“All CARATs here today have given me a great gift (정말 오늘 여기 모두 계신분들이 저에게 큰 선물을 주신 것 같습니다),” SEVENTEEN’s beloved maknae and “Philippine Superstar” Dino told the crowd at the penultimate Be the Sun world tour stop at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, north of Manila.

SEVENTEEN had promised and now, they delivered. A little tearful and moved by the sight of the mammoth crowd, general leader Seungcheol a.k.a. S.Coups said, “We told you guys we'd be back soon. I am so happy to be able to do this together.” (빨리 돌아올 거라 했죠! 이렇게 함께 할 수 있어서 너무 기쁩니다.)

Thousands of CARATs filled up this towering colossus of a venue, the largest indoor arena in the world, in a literally earth-shaking show of force. There was even no need for SEVENTEEN’s resident ‘아주 (Aju) Nice’ Police Seungkwan to call out the odd ones not jumping. Everyone did so – without hesitation, 거침없이 – that you could feel the concrete underneath your feet quaking. CARAT and SEVENTEEN were just volleying energy off each other.

“You’re supposed to receive energy from us, but we’re getting so much energy from you guys,” Joshua said, a sentiment which the other half of the ‘Rocket’ Line, Vernon, echoed – cementing SEVENTEEN’s view of Filo CARATs. “Every time we come to the Philippines, we’re just astonished by your energy.”

In ‘Be the Sun’ PH stop, SEVENTEEN find their match in CARATs: ‘We cannot compare with Manila’s energy’

“We appreciate and know the lyrics of the whole discography of SEVENTEEN, so whenever SEVENTEEN asks us to sing even their older songs, it is not hard for us to keep up with them,” suggested a staff member of CARAT Land Philippines, a local fan community organization. 

No CARAT left behind

Going to SEVENTEEN's Bulacan concert was no easy feat. It was an arduous task of shuttling off to the city outskirts on a rainy day in December. The turnout was massive, obviously, so queues endlessly snaked around the periphery.

But CARATs were unstoppable in their show of force and outpouring of love, as Seungkwan said, “You’ve gone all the way here from afar. I feel the love.”  (먼 곳에서 저희를 사랑해주신다는 것을 또 한번 느끼고 갑니다.)

“Hopefully, today was an unforgettable memory for you guys,” Joshua also commented. “It was actually raining today so we were really worried that you guys might be tired while waiting for us.”

CARATs were determined that no fellow CARAT would be left behind.  Two months prior, SEVENTEEN had just held their 2-day Be the Sun stop in Manila, and many worried that some fans wouldn’t be able to make it to this one. “Eager to sell out the show,” everyone pulled out the stops – from transportation to ticket assistance, “as it is a big achievement for SEVENTEEN and Filipino CARATs,” CARAT Land Philippines told Bandwagon.

“Bayanihan [roughly: community spirit; solidarity] is [also] deeply ingrained in our culture that whoever needed help before, during, or even after the concert, we would gladly help them,” they added. “We are still passionate to do all these for SEVENTEEN because, at the end of the day, SEVENTEEN is there to be our comfort through and through.”

They added that in spite of the challenges, there was still an outpouring of support for the fan initiatives, planned and done in tandem with other groups like SEVENTEEN Philippines and the concert organizers – and of course, with the nod of the artist label. This included the project that finally pushed through (never mind the comic timing of Vernon reading the screen cue), as Filipino CARATs serenaded SEVENTEEN with ‘Campfire.’

“I'm really happy to be able to hear the voices of so many fans,” said Jeonghan, speaking about the entire show. “Last time we came, you all reacted very well, and I really enjoyed it. But today, I think it was twice as fun.” (정말 이렇게 많은 팬분들의 한 목소리를 들을 수있어서 기쁘네요. 저번에 왔을때도 너무 호응도 많이 해주시고 정말 즐겁게 놀다 갔는데 오늘은 그것보다 배는 더 재밌었던것 같아요.)

‘Our happiest memory’

Hot on the heels of their successful Japanese dome tour and their triumph at the Asia Artist Awards, SEVENTEEN was primed to surpass themselves on this monumental occasion. Even though they played nearly identical setlists to that of Manila, they were still committed to keeping everyone on their toes.

From the explosive opening stages (‘HOT’ to ‘2 MINUS 1’), the unit showcases (Hip-hop, Performance, and Vocal Team), then another set of whole stages (‘만세’ [Mansae] to ‘Crush’), and finally down to the encore stages (with the all-time favourite, never-ending ‘아주 Nice’), they’re not the type to just go through the motions. Each SEVENTEEN show will always be a fresh experience. They even brought along a well-oiled crew of dancers, composed of Team AURA and Team SAME, who amped the voltage up on their mainstay Be the Sun stages. 

Right after each unit finished their numbers, the crowd went berserk as the SVT Leaders unit – S.Coups, Hoshi and Woozi – took to the stage with their 2022 single, ‘CHEERS,’ beckoning everyone to dance like them: “내 엉덩이 방방.” (Nae eongdeong-i bang bang; My booty goes, bang bang)

Filo CARATs even got more tasty crumbs when Wonwoo, then Woozi and Hoshi, indulged everyone with cult favourites like ‘BOOMBOOM’ and ‘Don Quixote,’ respectively. On the other hand, the crowd reciprocated in a way that uniquely felt like a Philippines thing – such as chanting Dino’s verse in ‘Snap Shoot’ going, “알잖아 어차피 쉬운 일은 없지만서도 (Anyway, you know nothing is easy)” and so forth. 

