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NCT DREAM’s growth was really showcased in Manila; from having their 1st solo concert in the year 2020 at the New Frontier Theatre with a capacity of 2,385 to finally having it on a much bigger Arena and selling out a 2 day show – this really shows how much they’ve grown and how much Dreamzens grew with along with them. Proving that they are each other’s youth. 

The moment NCT Dream went out and stepped onto the stage for the first time, we held our breaths – because all knew this was gonna be explosive!

The show’s tone was set with a powerful performance of Glitch Mode. Hyping the crowd with the first beat of the opener, Mark initiates the party, screaming “let’s go!” –  and the arena screams along to the first line “scratch that, bring it back”.

Following on and still strong with the songs Countdown (3,2,1) and Stronger, which really showcased the group’s dynamic when it comes to their high-powered choreography. There was no room to breathe, as the upbeat performance of Dreaming filled the arena, running up to the extended stage to interact with fans – giving them their first y/n moment of the night.

The first set ended with Déjà Vu, which was their first song released in 2020 as 7DREAM again. A key moment in this song we could not forget? Jaemin doing his thing to “Yo Dream rush, we don’t stop no break going” dance. 

Then, it’s the very first ment of the night! The DREAM boys were excited to show off their Tagalog skills to us Filozens:

Mark: We’ll show you why NCT DREAM came to Manila, and so for tonight let’s have an extremely fun night

Renjun: magandang gabi sa inyong lahat ito na ang aming huling araw

Jeno: Kamusta kayo? 

Jaemin: Dapat talaga ienjoy natin ang gabing ito

Jisung: Hello ako si jisung, handa na ba kayong mag enjoy?

Haechan: Manila, what’s up!!

The second segment highlighted the members vocal capacity as they serenade their fans with their ‘First Love Series’ – My First and Last, Bye, My First, and To My First, which also showed how endearing these boys are. Mark replied “Maganda Ka’‘ which meant “you are beautiful” to the Filipino fans when asked “what is the meaning of love?” during Bye, My First. 

They continued with a heartwarming performance of Puzzle Piece with a dedication saying, “Chenle this is for you” and made it even more touching when they let the crowd sing along with them – they looked at the fans with melting eyes.

This was then followed with an adorable performance of Chewing Gum, NCT DREAM’s debut song. The segment ended with a performance of Dive Into You which made the boys interact with the fans up close.  

The vocal line’s performance of Sorry, Heart warmed the hearts of the crowd, despite Chenle’s absence, they made sure that this performance will never be lacking. They included a video showing Chenle singing his part in which Haechan and Renjun harmonized along with the fans. While the rap line’s performance of Saturday Drip was really on fire – Mark, Jeno, Jaemin and Jisung really left the crowd in awe. 

With the reappearance of the glass boxes or the so-called aquarium, the fans knew that the next performance would not let them Quiet Down – this performance gained the loudest screams from the fans that night. 

It was then followed by Better than Gold where they showed the fans how versatile they are as performers by putting on a much more theatrical genre – at this point, you begin to realize that there is no point of rest in these kinds of performances.

Diggity really made the fans lift their phones up to record the performance *highlight* iykyk, while these performances left us speechless, the show was not yet done – this segment ended with a strong performance of Ridin’.

As the emotions began to sink in, the next set began with Hello Future, We Go Up and Trigger the Fever, where the fans collectively stood up to jump and dance along with the boys –  especially during Trigger the Fever, you can really feel the arena shake as everyone began to jump along.

When you thought you already felt all the emotions during the previous performances, this part really made the crowd cry the most – as the arena lights started to dim, the lights from the phones started to light up while the Hello Future instrumental version was playing and the fans were singing along. 

‘Rainbow’ was also played as they also began showing banners from fans, there was this banner that read “Kinaya ko, Salamat sa NCT DREAM” and you can clearly hear the fans with their collective “awww”. They also projected a light saying 7 DREAM at the top of the bowl.

And here comes the encore – they performed Beatbox! Then was soon followed by a performance of My Youth and Walk You Home.

In between, they thanked the fans for coming to their concert and Mark joked that it seemed like the fans didn’t wanna go home yet, so how about starting the whole show again? Then Jeno followed with “Scratch that, bring it back”. 

Jokes aside they said their heartful ments; Heachan trying his best to say “Maganda Kayo” to Jaemin’s “pangako namin babalik kami agad – we will be back as soon as we can, with Chenle”, Jisung with his “Balik kami agad” and Jeno’s “We will be back soon” to lastly Mark’s “We have to show you what 7DREAM looks like”. 

As they genuinely thanked the fans, you can clearly tell how much they waited for this moment, how much they wanted to perform as 7DREAM – seeing NCT DREAM was not new to us as we covered for their omnibus concerts before, such as iPOP-U, but this time you can clearly see how they fill in each other. 

Moving along with their last performance Candy, which was honestly one of the performances that the fans were looking forward to as they would want to witness the ChenJi drama, but specifically in Manila that spot was left for Chenle. 

They bid goodbye with their last and final words before the curtain closes

Haechan’s never ending “Aegyo” along with the crowd “I love you” before he exits.

Next, was Jisung’s “Manila, mahal ko kayo. Annyeong. See you soon”

Shortly followed by Jeno’s cute “Manila, thank you”.

Then Jaemin’s “You are the most precious people in the world”. Adding his reminder to not skip your meals. 

Followed by Renjun’s “Thank you so much” while running towards the extended stage.

Lastly, we have Mark Lee’s “Mahal ko kayo, thank you so much, thank you Manila, stay safe and I’ll see you guys again”.

As the last member leaves, the feelings suddenly sinked in as we realize that the 2 hour and a half show ended, that we have to leave the Arena, go back to our regular lives and patiently wait again with the hopes of seeing them complete the next time. 

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Written & Published by: Ja Escobar
Edited by: Marian Gaston
Photos: @jaymarkyoung & @bychescac
Thumbnail: @jaymarkyoung

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