Written by Paulette Espiritu
[Only the part about the concert]
[Only the part about the concert]
Meeting our cyber-friends in person is such a wonderful experience. We don’t know each other personally but we talk to each other online everyday, sharing our common love for this artist called Rain. It's like we have a bond even if we haven't met each other in person. After hugs, greetings and proper introductions were exchanged, we chattered like long lost friends. It was a great moment for me, maybe even more than seeing Bi onstage. And I’m not kidding when I say that. People might think admiring an entertainer is a shallow thing, but they don’t realize that there is a wonderful bonus that comes with that: being able to meet people from all walks of life, from different countries, literally in different shapes, sizes and colors. But we all bond together for one reason: RAIN.
7:00pm - we walked our way towards HKCEC where the big event is going to happen. As expected, excitement filled the air as we entered its main doors. What immediately caught my attention is the sign beside the Rainy Day poster that says “this event has sold out”. We went up the countless escalators towards Hall 3 and I saw people lining up here and there - either to get some Rainy Day merchandise, to get inside Hall 3 or to go to the bathroom - and groups huddled together. It also seems we were not the only ones meeting friends for the first time. Every now and then, someone would scream and hug each other, indicating that they met someone whom they haven’t met in person before. I also saw several groups from different countries: Cloud Korea, the very organized Cloud Japan (whom I envy so much coz they were wearing the “RAIN SINCE 1982" shirt I’ve been salivating for), Bi With Rain from Taiwan, the groups from China, Singapore and of course, Hong Kong. These are aside from us Soompi girls who came from Malaysia and Philippines. Later on, we learned that there’s a group from Thailand, too. This is like a United Nations-type Asian congregation, except that it wasn’t for political, economic or humanitarian reasons. It was all for the love of this Korean man named Jeong Ji Hun, more popularly known as Rain (or ‘Justin’ if you’re in the Philippines :)).
Finally, after hundreds of escalators and what-seems-to-be-years of waiting, we were let inside Hall 3. The first two things anyone will notice as soon as they enter the hall are these: (1) the humongous billboard of One2Free Rainy Day Hong Kong concert on the side of the Hall facing the doors, and (2) the sheet covering the stage bearing the words “IT’S RAINY DAY”. Is that enough to arouse your excitement or what? Karen, Rizza and I parted ways with our friends, went to the Blue Area, and started looking for our seats.
Imagine how delighted the three of us were when we learned that we are going to be seated on the 5th row, right side of the T-zone (the extended stage), only a few meters away from the main stage. Those were good seats; near enough for us to see Rain’s face without the need to look at the wide screens (especially if and when he decides to go to our side of the stage) and far enough for us to appreciate the technical aspects of the concert in its entirety. Side note: actually, Karen wasn’t supposed to sit with Rizza and me, but thanks to an 'Angel' who graciously gave up her seat for Karen, we all got to sit together. Carol, on the other hand, was seated with our Malaysian friends in the Red Area. We also realized at once that we were seated amongst members of Cloud Korea.
Since we got there a bit early (actually, the concert started 30 min. late), we decided to take some photos before anyone would confiscate our cameras. Assuming, of course, that someone would.
Concert paraphernalias were also provided for us to liven up the audience during the concert. One2Free, the concert’s major sponsor, provided Rainy Day balloons, while RainHK gave away some pompoms. The different groups from various countries also brought their own distinct stuff, like glowsticks, lighted placards and banners. I didn’t use mine, though. My concert paraphernalia is, as always, my beloved camera.
A few minutes before concert starts, there was a small commotion as three guys were led to their seats. People started scrambling to get a pic of them. We have no idea who they were, so we stayed glued to our seats. Later on, we learned they’re Hong Kong stars. Rain's popularity in Hong Kong is so intense, even famous stars couldn't resist his charms.
The Concert:
The show kicked off with clips for auditions for JYPE talents. “Who will be the next?” it asked.