OT13 also opened their encore set with ‘Darl+ing,’ as expected, but with a dash of Christmas cheer through a live rendition of the Holiday version released on their first Japan EP, DREAM. The8 reminded the crowd, “Hopefully on Christmas Day, you will be happy as you are today.” (오늘 같은 분위기로 똑같이 즐기면 좋을 것 같아요)

“SEVENTEEN has done a lot by themselves ever since they were trainees and have experienced a lot, so they have a specialty for making any style their own,” Yoon Hye Lim (윤혜림), performance directing team leader at PLEDIS Entertainment, explained in a Weverse Magazine feature, adding: “Each part of their concerts change drastically thanks to the members’ acting chops.”

“I really wouldn’t know how to perform at such a gigantic place,” added Minghao a.k.a. The8. “But I still had a great time thanks to all of you.” (정말 이렇게 큰 무대에서 공연할줄몰랐어요. 여러분들 덕분에 훌륭한 시간 보냈던 것 같아요.)

Given the height of the gargantuan arena, Dino also expressed how he didn’t want to make any CARAT feel like they were missing out. “I can’t see everyone far away at the top, but we really thank you for coming,” he said. “I know you’re all having fun together. Today, I want to capture this experience with all of you.”

(다 멀리 계신분들은 보이지 않지만, 공연 지켜봐주셔서 너무 고맙고. 같이 즐기고 있다는 걸 알고 있어요. 오늘도 최대한 여러분들의 모습들을 담으려고 노력했어요 다시 기회가 있을따 돌아오겠습니다.)

SEVENTEEN’s ments and mid-encore banter would often feel like watching hilarious Going SEVENTEEN episodes live. For example: hyperaware that his ending ment has been canon [sic] fodder for fans, Hoshi kept on snickering as he delivered his spiel – now well-memorized by CARATs, who recited it together with him in near-perfect unison. Variety show royalty Seungkwan also seemed extra-generous with front-row spectators who wanted to belt out the “오늘 난 말야~” (Today I am…) bit in ‘아주 Nice’ with him.

Everyone was blissfully riding the concert high – just as it is emblazoned on CARAT’s banners: “순간을 우리의 가장행복한 억으로 만들어줘서 고마워. Thank you for making this moment our happiest memory.”

A grateful SEVENTEEN

“Walang uuwi” (Nobody is going home, pronounced ‘왈랑 우우외’; 아무도 집에 가지 않아), Filipinos in the crowd boomed out as SEVENTEEN – bewildered by the unfamiliar phrase – approached the end of their encore set.

“The long tour is now really over. But like this – isn’t it kind of sad?” Mingyu said. “I’m still very happy to meet you guys like this at the end.” (정말 길었던 투어 이제 끝나갑니다. 근데 이렇게,, 아쉽죠? 그래도 이렇게 마지막에 여러분을 만날수있어서 매우 기쁩니다.)

“I’m thrilled that it seems like you’re having fun today,” said Wonwoo. “Thank you for supporting us like this, as always.” (오늘도 재밌게 논 것 같아서 뿌듯합니다. 항상 이렇게 응원해주셔서 진심으로 감사드리고) 

“Thanks to today, I’m ending 2022 with a bang,” said Seungkwan. (오늘 공연 덕에 올해를 잘 마무리할 수 있을 것 같아요). DK added, “We really want to thank all of you for filling up this venue. We’ve come to the end of the show, but it seems that we’re all still happy and lively thanks to all of you.” (이로써 저희의 공연이 끝이 났는데 마지막까지 여러분들 덕분에 힘있게 행복하게 잘 끝냈던 것 같습니다.)

The members – wistful and barely holding back tears – looked back at the past several months spent putting on almost 30 shows for the Be the Sun tour. Even as their emotions flowed, they left CARATs with one more promise of a bigger and better comeback. “We’ll meet again soon, but I’d appreciate it if you please just wait a little longer,” Minghao told the arena. (금방 또 만날 수 있으니까 조금만 더 기다려주시면 감사할 것 같아요.) 

Seungkwan also reminisced about their first Shining Diamonds Philippine fan meet several years ago – just a little more than a year after their debut. “At the time, there were less than a thousand fans, I think. Look at you now; I think there are almost 40,000 of you,” he said. 

(그때 제가 알기로는 천 석도 안되던 곳이였던 걸로 기억하는데  근데 지금 여기는 거희 4만명 가까이 되어 보이네요. 너무 감사드립니다.)

Leader S.Coups chimed in with an even more fearless bid to dream bigger, echoing his promise from last October to come back soon – and bigger: "It would be nice if we meet on a bigger stage next time. We'll come back with a better stage next time." (다음엔 더 큰 무대에서 만나면 좋을 거 같아요. 다음에 더 좋은 무대로 돌아오겠습니다.) 

In ‘CHEERS,’ he spits bars that ring loud and true: "우린 지하 방에서 건물을 올리지 (We raise a building from our basement unit)," but this time, maybe they’re actually on their way to building a city.

Writer’s own English translations

Additional Translations by Ian Lloyd Ha

SEVENTEEN's Be The Sun Concert in Bulacan was presented by Live Nation. The world tour wraps up in Jakarta, Indonesia on 28 December at the Gelora Bung Karno Madya Stadium.