I will be very honest with you, I am not a YG stan. I mean, I know the artists but I barely stan them. The only YG artist that I was a fan of was AKMU.
"So why did you attend Winner's concert in Manila if you're not a fan?"
Like what I have mentioned in some of my blog posts, I am a Global Correspondent of kpopchannel.tv. This time, they asked me to cover the event. Since I was given the chance to cover it, I accepted it. Because of that, I started listening to Winner’s songs since I need to write an article about the concert.I only know 2 songs from them. That was Really Really (the most famous one I guess) and Everyday (their latest song). Upon hearing the possible setlist, I fell in love with ‘Empty’, ‘For’, and ‘Love Me Love Me’ and was really looking forward to hear it live.
D-Day
So going back to D-Day. We were not given media passes (since YG said there will be no professional cameras for the event) instead they gave us tickets so that we can still cover and write articles about the event. This was my first time to see a ticket where the word ‘Guest’ was written. I feel like I was really a guest during the event.
At around 6:30pm, we have entered the venue. The place was calm. I was a bit shocked that the fans were still calm despite the fact that they are inside the venue already. I just thought that maybe they are saving their energy for the concert.
I don’t know why but I felt some goosebumps as they start performing. Suddenly, I felt like I became one with Inner Circles. Their voices were really great, especially Yoon. He, I guess, has the most stable voice. They continue their performances and also had some segments.
The most awaited part of the segment is of course, them speaking in Filipino. It's fun hearing them speak our language. Some of the most memorable lines were, "Mahal ko Kayo!", "Sigaw" (well SHIGAW actually lol)", and "Mabuhay".
"What are the memorable things during the concert?"
SOLO SEGMENTS
Well, aside from seeing Winner as a whole, one of the most memorable thing that happened during the concert was their solo segments.
Mino - Well, he definitely is one hot and sexy one. His performance was really hot. Not to mention he did not have any undershirt. You can really see his abs there. Oopsie. lol. But aside frome his hot performance, I was able to hear his songs and voice clearly.
Jinu - He is more than just a pretty face. His version of GD's Untitled, 2014 was really great. I was able to hear his voice well this time since he is the only one singing. His voice can actually calm me.
Yoon - Like what I have mentioned earlier, his vocals were very stable and lit. And finally, I got to hear him singing "It Rains". This kind of song is actually my type of song. It's a little bit of an R&B type with a rock inclusion in it. This is actually one of my favorite performances during the show. Oh and also, one of the most memorable thing that he said during the concert was, "I want to say it to you, 'I like it (or me? not so sure lol) when I'm with you". After that he sang a part of Lauv's I Like Me Better.
(Oh, Lauv is gonna be here in the Philippines next year. Haha)
Hoony - Another sexy member has been released. lol. But seriously, he is sexy especially when he dances. He really dances well. Of all the members, he is the one who can really express his feelings and emotions as he dances. I was too pre-occupied at that time that I was not able to take a photo or video of his performance.
FAN PROJECT
Another memorable thing during the concert was the unity of Filipino Inner Circles that made the fan project successful.
Inseo, the shelter that embraces Winner everyday
When the members were at the backstage preparing for their encore stage, Inner Circles prepared a cool fan project. They all turned off their lightsticks and turned on their flashlights. The arena was filled with white lights. They started singing the chorus part of Movie Star instead of shouting encore. The fun part was they keep on repeating it over and over again until Winner came back on stage.
As Winner was performing their songs during encore, they managed to grab some banners and they were holding it throughout the performance.
WINNER'S FAN SERVICE
The next one was on twitter. They posted about the MOA Globe Ad. During the concert, they even mentioned about that. All throughout the concert, they mentioned all the fan projects that the fans did. From the banners at the airport, to the banners outside MOA, to the MOA Globe Ad, and the whole concert fan project. They were really thankful for it.
INNER CIRCLES
One of the most calm fandom I have ever known. I was really amazed with the discipline that Inner Circles have. But aside from that, I envy their unity. Instead of creating new fan clubs for Winner and have their individual fan project, all the current fan clubs created a union of the fan clubs to create main fan projects and all of the fans supported it. From what I saw, it is not which fan club was recognized, it is the fan project.Let me be honest with you. There are a lot of PH fan clubs in the Philippines and when the artist come here they are not united and create individual fan projects which makes the fans confused. Why are they not united? Because of the pride. They want to gain the recognition of "the fanclub who made the fan project successful" and "the fanclub whose fan project was noticed by *insert the group's name*" But, Inner Circles were different. They united for Winner. And I love that kind of fandom.
Another the cool part about the fans were, the fans know their limit. As far as I know (or saw), they did not push each other just to get close to the artists. They were just reaching their hands out and wait until the members touch it. Even during the send-off session. I saw one video from Ms. Happee Sy's twitter.
Great group = Great fandom. Inner Circles, you are great!
That night, Winner and Inner Circles truly had left a great impact on me. Like what I've said to my friends, they now have a place in my heart. It may be late, but it's better late than never. Thank you Winner for existing. Thank you Inner Circles for making me feel welcomed even if I was not a fan before.
Here is the link for the article that I wrote for kpopchannel.tv: Winner and Inner Circles had a Wonderful Date during 'EVERYWHERE' Tour in Manila