A voice over introduced the concert. Then, the familiar strains of a song we Full Housers all love… Oh my gosh, the front act is BYUL! Ok, I know I probably sounded really stupid when I said that way too loudly coz the whole world who have seen the pics from the presscon or have read/watched the news from HK re: Rain’s arrival and presscon probably know that already, but please forgive me. I’ve been in Hong Kong since Thursday, there is like a news blackout about Rain’s concert (or maybe I just wasn’t reading the papers coz I can’t read Chinese), our TV in the hostel only has 3 channels and none of the news programs ever mentioned anything about Rain except in weather reports, and we haven’t gone online for three days already, so I really didn’t have any idea. I know that JY Park is guesting, though, coz I read a news item about that before I left for HK.
About Byul: first, she looks really cute. Second, she has a sugary-sweet voice, though performance-wise, she’s a bit shaky on some parts. Third, she spoke Cantonese and did pretty well with it. Fourth, her songs are really nice; being a Full Houser, I’m already a fan of I Think I, but her other song, 12/32, is also good.
She then introduced - in Cantonese - the next performer. None other than………. RAIN!!!
Screams erupted and reverberated in all corners of Hall 3. The intro now familiar with all of us who have seen the Rainy Day DVD started playing. Onstage, I can see dark shadows behind the vast curtain that hangs, bearing the words “It’s Rainy Day”. Then, the curtain fell and we saw several hooded guys. At this point, I got ready with my camera (IT’S ALLOWED! YAY!!!) and waited for the Big Leap. It didn’t happen. Apparently, they chose to use the Budokan repertoire instead of the Seoul/Pusan setlist (the one we saw at the DVD), so he started with Bad Guy instead of My Way. Rain just rose from below the stage instead of popped out of it. Same effect, though; it elicited a thousand and one screams from the ecstatic audience. I also didn’t mind one bit, as I will be seeing a slightly different concert from the one I’ve seen several times on the DVD.
Initial reactions: the hair looks good. Gah, he looks good, period. There’s a hint of chin stubble that I really adore. He’s oh-so-tanned, but also oh-so-buffed even if he looked thinner than he was when we saw him last July.
And… he sang well. He danced really well. Anyone who can dance a storm and still sing well - for the entire duration of a two-hour concert at that! - gets my respect. I know it’s a given already since I’ve probably seen thousands of clips of his performances, but MAN! It’s different seeing it happening right in front of you. I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again: the guy has amazing stage presence. He connects with his audience. He’s not just dancing for the sake of dancing or singing for the sake of singing. There may have been others who are technically better singers or dancers than he is but he has this X-factor in him that makes him stand out. And most of all, we can tell he’s having fun, and he wants his audience to have fun with him. Same thing can be said with his dancers. Technically they are really good (whoever said they suck should have his head examined), but what made them better is that they give a little extra by connecting with their audience and with the guy they are back-upping for. We’re only on the first song and I can already tell this is going to be one hell of a night.
He then segued to My Way, and everyone is still screaming. If this keeps up, there will be quite a number of voiceless females in Hong Kong by the time the night is over.
This was followed by Last Handshake, with his mic stand moves. Rain did some sexy, sophisticated moves, gave a turn and accidentally bumped the mic stand. He then gave this “oops!” smile and instantly killed all of us in the audience. This is probably the only time anyone will tolerate mistakes in a performance. I certainly will not mind if he would do countless mistakes as long as I can see that wonderful smile again and again.
I really love the final part of Last Handshake, when he would kneel down with his back towards the audience and cradle the mic stand in his arms, as if he’s gently holding a woman in his arms (and then the entire female population of the Rain universe would be jealous of the mic stand). Then he would turn and give a wink or a cute smile or a sheepish look or whatever cutesy antics he has on his (torn) sleeves. It’s only the 3rd song, and I’m already short of breath coz this guy is killing me over and over and over.
Then he stood up and greeted us with “Yo! What’s up, Hong Kong?!” Screams. “Uh, I’m Rain.” Right, as if we didn’t know. “Thank you so much for waiting so long…” It was then that I fully realized, his spiels are in ENGLISH!!! Not Cantonese, not Korean, it’s English! No clueless moments for us this time! His English is really cute, with a slight hint of an American twang. I do not mind the heavy Korean accent, I don’t care if he just memorized all that from a script, all that matters is that RAIN IS SPEAKING IN ENGLISH. During one of our post-show discussions, everyone of us agreed that this is simply the best decision JYPE has ever come up with. There was no need for anyone to ask for translations because everyone, no matter how fluent or un-fluent he is, could at least understand a little bit of English. Good job, whoever you are who came up with that idea.
