Doh Kyung-soo’s vocals, deadpan humor make for a rollicking show in Manila

Doh Kyung-soo was craving for some pork belly.

But alas, the Korean singer-actor is on a diet in preparation for a villain role in the upcoming series “Sculpture City.” So, as much as he wanted to eat samgyupsal during the recent two-day Manila stop of his “Bloom” fan concert tour, he had to make do with whatever the catering service had prepared.

While the meals he had were “delicious,” they were certainly no samgyupsal. The image of those precious, fatty slices of grilled pork must have continued haunting him on Day 2. And the food-themed “This or That” game he played with the program host, Denise Laurel, didn’t help one bit.

“I want to eat so bad right now!” he told the sold-out crowd at Araneta Coliseum, after he was asked to choose between blood sausage soup and boiled pork belly.

Photos of bibimbap, sujebi, perilla leaf pancakes, grilled tofu, pork ribs and more were paraded on the jumbo screen. It must have been torturous. And the fans couldn’t help but laugh in amusement as Kyung-soo groaned, yelled and hung his head in frustration as he made one difficult choice after another.

True enough, it was the meat dishes that won in just about every round. “Pork! Samgyupsal!” he shouted. “You guys realize that the food we’re discussing actually makes you gain weight, right? I’m not craving any vegetables right now!”

But as it turned out—in Kyung-soo’s heart—nothing would ever compare to the gastronomic delight that is instant ramyeon. And if he had to eat only one dish for the rest of his life, it would be noodles. He would gladly do it 365 days a year, he declared

Asked how he usually prepares, or makes his ramyeon special, Kyung-soo gave Denise a rather blase, matter-of-factly response that had everyone in stitches. “You know, there’s actually instructions behind the pack.”

But turning serious, Kyung-soo—the ramyeon purist that he apparently is—suggested using less water than indicated and insisted that under no circumstance should any kind of topping be added.

“You should not harm the original taste of the noodles and ramyeon itself,” he said, his eyes squinted in all earnestness, before giving a chef’s kiss. “Grabe, ang passionate niya sa noodles,” the girl beside us said, laughing.

Segments

That game was just one of the many segments Kyung-soo presented during the two-and-a-half hour show (Wilbros Live). And while it seemed like a usual fan meeting fare, it highlighted one of the many qualities that makes a 31-year-old artist an engaging and endearing presence onstage.

Aside from his vaunted vocal talent, Kyung-soo, also known as D.O. of the Korean pop boy group Exo, had deadpan humor that made seemingly mundane or supposedly heartwarming interactions unintentionally funny. And half of the time, you couldn’t even tell if he even realizes he just did or said something funny.

Case in point: In a segment where lucky fans got a chance to pose for photos with Kyung-soo through split-screens, the camera pointed to a bashful young lady holding up a sign with a sweet message: “Kyung-soo, you’re my moonlight (a reference to the Exo song ‘Moonlight’).”

Kyung-soo looked at it and said—or rather, mumbled—in a manner that sounded unimpressed and dorky all at once: “Okaayyy … thank you.” The audience erupted in laughter. And Kyung-soo just stood there with a puzzled look on his face, perhaps trying to figure out if it was about something he said.

As he sang “Thunder,” the fans stomped their feet in unison, as if mimicking claps of thunder. “Guys, this is going to collapse,” he warned the crowd, whose eagerness had the floorboards shaking. “But you have a healthy lower body.”

He wasn’t afraid to roast his own fans, too. Scanning the crowd to check out those who turned up in costumes, he chanced upon someone waving a banner with a photo of him topless in a bathtub. The smile on his face faded. “What’s that?!” he said, pointing at the banner and furrowing his eyebrows in exasperation. “Why are you raising a naked photo of someone?”

And when the fans wouldn’t let up screaming their heads off during an energy check for the venue’s different sections, Kyung-soo told them off: “Jamkkanman, jamkkanman, jamkkanman. Stop, stop, stop!” Apparently, that was just his trick to “drain the crowd’s energy,” so they wouldn’t be noisy for the “calm songs” he was about to sing.

He didn’t need to do any of that, though.

Comforting tone

Throughout the show, the Dandanies and Exo-Ls made sure that their beloved idol felt their love and support with their deafening cheers and infectious giggles. But if there was anything that could make the crowd pipe down at once, it was Kyung-soo’s voice.

Whenever he started singing, a hush would often fall over the venue—not because the fans didn’t know the words, but to better appreciate and relish every note sung.

And it was especially true for the more sentimental ballads like the gentle and weepy “It’s Love” and the pleading “About Time,” which highlighted his comforting tone and expressive delivery.

Kyung-soo is regarded as one of the best vocalists to have emerged, not only from among pop groups, but in all K-pop itself. He decided to perform a number of on-the-spot songs sitting down and a cappella screamed confidence.

In the segments in which he sang snippets of well-loved solo hits and Exo songs, Kyung-soo had the crowd swooning as he showed off the breadth of his vocal qualities—the power, the agility that allowed for precise runs and ad libs and the seamless manner with which he transitioned from chest voice to head tone, and from falsetto back to chest voice.

The challenge in a cappella numbers is that the performer has nowhere to hide; the littlest of flaws are magnified, there for everyone to hear. But when they happened—particularly in impromptu songs that he hadn’t performed in a while—Kyung-soo handled them with humor and composure.

In “Sing for You,” Kyung-soo’s voice squeaked as he went for a high note, because he had started the song a few steps higher than usual. But that didn’t faze him. He patiently, and playfully, searched for the right key. “Sorry!” he quipped, drawing laughter. And he didn’t mind doing it over in front of the fans, because he knew he would find it anyway.

‘Healthy relationship’

Toward the end of the show, Kyung-soo sang more of his solo releases. Some of the standouts include, “My Dear,” “Somebody” and “Popcorn.” Ballads and midtempos comprised a considerable portion of his set. When he comes back, he hopes to have more bops that will have them all jumping together.

“You guys need to sweat. I need to sweat. We can exercise together. So that after the show, we can have a delicious dinner together,” Kyung-soo, whose mind was still on food, told the crowd.

The English version of “Rose” was one of the songs where the fans really allowed themselves to let out their singing voices. It was dark and Kyung-soo had gone backstage. Everyone sang passionately as if willing Kyung-soo to return.

Perhaps this was what Kyung-soo was talking about when he said earlier that he named the concert, “Bloom” —and his third album, “Blossom”—“so we can beautifully bloom together.”

The beautiful sound of their voices wasn’t lost on Kyung-soo. “I actually listened to the song you were singing for me. Why are you guys good at singing? You’re such good singers,” said Kyung-soo, who’s “at my happiest” when performing in front of the fans.

Kyung-soo said he was proud to have his fans by his side with every step he takes in his journey toward growth. And he especially cherishes the “healthy relationship” he has with his Filipino followers. “It’s such a good thing that we influence each other,” he said.

The singer had an “unforgettable” time in Manila. But while his next visit could take some time, he vowed to start preparing for it as soon as he can. And when the fans started chanting, “Walang uuwi (nobody’s going home)!,” Kyung-soo struck once more with his deadpan one-liners. “I have to go. I can’t miss the flight.”