Words and photos by Danica Lacson

A sea of blue and green colored the Mall of Asia Arena for the 2022 K-Pop Masterz in Manila!

K-Pop acts TREASURE and GOT7’s BamBam and Jackson teamed up with Philippine Treasure Makers and IGOT7 in an explosive night of loudest cheers, brightest lights, and heated performances at the 2022 K-Pop Masterz in Manila held at the Mall of Asia Arena last July 29.

Marking PULP Live World’s first K-Pop concert in the Philippines after two years since the pandemic, the concert went all out in giving K-Pop fans the best concert experience with an outstanding lineup of artists, the ultimate stage design, raffled perks, and so much more. Moreover, it also marked significant “firsts” for all three acts — TREASURE’s first overseas performance since their debut and BamBam and Jackson’s first performances as solo artists in the Philippines.

“What’s up, Manila!”: TREASURE debuts on the Philippine concert stage

With exploding energy, excitement, and thundering “What’s up, Manila”, Hyunsuk, Jihoon, Junkyu, Yoshi, Jaehyuk, Asahi, Doyoung, Haruto, Jeongwoo, and Junghwan opened the concert with “Jikjin”, the title track of their first extended play. The Second Step: Chapter One. The boy group followed it up with “I Love You” before taking a moment to introduce themselves and trying their best to communicate to Filipino Teuems in the local language. And love was truly felt, as Teumes and Ahgases came together to sing Jaehyuk a “Happy Birthday”. Jaehyuk turned a year older last July 23.

On a mission to make the night a memory of a lifetime, TREASURE turned up the energy with a dazzling performance of “My Treasure” and a fiery stage of “MMM”. They then ignited their competitive spirits in a game of One Body, One Soul. Divided into Team Mahal Kita (Hyunsuk’s team) and Team Gwapo (Jihoon’s team), the members tested their teamwork as they act out the words ballet, gwiyomi, selfie pose, Michael Jackson, baseball, sexy, heart, and Beyonce. But the competition was intense that they had to battle it out with a tiebreaker game of ddakji between the youngest members Jeongwoo and Junghwan.

After the intensity of the games, TREASURE wasted no time, giving the crowd live performances of “Boy”, their debut song, and a rock version of “Darari”. The boys ended their set with the sweetest thank yous and mahal kita, reciprocated with loud cheers from the audience.

Tagay, shot puno with BamBam at the 2022 K-Pop Masterz in Manila

Still high from TREASURE’s performances, the 2022 K-Pop Masterz in Manila gave the audience no time to catch their feels and calm themselves as GOT7’s BamBam soon took over the Philippine concert stage with “Wheels Up”, “Ride or Die”, and “Looks so Fine”.

“It feels really good to be back in Manila after four years! I have one thing to say: skrrt skrrt!” BamBam greeted Philippine Ahgases.

The Thai singer continues his “shot puno” agenda, even going as far as naming a Manila night market he said he will build if he won the lottery as the “BamBam shot puno“. After staying for a while in the Philippines, the GOT7 member earned a new nickname “BamBam bangus” or “Bamgus”, a combination of his name and his now-favorite fish, milkfish or bangus.

BamBam really made the wait more worth it as he keeps his promise to sing the full version of Ronnie Liang’s “Ngiti“. He later uploaded his cover on his Instagram as a way of saying thank you to Manila.

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And the smiles continued on in his “Who Are You” and “Pandora” performances. But the surprise did not stop! The GOT7 member called over the Pambansang Krung-Krung ng Pilipinas and 2NE1’s Sandara Park on stage.

“First of all, welcome to my second home, BamBam!” said Dara who came to support her labelmates. Three years since her last visit to the country, Dara also relayed how much she missed Filipinos. “Namiss ko kayong lahat,” she remarked. Being always game, the singer-actress heeded BamBam’s request to perform on stage. The 2NE1 member serenaded the crowd with the group’s classic “I Don’t Care” in an acoustic version.

With BamBam and Dara sharing the stage, the GOT7 member closed his set with “riBBon”.

The MAGIC MAN was here: Jackson returns to Manila, bringing new songs for Filipino fans

Completing the night, Jackson followed his groupmate’s BamBam set, setting the arena into a frenzy as he debuts his newly released singles, “Cruel” and “Blow”, from his upcoming album, Magic Man. Truly an unforgettable evening, the GOT7 member gave the Philippines a first taste of the live performances of more songs from his upcoming album. Proving once again what a performer he is, he wowed with “Blue” and “Drive It Like You Stole It”.

Jackson also relayed his admiration for Filipino fans and their passionate spirit in giving support. “The passion is on another level. When they cheer for you, you know they mean it,” he said. He added, “If you have 100, they give you 100.”

The 2022 K-Pop Masterz in Manila gave opportunities to the fans to get to know the Magic Man better thru a brief interview on stage with host Kring Kim. Jackson talked about Team Wang Design, a luxury streetwear label he founded. According to the singer and creative genius, he loves creating and the streetwear label is one of his creations. Team Wang Design embodies the slogan, “Know yourself, Make your own history.” — a slogan that also reflects Jackson’s advice to aspiring artists, encouraging them to find their own route.

Closing the 2022 K-Pop Masterz in Manila, Jackson left the crowd with his performance of his 2020 single “100 Ways”.

PULP is back!

The 2022 K-Pop Masterz in Manila kicks off PULP Live World’s K-Pop concert for 2022. Truly a return with a bang, the concert created a beautiful sea of blue and green colors and memories of a lifetime shared by Teumes and Ahgases. It was a momentous event that brought together TREASURE, BamBam, and Jackson and Philippine Teumes and Ahgases to light up the Mall of Asia Arena.

And the concert is only the start as PULP promises more exciting events, and the best shows, not only for K-Pop fans but also for rock and metal fans this 2022. So, fans all over the country, brace yourself for Super Junior, All Time Low, GOT7’s Yugyeom, The Maine, (G)I-DLE, Boys Like Girls, TXT, and so much more, including to-be confirmed dates for Running Man, One Ok Rock, and Slipknot.