Concert Recap: TREASURE, BamBam, and Jackson Wang at K-POP MASTERZ in Manila
On July 29, PULP Live World presented 2022 K-POP MASTERZ in Manila, featuring TREASURE, BamBam, and Jackson Wang. Both fandoms, TEUMEs and Ahgases, waved their lightsticks to create a blue and green ocean, showing united support for the performers. With Kring Kim as the host, the show was filled with active call-and-responses and dialogue between the performers and the lively audience.
A Strong Start with TREASURE
With ten seconds left on the countdown, the audienceโs energy was sky-high as the screens introduced TREASURE and the members ascended to the stage. The ten members presentโCHOI HYUN SUK, JIHOON, YOSHI, JUNKYU, YOON JAE HYUK, ASAHI, DOYOUNG, HARUTO, PARK JEONG WOO, and SO JUNG HWANโstarted off with โJIKJIN.โ The groupโs blue-and-white outfits and denim jeans perfectly matched with TEUMEโs bright blue ocean, and so did their energy. TREASURE continued the enthusiasm as they sang โI LOVE YOUโ to TEUMEs. After the first songs and TREASUREโs introductions, TEUMEs sang happy birthday to JAE HYUK, who had his birthday last week. The belated-birthday boy thanked the fans, โIโm very happy to receive greetings like this from TEUMEs, so Iโm very happy. Mahal kita (I love you!)โ
As first-timers in the Philippines, TREASURE had their Filipino vocabulary and first impressions to share. โMasaya ako na nandito ako (Iโm happy to be here),โ and โMasaya ako makilala kayo (Iโm happy to meet you guys),โ JAE HYUK and CHOI HYUN SUK greeted in Filipino respectively. Leader JIHOON also complimented, โMagandang TEUME (Beautiful TEUME!)โ More special mentions included tourist attractions Boracay and Cebu, as well as Philippine mango juice and mangoesโcited as โspecial and differentโ by SO JUNG HWAN. After showing off their adorable knowledge of basic Filipino expressions, the group continued their setlist with โMY TREASUREโ and โMMM.โ
Game Night with TREASURE
Apart from exciting performances, the night had more to offer for TEUMEs. The event also prepared the game โTreasure Match,โ in which the group split into two and assigned members with rock, paper, and scissors. TREASURE were split into Team โGwapo (Handsome)โ and Team โMahal kita (I love you)โโboth names courtesy of TREASURE themselves.
After the groupings, โOne Body One Soulโ followed next. All members of each team must act out the assigned word without hinting at each other (of course, the rules were cheekily broken sometimes). With heart-fluttering poses for โballet,โ โgwiyomi,โ and โheart,โ scream-worthy ones for โsexy,โ and hilarious (and possibly confusing) poses for โBeyoncรฉ,โ TREASURE showed TEUMEs their fun and competitive side. Called out multiple times, the boys had slightly mismatched poses, but none of which TEUMEs couldnโt excuse. While the game ended in a tie, the ddakji tie breaker ended the same way. โOne Body One Soulโ concluded both groups as winners, so everyone got the prizeโa photo time with more lovely poses for TEUMEs.
After the game, TREASURE thanked TEUMEs in their ending spiels and promised that they will be back. TREASURE wrapped up their setlist with โBOY,โ and of course did not leave without performing a remixed version of their Tiktok viral sensation โDARARI,โ an anthem everyone in the crowd knew.
Wheels Up with BamBam
Continuing the night party, BamBamโs VCR took the arena by a thunderstorm quite literally with a dark castle and royal banners with the soloistโs name in the background. BamBam started his setlist with โWheels Upโ and โRide or Die.โ While he sang that he โdidnโt come to play,โ BamBam admitted he only had one thing to sayโฆ โSkrrt skrrt.โ
Kidding aside, the soloist mentioned that he had prepared a lot for Manila. โIโm bling bling,โ he replied as Kring Kim complimented his outfitโan all-black look with a glimmering top that shined with every movement and loose pants. Despite being in the country before, BamBam confessed that this particular trip to Manila was the most fun. After giving the Filipino fish bangus (milkfish) a special mention, BamBam proudly flaunted a new phrase that was clearly to his liking, โShot puno!โ to which the fans replied with surprised but excited cheers. The singer also mentioned wanting to go to the Manila Night Market. After he found out it was nonexistent, he promised to make it with the name โBamBam Shot Puno.โ
Never-ending #BamBamShotPuno
The phrase that BamBam liked so much trended soon after on Twitter, especially thanks to the next segment. In โBBโs Yes or No,โ a yes-or-no interview to gauge more of BamBamโs personality, BamBam was first asked if traveling would be his first priority if he won the lottery, but he shared a different goal in mind, โI have to make a night market!โ and said he would name it โBamBam Shot Puno.โ Despite his uncanny knowledge of Filipino phrases, BamBam only learned โMahal kitaโ after he was asked if he can say โI love youโ in five languages.
The next question was met with a lot of protest from the crowd. When asked if he was ever surprised by how good-looking he is, BamBam answered no and explained that he wanted people to see his performances instead of his face. The crowd did not back out and started chanting โBamBam pogi (handsome)!โ Kring Kim supported the statement, โThereโs a lot of good-looking people out there, but theyโre not BamBam.โ In a later segment, a similar question was asked if BamBam would want a different face if he were to be born again. โIโm not trying to be someone else,โ the singer responded with confidence.
