Chen to PH fans: ‘Let’s be together happily for a long, long time’
Being in a venue with our favorite artist and watching them sing and perform their best onstage for us is one of the most magical and memorable moments in our lives as fans. The “Beyond the Door” fan concert of EXO’s Chen last Nov. 23 at the New Frontier Theater was a great reminder of what it feels like to be completely enamored with your favorite singer’s talent and musicality.
But beyond the beautiful songs and great performances, a genuine takeaway from the experience was the fun banter and friendly approach Chen has with his fans.
Chen’s voice was as powerful as ever. It was breathtaking to watch his emotions in delivering the lyrics of his songs and maintaining such a beautiful vocal display. But it felt even more magical to witness the audience resonate with his music. The fan concert had a total of 14 songs including his encore songs, and all throughout the set list, fans were singing along with him.
Chen’s opening “ment” (talking segment) saw him commending his Filipino fans for their unflagging energy.
“It’s been a while since I saw you, but you are the same since I was last here. Passionate, powerful, pretty, and cute,” Chen said.
A personal favorite song from his set list is “Love You” which Chen created specifically for this fan concert tour. The song was the result of his realization that he has no song that explicitly says he loves his fans.
“I want to express how much I love you. I released a single album to confess my love to you and I’m so happy to let you hear it,” he said.
In the middle of the show, he played a game with his fans that had him guessing the missing lyrics of songs. The songs ranged from his own, to his group’s and unit’s, to solo songs of the other EXO members.
Depending on his answer, he got a penalty or reward of wearing costumes.
As a treat to his fans, Chen ended up wearing all the costumes prepared by the concert production team. The costumes were a mix of very cute and very handsome ones, making the audience really excited for each costume change.
Bright and happy stars
Chen was very playful in his conversations with the fans. He joked with them, calling them out when they rushed him for his answer, and he reminisced with them. That night, there were thousands of people, from the orchestra to the balcony and the loge, but it felt like Chen was communicating directly to each one of them.
For Chen’s song “Starlight,” the fans prepared a special event: they brought dandelions with yellow lights for him.
Chen said seeing the lights reminded him of stars. “I call you, guys, stars, right? Soondaengies, EXO-Ls, stars. I don’t think I’m the one who shines. But I’m the one who receives your light. I hope everyone will always be bright and happy stars.”
When Chen left the stage to prepare for his encore, the fans again prepared a special event of singing along to one of Chen’s biggest OST (official soundtrack) hits, “Every Time,” from the Korean drama “Descendants of the Sun.”
Filipino EXO-Ls sang so beautifully and had so much fun singing this iconic song like they were in a noraebang (karaoke room) that Chen acted like he was jealous because his fans were enjoying without him.
Chen and his fans sang his final songs “Every Time” and “Best Luck” together and he complimented how good the audience sounded.
He also made special mention of the hand banners and giant banners that the fans prepared for him.
Written on the hand banners was the sentence “You fill our days with brightness, our sunshine Jongdae.” The long banner at the back of the orchestra section had the promise “Jongdae, our door will always be open to keep you safe and at home” written on it.
Toward the end of the show, the fans also played a fan video filmed like a documentary narrating how Chen’s presence in their lives makes each day of the week more bearable and rewarding for them.
Chen appreciated the video so much that he ended up asking if he really deserves to receive so much love.
“Thank you to everyone who was featured in the video. It’s also touching hearing the messages that you can overcome your hardships and hard times with my songs,” he said.
He expressed his love and appreciation for his Filipino fans.
“I’m really grateful that you guys went to this concert. I don’t really know how much effort you put into your journey to come to this venue, but I kind of understand it. Thank you very much, everyone. I will never forget all the love messages I received from this tour. So let’s be together happily for a long, long time,” Chen said.
“Beyond the Door” in Manila was the last stop of Chen’s 2024 fan concert tour. The show was presented by Wilbros Live.