Next up is the moment most Rain fans are dreading for. It’s Again and Again with the lovely Ms Kim Hwa Young. She's really sexy now, huh! She got some baby fats in the DVD, but now she’s really slim and sexy. And we gotta admit, she’s an awesome dancer, and she looks good with Rain. Of course, as expected, The Dip move elicited lots of ‘omigods’ from the audience.
We know what’s next: The Striptease. But since I'm not a fan of that part, I didn’t really watch it. Yes, I’m serious.
Throughout the show, he went a number of times to our side of the stage. It should’ve been my perfect opportunity to snap some close-up pics but I just stood there gaping at him like an idiot with a camera. Oh my, he’s so close. Karen later on revealed - all too excitedly, if I may add - that she had some eye-contact with Rain during one of those times he was near us. Well, he should notice her. The three of us were in the middle of Cloud Korea and we're obviously not Korean and since Karen is tall, she’d be really noticeable. Rizza and I had a similar experience in July when we attended Rain's presscon and everyone noticed that we were the only non-Chinese in the house.
A bit of a sidetrack: why do the security people keep on telling us to sit down?? Hong Kong is really weird… they don’t have places to sit on in malls, waiting areas and lobbies, but in concerts, they ask us to sit down. Are they crazy?? I would understand if the artist we are watching is a classical artist. But no, this is a concert of a dance singer. We'd enjoy this more if we dance along with Rain, and we can't do that if we're sitting down. Later on, I saw one fan - I'm not sure of her nationality - talking to the security guy. It seems she told the guy to save his breath and stop asking us to sit down coz we’ll stand up when he leaves, anyway. The guy gave up after that.
Going back to the concert…. Here comes Dreaded Part No. 2 (unless you’re the Chosen One): Girlfriend of the Night. Before he sang Chajayo (Looking), Rain ‘revealed’ that lately, he’s been lonely coz he doesn’t have a girlfriend. He punctuated that by singing “I don’t have a girlfriend…” - dang, he’s so cute - to which everyone responded with a scream (or by saying, “I’ll be your girlfriend!”). To the unfamiliar ones: this is the part where Rain’s dancers will pick a girl from the audience who will act as Rain’s Girlfriend of the Night and the lucky gal will be serenaded with the song Quiz, will receive a humongous stuffed animal, a necklace, a bouquet of flowers and an ‘engagement ring’, and if she’s really lucky, a tight hug. She will also receive numerous envious glares from the rest of the Rain fans all over the world. Now, for this particular show, this is what happened:
Rain: How old are you?
Girl: 15.
Rain: 15! You’re so young! What’s your name?
Girl: (mentions something that sounds Korean)
Rain: Oh! Hangeuk saram?
Girl: (nods)
Rain: She’s Korean.
He then gave another “oops!” smile which showed that he was totally not expecting getting someone from his own country. But in fairness to the girl, it wasn’t her fault. It was nobody’s fault. And she was actually from Hong Kong, except that she’s a Korean national. However, there was a collective groan from the audience when they learned that they picked a Korean to be Girlfriend of the Night.
Rain followed it up with a song that he said, we can all sing along with (and we did sing along with it) - I Do. I was waiting for the butt-wiggling part towards the end, but he didn’t do it. Ow.
He then introduced to us his teacher and friend, none other than JY Park. One thing I can say about JYP: he’s an excellent songwriter. He sang a few samples of his work and we were like, “hey, I know this song!” The guy can sure write really good songs.
A few snippets of past Rainy Day concerts were then shown, and then in came Rain looking absolutely dashing in a white suit. He sang When You Know, followed by the awfully sexy Nan (I), while slowly removing clothing items one by one. This has got to be the most decent-looking strip act ever. That is, until he pulled his shirt apart and showed his marvelous torso, with fake rain pouring over his head. Collective gasp and screams from the audience. If you think about it, there was actually nothing indecent about this number. Sure, he ended up shirtless and wet, but some people actually commented that they found it vulgar when all he did was took off his shirt, got wet and sang his heart out. Well, we can’t blame him if he’s oozing with sex appeal. Not to mention that the song itself is goddamn sexy.
