EXO’s Suho kicks off international tour in Manila
When EXO’s Suho announced that Manila would be the first stop outside Seoul of his solo concert tour, Filipino EXO-Ls (fandom name) were sent into a frenzy, experiencing a mixture of panic and excitement. It’s quite rare for Manila to be the first stop in the international tours of K-pop artists.
But the Manila leg of “Su:Home,” which took place at the Araneta Coliseum on June 22, proved to be the best choice because Suho’s global tour kicked off on a high note. It definitely set the bar high for the tour’s succeeding stops.
Only an artist of high caliber can pull off such a great show—and that’s what Suho is. The amazing live band, the great stage setup and the exciting setlist left the audience feeling satisfied.
Many hats
Suho, or Kim Jun-myeon, is known for the many hats he wears. He made his debut in 2012 as the leader of K-pop supergroup EXO.
He’s also an actor with a number of movies and dramas under his name. His latest drama “Missing Crown Prince,” where he played the lead, has just finished. Suho has also played the lead in musicals like “The Man Who Laughs” and “Mozart.”
As a soloist, Suho has come out with three mini albums so far, including the album “1 to 3” that was released in May.
His 12 years of professional experience is evident in his solo concert. He was a natural charmer on stage, performing different genres of music cleanly, and he had a great amount of energy from start to finish.
He ran to all sides of the stage and utilized the three-floor setup efficiently. He also surprised the audience when he went down the stage to run around the standing pit during his performance of “Alright Alright.”
More than 20 songs
Suho sang more than 20 songs, including his hit solo tracks “Grey Suit,” “Self-Portrait,” “Hurdle,” “Made in You” and “Let’s Love.” He also performed a rock version medley of some EXO hits like “The First Snow,” “Growl,” “Overdose” and “Monster.” It was amazing to watch Suho suddenly pick up an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar and add flavor to the performance.
He showed great chemistry with his band, lovingly called the Suho Band. Suho has built an identifiable sound for his solo music over the years, and his band contributed greatly to this. When he introduced each member of the band to the fans in Araneta, they were all greeted with loud cheers.
Another thing that stood out was the immense and sincere fan love shared between Suho and the Filipino EXO-Ls. At one point in the concert, Suho boasted that the Philippines was his most visited country last year. He visited the Philippines in November 2023 and again in December 2023.
“I’ve been to other countries just once. But I came here twice!” he said with a big smile on his face.
Fan projects
The energy of the audience in Araneta last Saturday proved once again that EXO-Ls have the biggest love for Suho.
His supportive fans prepared several fan projects for him that were fun (a glowing LED ball was bounced around the standing area during his performance of “Hurdle”), pretty (an ocean of colorful LED tulips), exciting (singing Suho’s song “Made in You” a cappella) and memorable (a giant LED banner).
The fans also held a hand banner that read “Suho-yah, when you need strength, come home to us.” Suho picked up the banner from the crowd, read it out loud and obviously got teary-eyed. It’s a special moment that only the artist and their fans will completely understand.
Suho also made the hearts of his fans flutter when he said he likes it when they address him in a friendly manner like “Jun-myeon-ah,” “Suho-yah” or “Oppa.”
“I like it so much that you guys call me in a friendly way. In Korea, I only get called Suho-yah or Jun-myeon-ah when we are really friendly and that person is very close to me. So whenever you guys call me in that way, it gives comfort to my heart,” Suho said.
Suho ended the concert with sincere gratitude and a promise for Filipino EXO-Ls. “Mahal kita, EXO-L Manila. Thank you for waiting for me and EXO. I will come back as soon as possible with EXO. Please wait for us.” Suho said.
The Manila stop of “Su:Home” was presented by Wilbros Live and Applewood Korea.
