K-pop vocal superstars MAMAMOO made sure their first-ever concert in the Philippines was worth the wait as they brought the house down during the Manila leg of their ‘MYCON’ World Tour!

Held last February 12, the SMART Araneta Coliseum was literally shaking with the loud cheers and stomps of the MooBong-holding audience, and members Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa were overwhelmed by the love that their Filo fans showed that night!

"We knew that Philippine Moomoos were waiting for us, but we didn't expect that you were waiting for us this warmly," leader Solar said in Korean. “I thought the place was going to explode!”

The night began with the girls’ commanding performance of ‘1, 2, 3, Eoi!,’ perhaps the best song to open their concert with as the song heavily features the group’s name in the lyrics. They then performed a leveled-up version of their debut song ‘Mr. Ambiguous’, showcasing just how much the group has grown since 2014. This was followed by a medley of ‘Um Oh Ah Yeh,’ ‘Freakin Shoes,’ ‘New York,’ ‘Dingga,’ ‘Emotion,’ ‘Funky Boy,’ and ‘You're the best,’ and then a sexy back-to-back performance of ‘AYA’ and ‘ILLELA’.

And while MAMAMOO is recognized for their powerhouse vocals and incredible stage presence, they are equally known for their distinct personalities and silly, playful behavior. This trait particularly shined in their ‘Our Little Fairies’ VCR and ‘Taller Than You’ performance, a diss track in which they poke fun at each other’s heights! Fans were then treated to a lovely performance of ‘mumumuch’.

Next up was what were perhaps the most-awaited part of the concert: the solo stages of the members. However, MAMAMOO gave their innovative twist on this K-pop concert staple as the girls covered each other’s tracks wearing each other’s iconic stage outfits. Solar and Wheein exchanged songs and took on ‘watercolor’ and ‘HONEY, while Moonbyul and Hwasa performed their own versions of ‘TWIT’ and ‘Eclipse’ respectively; all before the four came together to perform ‘Spit It Out,’ ‘Make Me Happy,’ ‘LUNATIC,’ and ‘Maria.’ Truly, only MAMAMOO can do MAMAMOO justice!

The girls then slowed it down to showcase their soaring vocals in ‘Paint Me (Orchestra ver.),’ ‘I Love Too,’ and ‘Star Wind Flower Sun’. It was also during this section that Filo Moomoos executed their heart-felt fan project, raising banners saying “Destined to be with MAMAMOO” and presenting a short animated video thanking the members – the girls were all visibly touched, shedding a few tears! Admittedly, we did too!

To cap off the night, MAMAMOO tore the stage up with rearranged versions of some of their greatest hits: ‘Egotistic (Blistering sun ver.),’ ‘gogobebe (Rock ver.),’ ‘Starry Night (Orchestra ver.),’ and ‘Wind Flower (Dramatic ver.)’. For the encore, they returned to the stage singing and dancing to ‘Travel,’ ‘Better,’ ‘Yes I am,’ ‘Talk’ ‘L.I.E.C’ and ‘Um Oh Ah Yeh’.

The three-hour concert was clearly one for the books for both members and fans alike. Solar, Moonbyul, Wheein, and Hwasa felt the overwhelming support of Filo Moomoos, and made sure to reciprocate tenfold! They sprinkled numerous Filipino phrases such as “Tuloy-tuloy,” “Masaya ba?,” and “Diyos ko po!” throughout the concert. (The screams were the loudest whenever Moonbyul’s new favorite phrase was uttered: “Shot puno” or bottoms up.) During the encore, Hwasa went down the stage to interact with Moomoos close-up, while Moonbyul had all the girls kiss a hand towel which she then threw to the audience. Talk about a “Y/N moment”-filled show!

Thank you for a memorable night, MAMAMOO! ‘Til ‘your next concert in Manila!

Huge thanks to Wilbros Live for having us!