SUMMARY
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On August 6, emotional members of K-pop group Super Junior faced their Filipino ELFs to personally apologize for the sudden postponement of their concert. What was a supposed joyful reunion after several years was changed to a somber gathering instead – as both members and fans tried to draw strength from each other in that tough time.
“We believe that the Super Show is a place of happiness, fun, and hope…. We’re postponing [the show] to make sure that we can really give you the perfect amount of happiness, fun, and hope,” leader Leeteuk promised fans.
And Super Junior delivered on that promise on December 17 and 18 at the Mall of Asia Arena, treating their solid throng of supporters with their signature brand of vocal prowess, dynamic choreographies, and top-notch comedic timing.
The atmosphere for the two-night December shows was a far cry from that subdued fan meeting in August. Weeks leading to the concert, Filipino ELFs prepared several initiatives to make sure that the fandom would make better memories.
In fact, when organizer PULP Live World announced that the postponed single-day concert in August would now be set a two-day show instead, a group of fans started a donation drive to raise funds for tickets, as they’d seen fellow fans saying they couldn’t afford both shows due to the price and tight ticket selling schedule.
In less than a month, the group of SJ Events PH was able to raise a total of P500,000 for ticket donations, and P20,000 for fan project donations.
“We were surprised that people showed too much support for the project. We always get shocked whenever we get a new donation notification – a few pesos became thousands and the donated amount rose so fast that we even had to cut our initial donation drive period,” they said. “We think, more than anything, SS9: Super Santa Edition became a fun fangirling donation project between ELF.”
“It was a lot of work, yes, but it was worth it seeing more ELF enjoy the show.”
And the show did live up to its concert title. Leeteuk, Yesung, Shindong, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, and Kyuhyun, who have been in the industry for 17 years, proved why ELFs still couldn’t get enough of them.
The three-hour concert opened with a dramatic production of “Burn The Floor,” with the members doing a marionette-inspired dance number, their hands tied to some red strings. It was then followed by their more powerful and energetic tracks “The Crown,” “SUPER,” and “Mr. Simple.”
Fans were also treated with unit stages – “I Can’t” from members Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung; “Latte” from members Leeteuk, Shindong, and Siwon; and “B.A.D.” and “Danger” from members Donghae and Eunhyuk.
Known as “variety idols,” it’s no surprise that when you go to a Super Junior concert, you’re not just going for the music, but you’ll also be witnessing their theatrics.
Midway through the concert, a VCR of the group dressed up in wigs and fancy costumes to do a parody of classical musicians. They then surprised fans when they appeared onstage again wearing the same outfits to perform an opera-themed mash-up of their songs “Spy,” “Rokkugo,” and “Mamacita.”
Having such a huge discography, the group might have had a hard time figuring out which songs to include for the show, but it was a good combination of their classic hits (“Sorry, Sorry,” “Bonamana”), cult favorites (“Black Suit,” “Devil”), recent releases (“House Party,” “Mango”), and signature soothing ballads (“Believe,” “My Wish,” “More Days With You”).
Filipino ELFs were also treated to the first live performance of the group’s latest single “Celebrate.” “We actually performed this song for the first time here in Manila. This is our present to you guys,” Leeteuk said.
As the show came to a close, the members addressed the fans and thanked them for keeping their promise of waiting for the group.
Shindong recalled that they didn’t push through with the August show because Siwon tested positive for COVID-19, while Eunhyuk’s dad passed away.
“It really makes me happy now and I’m thankful you kept that promise [of waiting for us]. Now, we’ll give you one more promise: this year, this [Manila concert] will be the last. But next year, there will be another stop,” he added.
Siwon expressed how great it is to have the Manila show as their last concert for 2022. “We truly appreciate your unconditional love and endless support,” he wrote in an Instagram post.
Eunhyuk, who kept receiving “It’s Okay” chants and loud cheers from the fans throughout the show, got teary-eyed while talking to Filipino ELFs.
“2022 was a memorable year for me. I could meet people I missed, [I’m] also missing a person I cannot see anymore.… You guys filled out my heart. Thank you so much. We promise to fully fill your heart as well,” he said.
And as leader Leeteuk declared his plans for a Super Show 10 in Manila for next year, we knew that Filipino ELFs would show up for the group then.
“We think everything that happened just proved how strong the relationship between Super Junior and ELF is. Everyone understood and everyone believed in the promise that they would come back for us. Super Junior and ELF’s relationship isn’t just of an idol group and their fans; it’s about friends and families gathering together and being each others’ happiness,” the handlers of SJ Events PH said. – Rappler.com
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