Concert Review: Hands Up with 2PM

Title: Hands Up with 2PM
Written by AlexaVillano || Edited by Jamie Ortega || Photos by Kevin Pableo

If March is an indicator that summer is approaching, the temperature at the Mall of Asia Arena last March 2 was definitely sizzling when Korean boyband 2PM performed before a huge crowd of Filipino K-Pop fans as part of their What Time Is It Tour.



The group’s fans known as Hottest, finally saw Chansung, Jun K., Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Junho and Wooyoung before their very eyes, belting one song after the other starting with I’ll Be Back. Wearing black and silver leather outfits, the guys danced and sang as pyrotechnics went off to the delight of fans who took videos and pictures with their cameras and cell phones.

Despite the technical glitches experienced in the first set of songs, the boys went on entertaining the crowd as if nothing happened. They then introduced themselves one by one starting with Chansung who flew in the morning of the concert due to a previous commitment. All six members told the crowd that they were happy to be finally in Manila, with each member injecting Tagalog words they have learned upon their arrival such as "guwapo" and "gutom na ako".

The group also made sure to include the audience in their performance by teaching them dance moves to their songs. They got everyone pumping with Heartbeat, performing Again and Again, mellowing with Only You, telling their fans they can’t survive "Without You", not to give and screaming "Don’t Stop, Can’t Stop" and scoring "10 out of 10". They also got the crowd going by telling them to raise their Hands Up.

Each member also had individual solo numbers. Chansung, who is currently part of the drama 7th Grade Civil Servant got female fans squealing as he showed his sexy charisma viaLove You Down. The screams just got even louder when he ripped off his shirt showcasing his abs that earned him a spot as one of the top K-Pop male entertainers with the best bodies.

Junho got everyone singing and dancing with "Just A Feeling" and even showed the crowd another one of his talents; playing the drums. Wooyoung showcased his sharp dancing skills through Sexy LadywhileTaecyeon got everyone feeling like they were in the club by demonstrating some DJ-ing before rapping to "It’s Time".

Nichkhun, who recently joined the Bench family as one of its new endorsers, serenaded the crowd with Let It Rainwhile Jun K, known to have the best vocals in the group sang, Just One Night. Both members later asked the audience to sing a line from each of their songs.
In between sets, the group showed their appreciation for the fans. They even prepared a surprise for the audience- singing the Filipino nursery song "Tong-tong-Pakitong-Kitong" led by Wooyoung with the audience singing along drawing laughter and amusement.

A video entitled “2PM Proposal” was also shown on screen where the boys were shown preparing a proposal for their fans. Flowers, balloons and cake aside, the audience got touched when a letter written in Tagalog was focused on the video, showing the group’s love and appreciation for their fans.
The guys also made sure to interact with the audience, approaching all sides of the stage and throwing the giveaways (with every girl trying to grab it from one another).  They even took time after their final number to shake hands with those in the VIP section. They even had their photos taken with fans by grabbing cameras and cellphones from lucky supporters.

Other fans grabbed the opportunity to give gifts to their idols like Jun K who received a necklace made of mini panda stuff toys plus two large ones which he later posted on his Twitter account.“THANK YOU ALL PHILIPPINES :) WE NEVER FORGET BOUT YOUR GREAT LOVE !” he wrote.

As the concert came to an end, the members said that they will never forget the warm welcome they’ve received from the Filipino fans. All six members said that they will continue to work hard with preparations for a Korean comeback this year. Taecyeon even said that while the group has been to other countries, the Philippines by far is one of the best places they’ve visited and they will definitely comeback again to perform.

Nichkhun also thanked the Filipino fans. In his Twitter post, he said that it was one of the best shows he’s done.

“Couldn't get enough of you guys tonight!! PH HOTTEST you made tonight one of the most memorable shows ever! MaramingSalamat Po!” he tweeted.

As a fan of the group, it was surreal to finally watch them live after waiting for two years. The boys have definitely matured alot since debuting back in 2009 with 10 out of 10. They have also gone through individual projects with Chansung, Taecyeon and Wooyoung branching into acting, Junho and Jun K into solo albums and songwriting, while Nichkhun is active in his native Thailand. They recently released their Japanese album Legend of 2PM and after a few weeks hit the Oricon Charts. Now talk about an explosive start for the guys!

All in all it was worth watching the concert. As hot as it was watching 2PM on stage, the night definitely belonged to the fans that left the arena with smiles on their faces. A show that deserved a huge “hands up!”