Last June 1, K-Pop Superstar IU returned to Manila, Philippines after five years for the HEREH World Tour at the Philippine Arena. I am one of the thousands of Ma-aenas who got to watch the idol live on stage.
With the amazing stage production, live band, and a setlist packed with hits- both old and new, the years-long wait for IU return to Manila is all so worth it.
It has been days since the concert. While some of the post-concert blues are slowly dwindling, I still can’t help but feel a little sepanx. So, here are some of the most memorable moments from the Manila leg of the HEREH World Tour:
Gift to Fans
Even before the concert, IU has prepared a gift for everyone who attended the concert. Upon strapping, audiences received a set of gifts including keychains, a small binder, and PHOTOCARDS!
During the concert, the singer revealed that it was a gift prepared by her mom. That generosity is something you can only find in an IU concert. There’s no doubt why she is so well-loved.
Cover of ‘Pasilyo’
IU surprised her Filipino fans with a cover of the OPM hit Pasilyo by SunKissed Lola.
During her Love, Poem in Manila concert back in 2019, the singer covered Say You Love Me by M.Y.M.P.; and it’s fun to see her back in the Philippines, covering another OPM song- now in full Tagalog.
It’s cute to hear IU sing a Tagalog song, but the song also shows her tone so beautifully.
Love Wins All
As I mentioned, the concert consisted of IU’s best hits over the years, accompanied by amazing staging.
But my favorite is her performance for Love Wins All. This tour is the first time she performs songs from her latest EP, The Winning.
Unlike her other stages, here, it’s just her, standing on the stage singing her heart out. It was so moving that I got chills just thinking of it. It was a great way to end the main setlist of the show.
‘Good Day’ Fan Project
Last year, IU announced that she will no longer perform her song Good Day (좋은 날) – the one that catapulted her to stardom – in her future concerts.
However, Ma-aenas did not miss the chance to still include the song during the concert. As part of a fan project, the crowd of over 40,000 fans sang together to an acapella version of the idol’s hit song.
Most of the audience did not know that the sing-along will be acapella, which made for a funny moment during the verses. But as Filipino audiences do, the crowd definitely worked the chorus that even impressed IU herself.
Encore
IU is known for her Encore stages, where she sings multiple of her songs upon audience’s request. It has always been a staple of all her concerts, and the PH one is definitely one of the best.
She brought back her older hits like Someday from Dream High and You Know. She also sang more recent hits like LILAC and Strawberry Moon, and sang a snippet of My Sea (hope to hear the full version next time).
My most favorite encore stage of the night was Palette. This is my favorite IU song and I haven’t stopped listening to it since its release back in 2017. It was announced that she will retire the song from her setlist. I am glad that she brought it back for an encore and for it to close the concert was the perfect choice.
Video documentation was not allowed during the concert, so documentation of the IU HEREH Tour in Manila is limited. But I didn’t mind it as it was definitely an experience that you need to be in the room to really enjoy.
IU said that she won’t take as long to come back for her next Manila concert. And we can’t wait ‘til that next time!
Cover image credit: PULP LIVE WORLD
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