K-pop group IVE cherishes ‘louder, more meaningful’ 2nd concert in Manila

From the first song alone, the girl group IVE could already sense that the recent Manila stop of its “Show What I Have” world tour would be an “amazing” one.

To deafening cheers and thick showers of confetti, Rei, Gaeul, Wonyoung, Yujin, Leeseo and Liz took the stage and set the night’s tone with one of the K-pop girl group’s biggest hits, “I Am.” With their whole chest, the fans—fondly called “Dives”—launched into a chant.

“The passion of the Manila Dive is off the roof and I felt it during the opening stage! I thought today’s show would be amazing,” Yujin told the crowd at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The music, mostly mid-tempos enveloped in burnished synths, was fun and catchy with stylistic flourishes that made each one unique. The understated production of “Blue Heart” had hints of bubble gum, but rode a brisk and brooding flow.

“Eleven” featured a satisfying prechorus slow down, before shifting into a lavish Middle Eastern-inspired instrumentation. There were also ballads like “Shine With Me,” which showcased the girls’ vocals.

Strengths and personalities

“I’m happy about performing ‘Blue Heart,’ because I participated in writing its lyrics. It’s for the Dives who have been hurt. We’re hoping for you to get a strong heart. We hope you can be energized,” Wonyoung said.

In between performances, the girls interacted with the crowd by talking about, among other things, the local food they tried during their stay in Manila.

Rei, Gaeul and Wonyoung particularly loved the “fried bananas” (turon), so much so that they jokingly called themselves the “Banana Girls.” As a big fan of jellies, Liz gave halo-halo a thumbs up. Leeseo was excited she got to try ube ice cream. Yujin, upon friends’ recommendation, tried chicken adobo.

“I encountered it while having breakfast at the hotel, so I was like, ‘This is something I know!’ So I tried it and it was really great,” Yujin related.

Through solo performances and duets, the girls highlighted their individual strengths and personalities: Gaeul sang “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande; Rei, “Every Summertime” by Niki; Gaeul and Rei, “Wanna Be” by Spice Girls; Wonyoung and Liz, “Reality” by Richard Sanderson; and Yujin and Leeseo, “Woman Like Me” by Little Mix.

Rei and Gaeul were so happy with how well they performed their number that they couldn’t help but hug each other.

Another promise

In the first half of the show, the girls wore a lot of whites, pinks, ribbons, frills and sparkles—like a “Manila princess,” as Liz put it. Their dancing matched the charming and dainty visuals, favoring elegant and graceful moves over in-your-face choreography.

But midway through, they shed the frilly frocks for silver accents and more form-fitting leather. As expected, the costume change ushered in a series of darker, edgier-sounding tracks that called for more attitude in forceful sequences. In “Hypnosis” and “Accendio,” for instance, they set aside the aegyo and cutesy antics for a sprinkling of sass and sultry glares.

“I think Manila is the best city for ‘Accendio’ fan chanting,” Yujin said. “I’m really happy to see the passion of the Manila Dives.”

Before ending the show—presented by Live Nation Philippines—with multiple repeat performances of “All Night,” IVE thanked the fans for keeping the promise they made to each other during the group’s visit last year.

“I remember I mentioned that I wanted to see you guys once again and you kept your promise. Thank you to the Dives who saw us last year and also attended this year. We’re making another promise today: that you will make sure to come back for our next concert,” Gaeul said. “This moment is very precious and I’m thankful for it.”

Wonyoung reached into her bag and pulled out a finger heart. Rei was happy she was able to communicate and make eye contact with fans from different sections of the venue. Leeseo said she will keep this moment in her return to Korea.

“The memories from last year were amazing, so I had a lot of expectations today. The passionate cheers of the Dives were amazing,” Liz said, blowing a kiss to excited fans who kept on cheering before her spiel. “I hope we can meet again. I love you, guys.”

For Yujin, this was even better than last year’s. “It’s more meaningful tonight, because there are more Dives and the cheers are much louder. I can’t wait to visit here again,” Yujin added. “Always stay tuned and be healthy.”