MANILA — When the clock struck 5, the lights went out inside the Araneta Coliseum, leaving the venue enveloped in near darkness.

On the screens, a video played showing Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, New, Q, Haknyeon, Sunwoo and Eric holding test tubes before sprinting away, as though trying to escape after conducting an illicit experiment.

The short video was followed by a spectacle of red and blue laser lights, leading to the unveiling of the 11 K-pop stars on the stage, their gazes fixed at an audience letting out excited shrieks.

As fireworks burst from the front of the stage, The Boyz moved to get into formation, opening their recent concert at the Big Dome with “Ego” and continuing with similarly intense tracks “Reveal,” “Awake” and “Roar.”

The group showed its prowess in performance from the concert’s get-go, showcasing fierce dance routines with swift and forceful movements, and ever-changing formations executed with precision and apparent ease.

After changing into more casual outfits, The Boyz returned with a set of feel-good tunes: “I’m Your Boy,” “Text Me Back,” “Keeper” and “Only One.” They moved to the B-stage to closely interact with fans, many of whom screamed out of excitement and remarked “Ang gwapo!” as the idols waved and flashed finger hearts at them.

It took eight songs before The Boyz formally introduced themselves individually and welcomed fans to the Philippine stop of its “Zeneration” tour.

The opening numbers, main vocalist New explained, were meant to show the group’s “powerful” and “cute” sides — two themes (or “concepts” in K-pop jargon) that The Boyz usually undertake in their albums.

WATCH: K-pop group #TheBoyz opened #ZENERATION_MNL concert with "Ego." | via @aprbenjamin pic.twitter.com/vZ9IjIA3c9

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) July 15, 2023

But one would barely notice the lengthy opening, given the high energy that filled the venue, both from the idols who were performing onstage and the crowd that kept cheering them on.

“Every time we come to the Philippines, you have unmatched energy and I cannot get enough of it,” vocalist Kevin told fans called The Bs or Deobis.

“I think your energy is just amazing. Your energy gives us the power to move and dance for you,” said Q, one of the group’s main dancers.

“It’s been a long time since my ears have hurt from the screaming,” Jacob said.

The show, produced by DNM Entertainment, marked The Boyz’s second performance in the country this year following a six-song set at a joint K-pop concert last April.

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The volleying of energy between The Boyz and The Bs continued for the rest of the nearly three-hour concert. Perhaps the moment that best captured this exchange was during “D.D.D,” wherein the crowd went up on their feet and became one with the K-pop stars in jumping ecstatically to the upbeat 2019 single.

Filipino fans were also thrilled when Jacob did the choreography of P-pop group SB19’s “Gento” during his freestyle dance in “Thrill Ride.”

Calmer and more tender moments came when the group delivered a round of midtempos that included “Lucid Dream,” “Daydream” and “Wings,” and during the encore set composed of “Spring Snow,” “Horizon” and “Timeless.”

The 23-track setlist for “Zeneration” stretched across The Boyz’s five-year career, as it included “I’m Your Boy” from the group’s debut extended play (EP) to songs from the latest EP “Be Awake.”

The group’s last solo event in the country was its 2019 fan concert at the New Frontier Theater. Since then, it has put out several new albums, which is why Hyunjae believes the “Zeneration” show “covers the four years that we could not come here.”

But for a group that releases multiple albums each year, a one-night concert was obviously not enough to cover its entire discography. So the members performed snippets of “Savior,” “The Stealer” and “Bloom Bloom” in a capella at the request of fans.

“I know there’s a lot of songs that you guys want to hear so let this be a promise that we’ll be back again,” Kevin said.

[📸] THE BOYZ 2ND WORLD TOUR : ZENERATION IN MANILA 공연 완료🧬 THE B의 뜨거운 응원에 더보이즈는 오늘도 행복했습니다❣️ 소중한 추억을 만든 하루☺️ 항상 고맙고 사랑해요😘#THEBOYZ #더보이즈 #ZENERATION #제너레이션 pic.twitter.com/OykwLryxwn

— 더보이즈(THE BOYZ) (@IST_THEBOYZ) July 15, 2023

As the concert neared its end, Kevin related to the audience, telling them he knew the difficulties of attending a concert.

“It’s actually so crazy because I’ve been there. I’ve been where you guys are standing. I’ve gone through the stress of ticketing, gone through the stress of getting to the venue early so I could be at the front row of your favorite artist. I know what that’s like,” he said.

“And to have someone do that for me and for The Boyz, it’s absolutely amazing and I feel very blessed,” he added.

“It’s been raining a lot so I feel like it wasn’t easy to come here so thank you so much for showing up and supporting us,” Jacob said.

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The group thanked fans for their surprises, such as the members’ posters that were hung on lamp posts around the venue. They also vowed to work harder as artists.

“From start to finish [of the concert], you guys have been amazing… We’ll be able to take this and work harder to come back with better music for you guys,” Jacob said.

“I think the Philippines always gives me good memories. I wanna come here and see our Philippine Deobis more often,” Sangyeon said.

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