After the song, he suddenly became very aware of his bare upper body and covered his chest with his arms, flashing an embarrassed smile. Then, he picked up his wet shirt and covered himself. Rain really is a walking contradiction. After making us all breathless with his oh-so-sexy number, he would act like a little kid and try to cover himself up. I swear, this guy never runs out of tactics to make us swoon over him.
The really funny part was when he was sheepishly trying to wear the shirt again; he couldn’t find the armhole, so he just gave up and introduced the JYP Dance Team for their sizzling spot number.
Pyros became the introduction for the next song, How To Avoid The Sun. This is one of the jaw-dropping parts in the show. There was supposed to be a moving ramp on the T-zone where he would do his smooth dance moves. But for the Hong Kong concert, there was no moving ramp. Instead, Rain suddenly was raised really high up in a platform where he did his sexy dance moves. The effect was simply astonishing.
He dedicated the next song, Not Used To, to the person he loves the most: his mother. We already know this to be the most emotionally-charged part of the show.
It’s non-stop dancing after that. He started with Do You Like Me Now That I’m Famous?, where he marveled us at the excellent timing when he was supposed to be ’shot dead’. It’s like BANG! and he fell down. Excellent! It segued to It’s Raining, where he was hoisted up in the air ala-Tarzan. Two words to describe it: PURE ENERGY.
Then comes the part I am most looking forward to: Instead of Saying Goodbye. In Rain’s concerts, his fans are always doing chants and cheers every now and then to liven up his songs. My favorite has always been the ‘gamyon, gamyon’ part in Instead of Saying Goodbye and I’ve always wanted to experience doing it live. Finally, my dream came true. When the chorus came, I joined everyone in singing “gamyeon gamyeon niga tteonandamyeon…” nevermind if I’m probably saying the words all wrong and I’m surrounded by Koreans. It was fun, really fun. Then suddenly, during the dance part, Rain stepped forward and did this really awesome routine that really made us all scream. The only word that could best describe it is the Tagalog word, “HATAW!”
He then thanked everyone for coming to his concert and bade us goodbye with his (supposed to be) last song, my absolute favorite Rain song, To You. This part always makes me teary-eyed, and watching it live only made me realize why. Rain is really sincere whenever he performs. Whenever he goes forward, gives a bow as a sign of respect, waves his hand, gives us a smile, makes “I Love You” hand gestures, etc etc you just know he’s not just doing that for show. I am usually a cynic when watching concerts, even in concerts of my idols, but with Rain, I put my cynic mind on hold and just took everything in. I thought, all the success this man is reaping now, he truly deserved it. He is not just an amazing performer; he does it with all his heart and soul. And I am proud to be a fan.
We didn’t leave our seats yet even if he bowed out because we know the crazy part is still to come. He did an ‘encore’ with the remix of I Do, with the mandatory water splashing with his dancers. This is the part where we bear witness to the playful side of Rain.
After that number, some people already started trickling out of the hall but Rain still came back to do his ‘Love Actually’ skit. He held some cards bearing some Chinese phrases which we, non-Chinese people, didn’t understand, but it basically said some I-Love-Yous and Thank-Yous and ‘please continue supporting me, I will do my best’, etc. By that time, the front rows were already vacated so I was able to get closer to the stage and experience how it is to see Rain really up close even for just a few seconds. He then gave a bow and a wave and the show is over.
