Mark Tuan’s Manila stop officially completes the GOT7 “tingi” concert series in the Philippines!
GOT7’s Lead Rapper, Mark Tuan has finally arrived on Philippine shores, stamping the “GOT7 complete mission” as he’s the last member to hold a solo event in the country, an ongoing concept taking over the 3rd-generation groups with members venturing on their solo careers.
Presented by Pulp Live World, Mark Tuan’s ‘The Other Side Tour’ was one of the big events that took over Manila on January 14, a surely eventful night for concerts and events in our country.
The Filo Ahgases, one of the most loyal fanbases in KPOP are no strangers to the solo events held by the GOT7 members who did not fall short in filling the SM North Edsa Skydome green, bringing fan projects with them.
Let’s unpack the highlights of the Manila stop of the tour as Mark Tuan shows his other side.
Everyone Else Fades
Before Tuan performed, weswes, also known as Wes Feng opened the concert to set the mood and hype up the crowd with tracks from his album Down Bad But Upright praising the Filipino crowd with its enthusiasm and volume.
We are always loud in the right ways, and it stems from the respect we give to any performer on stage. After a few songs, the man of the hour finally came on stage and started with “after hours (interlude)”, plucked from his first album and tour name, The Other Side, where indeed the star has shown his other side, showcasing his vocal capabilities when he was known as the lead rapper of GOT7.
He followed this with “save me”, a single from 2021 “Change Up”, “exhausted” and “at my low”, all from The Other Side album as well.
“I’ve been on stage and in front of the camera with GOT7 for 10 years now, in two days,” Mark said in one of the talk portions of the evening, “You guys have seen the good moments, my bigger moments, and I’m always happy, but there are times we can’t hide our emotions. This album (the other side) speaks about this part of us – this part of me.”
The album does have its flair of humility and shows the artist’s vulnerability as there is raw and unexpected maturity that Mark Tuan has discovered for himself while making the album.
It is evident in the tracks of the Full EP and it also reflects on his stages. Following this mellow, he performed tracks like “far away”, “Last Breath”, “Let u go”, and “My Life”; and two tracks from his EP, Fallin’, “Fallin’” and “Your World.” He also thanked his fans and appreciated that they were present on his first tour.
“I want tonight to be just about us.” He teased while also apologizing that it took him a while to come to the country as a solo act among GOT7. “You guys keep holding on to our lightsticks when we come back,” he added.
The night continued with Mark performing more songs from his discography like “Broken”, “Selfish”, “Hard 2 Love”, “Lonely”, and “More”. Then, “2 Faces”; was performed with Wes and the artist praised Mark’s writing skill, pointing out that Tuan wrote most of the lyrics of the song.
Wrapping the first part of the setlist, Mark performed his lighter tunes, “Everyone Else Fades”, “Nights Still Young’’, and “Carry Me Out” to close it, as the crowd jumped on the jumpier tunes, genre playing pop rock that was released last year.
Your World
One of the testaments of an artist’s public likability meter is for them to be a part of a soundtrack and “Never Gonna Come Down” featuring BIBI was proof of that when the song was included in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. A feat surely as the movie grossed almost half a billion dollars and scored 92% in rotten tomatoes. It only shows that Mark Tuan is ready for a bigger stage for a larger
audience!
As a K-Pop tradition and for the fans to show appreciation to their favorite artists, a fanmade video was shown to Mark, showcasing his 10 years in the industry. This was particularly touching as it also showed the other members of GOT7, pointing out that the “tingi” version of GOT7 is now complete.
“I think all that matters is that we shouldn’t stress so much about the future,” Mark said as he thanked the fans for the heartwarming video. “And I want you to know that I’m gonna be here for you, and so are the rest of the six boys, as long as you guys know that we’re still GOT7.”
Mark is with us when he shares his sentiments and hopes about having all of them together again as a group, sharing that, “‘Hopefully, we can go back together as a group.”
That’s all we’re asking of course! A world tour with GOT7, finally ending the drought. It’s also incredibly sweet that he recalled to the crowd that the fans whom he met during the fan sign perk a day before his concert shared how a lot of them have grown with the group over the decade, from being high school students to working professionals.
Some of them even with kids and he hoped that one day, he would meet them. “We’re getting older together!” he said, as indeed GOT7 just marked their 10th anniversary last January 16, 2024, a remarkable feat, long gone in breaking the 7-year curse known in the KPOP industry.
High as it goes, the concert encore ended with “One in a Million,” “my name,” “This is Everything,” and closing the night with “imysm”, ending on a high and gratitude to the Ahgases who never failed any of the GOT7 members whenever they grace the Philippine stage.
As Mark Tuan pointed out, the Ahgases always show up and GOT7 always delivers, a never-ending banter between the two, always fighting for the position of who loves the other most.
Will Mark Tuan be the last member to come to our country as a soloist and will they finally end the “tingi” saga?
We’re all on the edge as GOT7 members have left us with a promise to “wait for them” in the 10th-anniversary letters. And indeed we shall wait as GOT7 is always worth the wait.
Mark Tuan’s The Other Side in Manila is presented by Pulp Live World and Happee Hour. Team KDRAMADIARY thanks Pulp Live World for the media invitation.
Words By: Louise Arielle Elep
Photos: James Daryl Lapuz