BamBamโs unexpected Filipino vocabulary continued to shock as he shared that his favorite nickname at the moment is โbangus.โ He shared that he had been eating bangus daily since he arrived in Manila to the point that people started greeting him, โHi, bangus,โ which he would reply with โHi, sisig!โ BamBam hailed bangus as the best fish he ever had in his life and proudly mentioned that he tried both the fried and soup variants.
More surprises awaited the audience as the first few chords of Ronnie Liangโs โNgitiโ started playing. Seven years ago, BamBam promised to sing the song again after performing a short snippet at their first Manila fanmeeting in 2015. A Filipino classic, โNgiti” echoed throughout the arena as the audience sang along. BamBam continued his setlist with the slow but mesmerizing โWho Are You?โ and the contrasting hip-hop/dance song โPandora.โ
A Nostalgic Surprise
As if the night couldnโt get any crazier, BamBam asked, โCan I do something really crazy right now?โ and invited a special, yet impromptu, performer on stage. “Welcome to my second home, Bambam,” greeted Sandara Park. The K-pop veteran shortly sang the second-generation megahit โI Donโt Careโ by 2NE1. If the nostalgia wasnโt enough, the crowd brought out their inner Blackjacks and sang along to the K-pop classic with the 2NE1 version in the background music. With Sandara on the stage, BamBam concluded his setlist with โriBBon.โ
Jackson Wang Brings the Heat
Blue and green lit up the whole arena, but Jackson Wangโs set took over with all red. His setlist started with โCruelโ and โBlow,โ contributing to Manilaโs already palpable heat. This was only a preview of the heat that he had to offer Manila, and Manila was all glad to return it with their energy. โWhen they cheer for you, you know they mean it. That wave just comes to you and hits you,โ Jackson commended the crowd and tugged at Filipino fansโ heartstrings as he called them โso pretty.โ
Jackson had more to say about the Philippines. After Jackson was asked about what comes to mind in the topic of the country, one point to the crowd evoked a loud cheer after he reiterated the Filipino audienceโs way of showing their support. It would have been incomplete if the soloist did not share the extent of his Filipino vocabulary. โIsa, dalawa, tataru (one, two, three),โโthe last word being his own adorable variant for โtatlo.โ Afterwards, he added in some suspense as he teased, โI donโt know if itโs appropriate; can I say it? If I say it, donโt judge me, all right?โ The word was revealed to be a term jokingly thrown at him, โpangit (ugly).โ Met with a loud but expected disapproval from the crowd, Jackson revealed he didnโt know the meaning and asked if it was a bad word. โJackson pogi!,โ the crowd chanted. And of course, Jackson uttered the classic โMahal ko kayoโ back to his fans.
The Filipino crowd was truly special to Jackson as they heard the fresh release โCruelโ and unreleased songs from his upcoming album, Magic Man, live for the first time. Filled with too-many-to-count hip thrusts, Jacksonโs โMagic Manโ performances were not the last of Jacksonโs wild stunts. In the following spiel, Jacksonโs gentleman antics kicked in as the soloist offered his towel for Kring Kimโs comfort. The flustered host remarked in Filipino, โI canโt look straight at him anymoreโ before she gained her composure for the next segment.
Click, Click, Watching
The final segment was โClick, Click, Watching,โ in which Jackson explained stories behind the photos flashed on the screen. Explaining his photo at the launching of Mudance, the singer revealed that his favorite in the collection was the bikini. Followed by the rehearsal photo for Coachella, Jacksonโs anecdote revealed that rehearsals spanned six hours per day for two weeks. The last photo displayed Jackson moving a basketball hoop at his friendโs house in LA. On the topic of basketball, the singer shared, โI like basketball, but I suck at it.โ
Kring Kimโs response with an easy-to-misunderstand transition: โWe are gonna check how good or bad is he with balls,โ which left fans flustered for a while as Jackson started to throw signed balls at the audience. The excitement was high as fans competed to catch the prizes. Jackson went an extra mile and gave away not just the basket that contained the prizes but even went down the stage to personally give the last ball to a very lucky fan.
Before wrapping up, Jackson also gave the stage to his beloved back-up dancers, who likewise shared their excitement to be in Manila. The crowd, of course, gave the dancers the same Manila-exclusive hype (you can definitely count on the Manila crowd for that). A jacket-less Jackson in a red tank top officially concluded the night with โ100 Ways.โ While Jacksonโs arm flexes and fiery outfit were the last to heat up the night, the audience was left wanting more after the last song.
Manila-exclusive Hype
Whether it was the long hiatus of live events or simply the fansโ excitement to see TREASURE, BamBam, and Jackson Wang live, their enthusiasm was surely one unique point that sets them apart from other audiencesโas evident by the performers specifically commending their support. If the crowdโs level of energy were the only measure to bring groups to the country, TREASURE, BamBam, and Jackson Wang will surely be back.
Listen to TREASURE, BamBam, and Jackson Wangโs releases through their Spotify links and check out PULP Live Worldโs Twitter Guide on K-POP MASTERZ IN MANILA.
Excited about more concerts in Manila? Check out our article on PULP Live World’s future events here.