Gosh, I was exhausted after that. I’ve been to several concerts, even joined moshpits in rock gigs, but this particular one siphoned the energy out of me. My throat was raw - I don’t usually scream in concerts, but with this concert, I did it. Karen was also exhausted from screaming non-stop the entire show, while Rizza got tinnitus from Karen’s non-stop screaming. We made our way outside the hall when suddenly the lights came down and everyone screamed again. What, is he coming back for more?? Nope. They just forgot to release the white balloons from the rafters which were supposed to fall during the I Do number, and they decided to release it now. Hmm, why can’t they just save it for tomorrow? Doesn’t matter. The three of us - Karen, Rizza and me - went to our designated meeting place at the lobby of HKCEC amidst the excited chatter of shell-shocked fans and found Carol and some of our newfound friends already waiting there. We also finally met the Soompi girls from Singapore and one Thai fan who flew all the way from London to HK just to see Rain. Are all of Rain's fans crazy or what?? We exchanged stories and opinions about the show and it was unanimous - we all enjoyed it. Well, why shouldn’t we, when it’s Rain, for chrissakes.
Walking along the connecting passageways on the way to the MTR Station, we saw some entrepreneurs already selling blown up pics from the concert. But since I checked my cam and found that I have decent concert pics of my own, I decided to pass up. We had late dinner with our new-found friends before we finally called it a night. Not really, coz Carol, Karen, Rizza and I barely got some sleep because of all the adrenalin rush. But it was all worth it. And the best part for me is, I still have one more night to experience it all again.
Sunday, 09 October 2005 - Rainy Day HK Day 2...
Most of our friends saw the Saturday show, so we didn’t meet up with anyone except for our Korean friend Helena who sat with us. Our seats are on Row 4 this time - closer to the stage - but a few seats farther to the right, so it’s more difficult to see what’s happening at the T-zone. It’s not a bad seat, per se (c’mon, it’s still 4TH ROW!!!), but what made it bad is the fact that we got seated amongst the tall ones, and those tall ones are all carrying pompoms, glowsticks and banners and used them throughout the show. I had difficulty seeing the stage and sometimes I had to lift my camera high up in the air just to get decent photos, or else all I'll be able to take photos of are pompoms and glowsticks. I’m just glad I was able to take lots of good photos the night before and picture-taking was not my top priority during the second concert. I just decided to dedicate the second night to really watching the show and appreciate its nuances. I’d just take pics of the parts that I missed or I have to capture again.
Since I have already given a detailed account during the first night, let me just list down the highlights and what’s different during the second night, along with my observations:
He wore the same outfits during the second night. Bummer, I was hoping to see the green outfit he wore at Budokan. Oh well…
He was evidently more energetic during the second night. In one of our post-show discussions with our friends, Rizza noted that Rain seems to be holding back a bit during Day 1 of the concert. I noticed that, too. He would take a rest several times instead of following the choreography, and there was a noticeable strain with his breathing whenever he sings. Rizza’s theory is that he was either (1) saving it for Day 2; or (2) he is suffering from some sort of injury. Seeing his energy in the second show, we therefore conclude that theory number 1 is correct.
On a slightly related note… don’t you just marvel at how this man, who’s not exactly small at above 6ft. with adequate muscle mass, can be so agile and coordinated onstage? Take this move, for example. Since there is no moving ramp on the T-zone in HK, he instead ran at top speed on the T-zone, then slid towards the end where he ended up sitting. It’s a very dangerous move; anyone who is not coordinated with his movements could easily overshoot the length of T-zone and end up crashing on the laps of those sitting in front (a freaky, yet potentially exciting incident for those in the front rows).
His singing was much better. He hardly went off key - not that he’s always off key - and his breathing techniques were miles better than the first night. His vocals sounded better and fuller, too. It’s not noticeable on fast songs, but you can tell the difference whenever he sings the ballads. His Last Handshake was deeper, his Nan much, much breathier and most of all, his Not Used To was much more emotional than the first night. We initially thought he’s going to cry coz he really gave it his all. It was heart-wrenching. He got an unanimous applause after that number.
I should also mention that his English also got better during the 2nd night. He must’ve been practicing really hard…
Cheeky moments - there were lots during the first night, but he overdosed on that during the second night. Right on the 3rd song - Last Handshake - he already started teasing us by pretending to unbuckle his pants after tearing off his sleeves. I could’ve gotten a good pic of that but it was out-of-focus - no thanks to someone’s glowsticks.
I am going to openly and shamelessly admit that I squealed in delight when, during the end part of I Do, he turned his back towards the audience, flipped his coattails and did the butt-shaking action in slow-motion. Woo-hoo!
