MANILA — The slow ringing of church bells resonated throughout the halls of the New Frontier Theater as the smoke that filled the intimate Quezon City venue's stage began to clear, revealing the members of K-pop girl group (G)I-DLE.

At the sound of the loudest bell ring, Minnie delivered the opening line of the group's 2020 single — the hauntingly beautiful "Oh My God," signalling the start of a two-hour show and drawing enthusiastic cheers from Filipino Nevies (from the fandom name Neverland).

The five-piece act composed of Soyeon, Miyeon, Minnie, Yuqi and Shuhua mounted its first concert in the Philippines last Sunday, an event described by the girls as "precious."

"Today was a really precious day for us since it was our first time in Manila," Minnie later said near the end of the show.

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@ #GIDLE_WORLDTOUR_JUSTMEIDLE IN MANILA

마닐라 네버랜드 덕분에 행복한 추억을 하나 더 만들고 돌아가요 😘 오늘 우리의 케미스트리는 백 점! 아니 천 점🔥 앞으로도 아이들 곁에 있어 주세요❤️💜#여자아이들 #GIDLE #JUSTMEIDLE pic.twitter.com/6a1iSSLiA4

— (G)I-DLE·(여자)아이들 (@G_I_DLE) September 11, 2022

Early in the concert, (G)I-DLE raised the energy with upbeat tracks like debut single "Latata," the Latin pop-infused "Senorita," and its 2020 summer hit "Dumdi Dumdi."

The show took on a calmer mood as the girls, clad in red and white dresses, performed their more subdued and atmospheric songs "Hann (Alone in the Winter)," "Hann (Alone)," "Moon," "Already," and "Hwaa."

The quintet then played the powerful "Lion" before pumping up the crowd again with the angsty rock song "Liar."

(G)I-DLE also performed the fan-favorite "My Bag" and chart-topping hits "Pop/Stars" (originally sung by Soyeon and Miyeon for the virtual pop group K/DA) and "Tomboy."

EARLIER: K-pop girl group @G_I_DLE brought its “Just Me ( )I-DLE” tour to Manila, performing hit songs like “Latata” and “Tomboy” for Filipino Neverland at the New Frontier Theater. #GIDLEinManila2022 pic.twitter.com/9yunqkIpke | via @jaehwabernardo

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) September 11, 2022

The group capped the evening with "I'm the Trend," which references their past songs, and the sentimental "Polaroid."

At one point in the show, the girls also took requests from the audience, singing snippets of "Dahlia," Yuqi's solo "Giant" and Miyeon's "Drive" in acappella.

The members said they enjoyed their first concert in the Philippines, vowing to return should they have another world tour.

"If we're going to have a second world tour, I'm sure we'll be back," said Yuqi, who even joked about being the chief executive officer of their label Cube Entertainment to assure fans of the group's return.

"We will always miss you and even if we're far away from each other, just wait until the day we meet again," Minnie told Filipino Nevies.

(G)I-DLE debuted in May 2018, originally as a six-piece act until Soojin's departure in 2021. The group took home several rookie awards at various K-pop award shows during its first year.

In March, the quintet put out its first full album "I Never Die," fronted by the lead single "Tomboy," which topped South Korea's Circle Digital Chart.

The group is scheduled to drop a new extended play in October.

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