member of EXO, Chanyeol is also the other half of the group’s sub-unit EXO-SC with Sehun. Even without his other half, he was still able to perform ‘Telephone‘ and ‘Just Us 2‘ effortlessly. He took his performances up to the next level with ‘Hasta La Vista,’ ‘Ease Up,’ and ‘Nothing,’ owning the stage as the fans hyped him up. He even taught the crowd how to do the ‘Clover‘ dance challenge.
The night was particularly noteworthy because of Chanyeol’s interactions with the Manila audience in addition to his riveting performances. He recalled his previous show to the Philippines and how much he enjoyed performing here, expressing his sincere gratitude for the Filipino EXO-Ls’ steadfast support. He also used Tagalog words he had learnt from his previous visit to introduce himself and interact with the croud. He would quickly respond with “Salamat po” (thank you) when the audience chanted “Pogi” (handsome).
The night was made even more enjoyable by the lighthearted banter between him and the crowd. There were many notable “funny” moments such as when he said that he really like Penshoppe and that he is not saying it because he is the model, and the fans were jokingly teasing him with “Weh?” (really?). Another one is when he accidentally ate a confetti while performing ‘Just as Usual,’ and when he coughed at the start of ‘Hasta La Vista‘ and tried suppressing his laughters.
Another highlight of the night is his surprise cover of the popular OPM (Original Pilipino Music) ‘Raining in Manila‘ by Lola Amour for his Filipino fans. He performed the tagalog song as if it is his own song and is a part of his original setlist. He admitted that he really liked the song. He even teased his fan again saying, “You thought I was gonna sing Hawak Kamay, right?” which drew laughters. Chanyeol sang ‘Hawak kamay’ in one of his show in the country before. “No more, hawak kamay” was Chanyeol’s cheeky response when asked to sing the song again, which caused the crowd to erupt in further laughter. He promised to sing a new song when he comes back again.
Chanyeol delighted the fans more as he performed a medley of some of EXO’s biggest hits, including ‘Lotto,’ ‘Tempo,’ ‘Monster,’ ‘Obsession,’ ‘Growl‘ and ‘Hear Me Out‘ mixed of cheers and tears filled the arena. The atmosphere was electric, and fans sang along, their voices blending with Chanyeol’s, creating a beautiful moment. It was indeed nostalgic for all the EXO-Ls present that night.
As the show moves towards the end, Chanyeol thanked everyone who attended. He promised everyone that this would not be his last performance in Manila. “If you guys call me back, I’ll fly anytime to be here,” he told the fans.
He also performed some of his songs including ‘Black Out,’ ‘SSFW,’ and ‘I’m on your side too.’ For his encore, he sang ‘Just as Usual‘ and gave another performance of ‘Hasta La Vista‘ with him emphasizing the lyrics “See you again.”
Clearly, it was not just EXO-Ls who enjoyed the show. If it is only possible, Chanyeol would want to stay for another day and performed again. That is how much he enjoyed and had so much fun performing in Manila. The show may have ended, but the happiness, laughter, fun and excitement we had and shared that night will live on forever in our hearts and minds.
Chanyeol’s City-scape in Manila is presented by PULP Live World.
