Eh-eh-eh-eh 2NE1!

The Party is the first highly anticipated concert of my sister’s favorite Korean pop sensation, 2NE1, in the Philippines. Since the release of the hit single, Fire, CL, Dara, Minzy and Bom won the hearts of fans not only in Korea, but also here in the Philippines. My sister and I were just two of the thousands of screaming fans that flooded Araneta Coliseum last night.

I am not a super fan as many of the people in Araneta last night, but yes, 2NE1 is one of the two Korean bands that I actually follow. With their fly fashion and awesome music videos, one can’t deny that these girls got swag!

With their awesome comeback stages and live performances in Korea, I have high expectations for yesterday’s show. The girls drove the crowd crazy with a powerful entrance!

Well, performance-wise, 2NE1 did not disappoint. They sounded and moved the same as they’ve had in their music videos, which is amazing! Even without back-up dancers, the four of them commanded incomparable stage presence. Though it is pretty disappointing that they only performed 8 songs and that they didn’t have many costume changes (I was after the fashion, see). I think lugi yung mga nagbayad ng Php8,500 for front seats, well that’s just me.

Thanks to my super zoom lens, I have a 2,800-peso view from my 1,200-peso seat. *laughs*

Aside from their short performances, I think the low-points of the night are out of the girls’ hands. For one, the weather’s so hot while we were waiting for the gates to open! We were outside for 3 hours before we got in! Also, there were too many front acts! Though I enjoyed performances by Christian Bautista (who can resist a balladeer with a handsome profile?), Bloomfields (kasi cute yung drummer nila), Philippine All-Stars and Callalily (which is totally UP Fair-ish).

Another issue is the lighting. It’s either there were too many lights or they are pointing at the wrong direction. But there were times that it’s very hard to see the performers. The use of those shape-shifting party lights were not helping the view (at least from my seat at Upper B). I also don’t get what the technical director is doing in his booth. I’m not the best expert but from what I know, you project in white screens to give those who are far from the stage a good view. If that’s they purpose, why the hell do you superimpose stuff that we can’t even see the video already? Yes, that’s the BC major in me talking.

Aside from those mishaps, it was really a fun night! The crowd’s energy is just infectious. They were cheering loudly and singing and dancing along — even when Sandara sang In or Out, her single before going back to Korea.

Fans sang along as if the song was not deemed as jologs back then. *laughs*

Pero bitin talaga. I hope when they come back, it’s a full-blown concert with more than one costume and more than 8 songs! 🙂