Of course, so much has already been said about Ms. Kim's wardrobe malfunction when that sparkly thing she added on her dress got caught on Bi’s humongous belt buckle when she gyrated in front of him.
Girlfriend of the Night:
Rain: How old are you?
Girl: 20. (when clearly, she is a few years older than that)
Rain: 20!… 20!…. Really??? (at this point, we were already doubling over with laughter) Really??? She’s so young!
Bi, you’re such a naughty, naughty boy… :D
Then, on the part where he is supposed to insert an ‘engagement ring’ on her finger, she hesitated and pulled back her hand. There was a slight struggle and when she did put out her hand, the camera caught something on her finger. Apparently, she’s already taken.
And the cheekiest of them all: after Nan. I thought his cover-me-up stunt cannot be topped, but nope, the guy still has something up his (wet) sleeve. After the song, he then turned his back and gyrated (to the delighted squeals of the non-male members of the audience). Then, he balled up his shirt and made as if he’s gonna throw it to the crowd. Everyone screamed, of course. But he didn’t throw it. Instead, he squeezed off the wet shirt and acted as if he’s doing the laundry. What a guy.
We were waiting for him to repeat that ‘hataw’ dance he did for Instead of Saying Goodbye, but he didn’t do it. He did some butt-shaking action instead. Which is not really a bad thing at all.
Technical aspects - I don’t have to say his dancers were all awesome - I think I just did - but I also want to give a shout-out to the band and most especially to the back-up vocals. Now that’s what I call back-up vocals. They didn’t overpower Rain’s singing. The guitar riffs on the pyro display background music (after the JYP Dance Team number) and added on How To Avoid the Sun are fabulous. Kudos to Mr. Guitarist!
This is also the time when I was able to scrutinize the overall production of the show. It was evident that everything was painstakingly studied and put together. Nothing was off. The blocking, effects, musical arrangement, choreography, even the clips on the video wall, they all compliment each other. People who know me know that I nitpick even the tiniest detail and with this production, I can’t find anything off. Well, I would be happier if Rain didn’t wear a hat or gloves for most part of the show, but that has nothing to do with production, it has something to do with my personal preferences, so…
I also noticed that: (1) They finally remembered to release the white balloons from the rafters during the I Do number; (2) there were lesser pyro effects; (3) the gunshot timing is still perfect; and (4) there was lesser confetti than the first show. During the Saturday concert, they showered us with so much confetti that when I was changing clothes, I discovered that I took home a ton of confetti inside my blouse and another ton was in my bag. I think they used up practically everything that night that on the second night, it was noticeably lesser.
IT’S RAINING SIMPLY ROCKED. ‘NUFF SAID.
Rain showered us with lots of I-Love-Yous the entire night, especially when he sang To You. I can tell he’s really happy with the outcome of the HK concerts. He even flew lots of kisses - his MWAH! MWAH! MWAH! melted my heart - to the delight of the audience. Then, he spoke Korean for his Clouds and rattled off names of countries. At that point, I heard him say a long word that ends in ‘S’ and I asked myself, “did he just say ‘Philippines’ or ‘Japanese’??” I asked Rizza but she said she missed it. However, I was able to verify later on that he said ‘Japanese’. Oh well…
The Korean Clouds did not finish the show because they had to catch the last flight out of HK to Seoul which is at midnight. When we saw the vacant front seats, we scrambled to get there and savored the moment of experiencing how it is to be in the front rows. Now, during the encore-water-splashing number, Rain suddenly ran after a female dancer who went to our side of the stage and at that point, I was in the middle of debating whether I should take a pic or just look at him when he’s this close to me. In the end, I just muttered, “ang laki ni Bi!” (Bi’s huge! - I meant literally, ok). I did manage to snap one pic, though…
All in all, the second concert was technically much better than the first one. However, I found the audience during the first night to be much much better. The energy during the first night was simply the indescribable. Maybe it’s because a good number of people who saw the second show has already seen it the night before, so the excitement is not as intense as the first one. Whatever the reason is, we still had a fantastic time. I don’t know about Rizza, but I consider these two nights to be the two of the best nights of my entire life.
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