South Korean boy group ATEEZ gave Filipino fans an unforgettable night to treasure following their first-ever solo concert in the Philippines on Sept. 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The eight-member group, sans main vocalist and maknae (a.k.a. youngest) Jongho “broke the walls” of the Big Dome and brought the house down with explosive performances during The Fellowship: Break The Wall in Manila, the last stop of their third world tour.
Jongho was earlier announced to be skipping the Manila tour due to his leg injury but still, his presence was felt since some of his strong vocal and high-hitting notes were played during the group’s performances. Fans, fondly called as ATINYs, also made sure to cheer on the idol as they shouted his name and even sang his parts during the course of the show.
Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi and Wooyoung left the Big Dome roaring with fiery moves for their recent hit single, BOUNCY (K-HOT CHILI PEPPERS), the music video of which became their fastest to hit 100 million views on YouTube.
The BOUNCY fever dominated the arena as ATEEZ got the fans all together dancing the point down, lean back, bend knee choreo. One Filo ATINY even got the members’ approval for being the “best performer ever” in their tour after a dance-off with Yeosang.
Piercing “Break the wall” chants from the crowd echoed through the arena as the boys went hard with “rebellion” anthem Guerilla.
Filo ATINYs also went the loudest after chanting the group’s iconic line “ATEEZ present!” during their Say My Name performance.
Moments before the show started, buzzing excitement engulfed the venue with fans singing along to the group’s songs while awaiting for them to appear on stage.
The septet, garbed in black cloaks, later took center stage. Descending from an elevated platform, they took off their cloaks to reveal themselves and then kicked off the show with HALAZIA.
The members briefly introduced themselves afterwards, showing excitement over reuniting with their Filipino fans after almost a year since appearing at the K-Pop Masterz Ep. 2 in Manila in September 2022.
“This is our second time coming here, but I think today was much hotter than before,” rapper Mingi referred to the energetic crowd.
“Today, I made memories because you, guys, are here. So, I love you so much,” said San while recalling an unforgettable time in the Philippines with his dad when he was young.
ATEEZ kept the hype going with fired up stages of previously released songs Answer, HALA HALA, The Real, taking full control of their pirates concept in WIN, Horizon and WONDERLAND (Symphony No.9 From The Horizon), a rendition of their performance from the K-pop competition show Kingdom in 2021.
Air balloons got released and tossed around inside the indoor arena as ATEEZ sang and grooved to fan-favorites Illusion and Wave.
The setlist of more than 20 songs also featured ballads such as Sunrise and Turbulence, which gave comfort to fans, at the same time, showcased the group’s powerful vocals.
Adding to the relentless deafening shrieks, fans went into a frenzy every time the members spoke in Tagalog, specifically when they said, “Maging masaya ATINYs. (Mahal) namin kayo (Be happy, ATINYs. We love you).”
“Ala uwi?” Mingi adorably said after mishearing the crowd chanting the words “Walang uuwi (No one’s going home).”
“Okay, let’s live here. This is our home,” the group’s “captain” Hongjoong earlier told fans in jest.
As ATEEZ prepared to wrap up the more than two-hour show, the members paused to reflect on their 11 month-long tour coming to a close and made sure to give credit to their dear fans.
“Through this tour, I’m sure that I got to grow as an individual — and I think I wouldn’t be able to do this if it wasn’t thanks to our ATINYs,” said Yunho through an interpreter.
“It is an honor that we got to end our Break the Wall tour here in the Philippines. Let’s meet each other happier and healthier in the next tour. We’re going to come back as eight members, so let’s meet again,” stated Wooyoung.
Yeosang, meanwhile, said he is thankful to have met and made countless memories with fans during the tour which he described as an “unforgettable memory in my life.”
“Thank you so much ATINYs for making it a memorable one,” he said.
“During our performance, there was one discovery I made. That in my life, my reason would be ATINYs. Thinking about how I will get to make many more memories with ATINYs in the future makes me happy,” Seonghwa remarked.
“We will always work hard to become the artists that you’re proud of. ATINY, we really love you. Thank you so much!” Hongjoong added.
Yunho also gave a reassuring and touching message to their Filipino fans.
“ATINYs, whenever you are having a hard time, whenever you wanna sit down, we’ll make sure to do better for us to serve as your energy. We’ve broken countless walls, right? Whatever wall we face, let us all break through it together, I love you all!” he said.
The Fellowship: Break The Wall tour in Manila was presented by Wilbros Live.