It was indeed a memorable night for Filipino-DIVEs as their favorite K-pop girl group, IVE successfully wrapped up their first fan concert "The Prom Queens" in Manila on Saturday, June 17.
Donned in their elegant school uniform fits, the fast-rising girl group comprised of An Yujin, Jang Wonyoung, Liz, Rei, Gaeul, and Leeseo kickstarted their tour with a powerful performance of one of their chart-topping tracks "AFTER Like."
<#IVEINMNL2023>
— Christhel Cuazon (@chrsthljane) June 17, 2023
Filipino-DIVEs energy are truly off the roof as they jived to IVE as they opened their fan concert with their hit song “AFTER LIKE.” | @dzrhnews #IVE_ThePromQueens_InManila pic.twitter.com/cVcih2Umxv
The girls went on to perform more of their hit title tracks like "LOVE DIVE," "Kitsch," "I AM," and "ELEVEN," as well as some of their b-sides like "Blue Blood," "Take It," "royal," and "My Satisfaction."
IVE also showed their competitive sides as they compete against each other in some of the segments. They were divided into three groups: Yujin and Gaeul as Team Manila, Wonyoung and Leeseo as Team Halo, and Liz and Rei as Team Couple.
Among the games they played was the Silhouette Random Dance where the 6 girls showcased their dance prowess by jiving to the tunes of BLACKPINK Jisoo's Flower, EXO Kai's Rover, SEVENTEEN BSS' Fighting, and aespa's Spicy, among others.
WATCH: During one of their segments, IVE danced to several Kpop songs such as Jisoo’s Flower, aespa’s Spicy, EXO Kai’s Rover, and SEVENTEEN BSS’s Fighting. | @dzrhnews #IVEINMNL2023 #IVE_ThePromQueens_InManila pic.twitter.com/4KM98Fppy9
— Christhel Cuazon (@chrsthljane) June 18, 2023
The girl group also prepared unit performances: Wonyoung and Rei danced to Meghan Trainor's "Me Too," Gaeul and Leeseo captivated the crowd with their cool performance of BLACKPINK's "Kill This Love, and the group's vocalists Yujin and Liz serenaded with their own rendition of "Flashlight" by Jessie J.
During their ments, the girls explained the reason behind their performances.
"We changed the choreo for Me Too," Wonyoung and Rei shared.
Gaeul and Leeseo, meanwhile, said they wanted to show DIVEs their new image by performing BLACKPINK's stomping, brassy electropop track.
On the other hand, Yujin shared that 'Flashlight' was among the songs she sang during her audition. She suggested the performance to member Liz, saying that Filipino DIVEs would like the meaningful song.
Ending ment
However, the highlight of the night was the surprise video prepared by the Filipino DIVEs for the girl group, which showed their rise to fame since they debuted in 2021.
The fan-made video went on to show Filipino supporters’ TikTok dance covers of the group’s single “After Like,” before flashing the messages: "We will always be part of your journey. We promise we will always be by your side no matter what. Thank you so much for being IVE."
As soon as the video ended, Leeseo, the youngest member of the band, cannot help but tear up, prompting her members to comfort her.
The group's leader Yujin as well as their Japanese member Rei, who went on hiatus earlier this year to focus on her health, likewise teared up as they extend their gratitude to all the fans who came to see them perform.
Liz: "I can't imagine how long our PH DIVEs waited for us to arrive here. We miss you so much. We came far away from here. I know everyone waited for this day. To all DIVE who cheered for us, we are all thankful for you. Thank you for the unexpected surprise. I hope we get opportunities to come back more often. Mahal kita, DIVE!"
Leeseo: "I'm very thankful for this wonderful surprise gift. Thank you for loving us and we will pay this love you have for us."
Yujin: "Today's performance has been so hot. I'm not sure if it's because of the weather or DIVE but it is really hot. I hope in the future, we get to see each other more. I hope we see each other very soon. Mahal ko kayo1"
Wonyoung: "I appreciate the special video, I will never forget this. We will never forget this tonight."
Gaeul: "Ever since I came to Korea, I waited for this day to come to the Philippines. We had so much great time. Thank you for giving us warm greetings through the video. We will make sure that IVE will come here more often."
Rei: "Honestly, it's been so long since I've performed in front of DIVE so I'm very nervous. But seeing lots of DIVE coming tonight gave me so much joy. Every time I see the face of DIVE I get so much energy from you. I'm very happy to start this Asia tour here (Manila) with complete members. Thank you so much for waiting for IVE."
The girl group wrapped up their Manila concert with a promise of coming back.
“Mahal kita, Filipino DIVEs!”
— Christhel Cuazon (@chrsthljane) June 17, 2023
Kpop girl group IVE successfully wrapped up their first fan concert in Manila. The group showed gratitude to fans who waited for them after so long.
Members Leeseo, Rei, and Yujin turned emotional during the surprise video. #IVEINMNL2023 pic.twitter.com/wKlMW3n351
IVE held their first fan concert "The Prom Queens" in Seoul and Tokyo in February. They began their Asia tour in Manila and will be heading to Taipei, Singapore, and Bangkok from June to July.
The girls released their first full-length album I've IVE on April 10.
