Words by Phyl Pangilinan
Photos by Gia Allana and Phyl Pangilinan
To say that Seventeen has become well-known in the Philippine K-Pop scene is an understatement. They completely captured hearts of fans ever since the release of their debut song entitled “Adore U,” and their number fans only kept growing with every comeback. After another successful one with their “Al1” album, the 13-member K-Pop boy group has chosen to include the Philippines in their 1st World Tour, and even decided to make it their last stop.
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With an influence such as theirs, it is nearly impossible that Carats (Seventeen’s fans) don’t get overwhelmed with feels by seeing their favorite K-Pop idols on stage. Here are moments in Seventeen’s concert that made Philippine Carats feel heaven-high:
4. Seeing them complete
During Seventeen’s first visit in the Philippines last August 14 and 15 for “Shining Diamonds—1st Asia Pacific Tour,” members Jun and The8 were not able to perform due to visa problems, hence an incomplete Seventeen. This time, however, the two have set foot for the first time here in the Philippines, and the whole of Seventeen was finally able to perform in front of Philippine Carats. What’s amazing is that they even performed their duet entitled “My I,” which definitely makes up for last time.
3. Experiencing Seventeen and Ph Carats’ energy
Seventeen really gave their all in every single performance, and so did Philippine Carats with their fan chants. Some might say it’s because it’s their last stop and both sides just wanted to leave a lasting impression. But even the talkative Hoshi expressed that he remembers Philippine Carats for the massive amount of energy they give out, which in turn hypes up the members of the K-Pop idol group. I felt great elation when I saw the major fan project being carried out. Experiencing all that good energy first-hand really gave me goosebumps.
The Ocean of Rose Quartz and Serenity was a success!🎉 SEVENTEEN NOTICED IT!😭💕
THANK YOU PH-CARATS FOR COOPERATING!🇵🇭#DiamondEdgeInManila pic.twitter.com/R5SNU9aMR5
— Carat Land PH (@CaratLandPH) October 6, 2017
2. Hearing remixes of their songs
All the songs in the setlist, which included “We Gonna Make It Shine,” “언행일치 (Romanization: Un Haeng Il Chi),” title songs from all albums, and their corresponding unit songs, perfectly showcased Seventeen’s vocal, rapping, and performing prowess. But their remixed songs, such as “Pretty U,” “Don’t Listen in Secret,” “OMG,” and “Rock”, showed how versatile Seventeen can really be. The different takes on these songs definitely raised the energy levels and made Philippine Carats feel one with Seventeen’s music. “Shining Diamond” and “Healing” were very fitting as Seventeen’s encore performances, since it reminded everyone of how they started, and how they got to where they are now.
1. Listening to Seventeen’s Last Messages
Of course, nothing can beat hearing Seventeen’s heartfelt messages (and the endless barrage of “Mahal Kita’s” and “Salamat Po’s”) before they ended the concert. All Carats felt touched by their words, and some of them, including me, even teared up (some also swore they saw some of the members’ eyes get watery). Joshua and Vernon, the English speakers in the group, said their messages in English as expected.
The8 however, surprised the crowd by speaking in straight English as well when he would normally do it in either Korean or Chinese.
The8: Our world tour is over. We don’t want it to finish. But don’t be sad. We will meet again. I’m so happy because of you!
Joshua: Thank you for creating such a wonderful experience for us today. We’re really looking forward to the time that we come again.
Vernon: Philippine Carats are amazing and I’m so happy this was the last stop for Diamond Edge.
Seungkwan and the group leader S.Coups have spoken reassuring words that stuck to Carats’ hearts.
Seungkwan: We will definitely meet again. I will never forget today.
S.Coups: Everyday of my life is meaningful thanks to Carats. If you promise to stand by our side, we promise to stand by yours.
Truly, the relationship between Seventeen and Carats is unlike any other; “You can’t imitate this, seventeen carat” they sing so in “Shining Diamonds.” Carats left the venue with the same strength of emotions as when they came in, if not even more, since some were spotted crying outside the venue. All that’s left to do for now is go through that usual post-concert sadness while waiting for another comeback from Seventeen.
