I was one of those more than six thousand people who flocked trooped ran thundered into the Araneta Coliseum last night, April 10, for the first Super Junior concert in Manila. I have never seen more rabid, frothing-at-the-mouth fan girls in one place. lol To keep things short – and really just for me to remember this show – I’ve listed down ten things about Super Junior’s Manila Super Show 2. I really hope they come back; my wife and I will definitely get front-row seats next time!
Some notes before my Top 10 moments:
- Php50 binoculars for the win. We couldn’t find our binoculars at home, so we bought Php50 binoculars from this guy selling them at Araneta. Great value for its price; I was able to see relatively well.
- The audience were relatively polite. No stampede. No shouting “Boo!” at Henry or Zhoumi (some fans are upset with them because of the Hangeng incident; hello, they had nothing to do with it!). Most of us were actually seated (which is a shame because it’s good to have the option to dance; in China, they were following a strict “no standing-up policy”).
- The volume was crazy! My ears are still ringing! I don’t know if it was because of my age, but the volume was way too loud. Cathy’s actually worried about her hearing now.
- The stage setup was way crazy! They say it’s the biggest stage setup ever in the history of Araneta, and was it worth it. Huge screen, running area all around the place, mosh pit, crazy large metal stage… loved it.
- The light sticks looked great! There were hundreds of people with light sticks. In the dark, they just looked amazing.
- Technicals were scary for a while. There were two technical hiccups: they had to restart the initial video because of problems with the sound, and sometime near the end, when another video took about a minute to start. Wookie seemed to come in for Insomnia late (his platform didn’t seem to raise on time), but overall, a show that was visually superior to any other concert I’ve ever attended. And that says a lot.
- Cinderella Heechul let me down. What was wrong with Heechul? He was mouthing the words wrong – obviously lipsyncing, and not well – and seemed a little out of it. His solo number was just loud screaming. Heechul was my fourth favorite SuJu member, and I was so disappointed that he didn’t seem to be putting in the same kind of effort that I saw with many of the other members.
10. Yesung’s farewell. Yesung was just amazing vocally, but my Yesung highlight came literally at the end of the show. Most of the SuJu members had walked offstage, but he just keep on going, singing a song a capella. He literally had to be pulled offstage while singing. Funny!
9. Kyuhyun was vocally spectacular. What an incredible voice. My wife noted how he was also such a terrific dancer, but most people, including myself, don’t notice that because he’s just such a gifted vocalist.
8. Shindong’s Tagalog They call him “cutie pie,” and he’s earned my respect after this concert. He’s a big guy, but he was definitely dancing with the best of them. Shindong surprised us by counting off 1 to 10 in Tagalog. He capped it off by shouting “Ano ba iyan?!” FUNNY! He definitely connected with the audience. So funny, and really so talented. I was surprised he didn’t get a solo performance. (He and Eunhyuk were apparently the only ones who didn’t get solo pieces; more on Eunhyuk in this Top 10 later.)
7. Sungmin and his voice/muscles/hair. I was surprised by how well Sungmin could sing, especially during his solo performance. My wife was really shocked by his voice and passion. Looking at their videos, I thought Sungmin was kinda twinky, but he seems to have been working out, because he seemed a lot bigger. And the hair just took my wife’s breath away; she said it really suited him.
6. Henry and Zhoumi. So glad that Zhoumi and Henry were able to make it. Heck, we didn’t get Kangin, Hangeng, and Kibum, I’m glad we got these two! And was it worth it. Henry is an electrifying stage performer. Whether he’s playing his electric violin or dancing up a storm in his solo number or singing his own share of solos in Blue Tomorrow, he was just amazing. Zhoumi, on the other hand, may have been a bit nervous in his solo performance, but he made up for it with the money note in Blue Tomorrow. Super Junior M!!
5. Leeteuk & Eunhyuk performing despite being sick. A lot of SuJu members appeared to be ill. We knew that Leeteuk kinda threw out his back, and Eunhyuk blogged in his mini-hompy that he was coughing. It was also clear that Ryeowook and Siwon weren’t at the top of their game: Wookie coughed several times during the concert, and Siwon had to excuse himself during the last part of the show to rest, and he apologized at the end. Despite all this, they put on a fantastic performance. Leeteuk, in particular, was spectacular: he did a terrific Honey and even did sit-ups on stage! And Eunhyuk was just pure energy. Grabe. When you consider that these men were not feeling well but continued to put on an amazing show, well, it’s a tribute to their professionalism, their skill, and their talent.
4. Donghae the triple-threat. Wow, Donghae was something else. This man can sing. He can dance. He can rap. My wife thinks he’s the hottest thing since sliced bread; it looks like she took his “sexy fishy” moniker to heart. His Beautiful… really was. It felt like a tribute to Michael Jackson, he was that good.
3. Ryeowook rocks my socks. I don’t care what people say about Wookie; he has a fantastic voice. Considering that he was also nursing a cough, he was phenomenal. His take on Insomnia was so entertaining (anyone find poetic justice/irony in that Wookie was the first to have a girl dance with him? lol No chemistry whatsoever). Cathy was a little upset because most of the photos are of Wookie. Sorry, hon, if you want more Donghae shots, you man the camera. lol
2. Carnival and Pajama Party mayhem. This was the part where Super Junior got to let their hair down and really party with the audience. People were just throwing their gifts at the idol group. It was so much fun!
1. Siwon singing Who Am I. As a Christian, this was my favorite part of the show. I made a bet with Cathy that I wouldn’t scream the entire show, and I was faithful to that, except when Siwon got down on his knees and shared the gospel in three sentences. It was hair-raising and spine-tingling. I was so proud of Siwon for taking a public stand and declaring his love for God. I was also so moved by the other SuJu Christians who came onstage to sing the final chorus with him. With the giant LCD screen displaying cathedral windows – how very Catholic, I’m just sayin’ – it was like being in a church. I loved it. I felt – and I hope some people agree with me – that God was glorified, even if only for that one number.
Sharing some photos:
Caths and me holding our precious tickets at the SM Prestige Lounge
Sungmin playing keyboards. He’s been working out.
Eunhyuk rapping on a platform during a K.R.Y. number.
The group sans… Siwon?
This is Ryeowook. He’s my favorite.
Ryeowook hugging Yesung, Heechul to their left.
Ryeowook in rabbit hat.
Leeteuk taking to the crowd before show’s end
