K-Experience: Diamond Edge (2017) — first Kpop concert, permanent fangirl
- Donnut Moonyap
- Oct 22, 2023
- 5 min read
I still remember how it started in July 2017–me casually scrolling through K-pop dance practices on YouTube, looking for a new dance to learn, and somehow ending up permanently changed.
One minute, I was watching the Don’t Wanna Cry dance practice. The next, I was googling, Who are they? That search led me to discover that they were coming to Manila, and ticket selling was in five days. Five! I asked my dad if I could go, fully expecting a “maybe next time,” but he said yes. Thank God!
That was my introduction to SEVENTEEN–and soon enough, I was seeing them live in Manila.
Diamond Edge Manila (2017)
Where: Mall of Asia Arena
When: October 6, 2017
I went into ticketing day thinking I was prepared. I was not.
I lined up early for the VIP Package–soundcheck + hi-touch–and everything was going fine until it wasn’t. They started counting slots, and suddenly, the cut off was right in front of me! I remember standing there trying so hard not to cry in public!
The girl behind me started talking to me, trying to make the situation lighter. She kept saying things like, “Sayang tayo! Makaka-apir na sana natin sila!” and honestly, I don’t even think I was responding properly–I was just trying to keep it together. But I’m so thankful she did that. It distracted my brain!
Then came the next announcement.
If you didn’t get into the VIP package line, you’d be moved to VIP standing instead. Which would’ve been fine–except it also reminded me that I barely missed the cutoff in front of me. And then they announced another rule (I was a newbie concertgoer, so I didn’t really know): anyone below 18 couldn’t enter VIP standing without a companion.
That was the moment I fully panicked.
I remember freezing, thinking I might not even get to attend the concert anymore. And again, the same girl from before–turned to me and said, “Wala ka companion? Pwede ako nalang para ma-allow ka.”
That was the moment everything changed for me. We went from being strangers in line to suddenly not feeling so alone in everything anymore. We kept talking after that, and I finally learned her name properly: Ate Rianne. I still remember it clearly because she basically saved my entire concert experience before it even started. After that, she became a good friend and an Ate to me, and even now, I still love seeing her successes on social media, even after 6 years.
D-Day (aka: I showed up way too early lmao)
I got to the venue around 7AM. Not because I needed to be, but because I fully subscribed to the “maybe them in their van at the artist entrance” that fans were talking about online. Delusional? Slightly. Committed? Absolutely.
My dad would send our kasambahay with food throughout the day like I was on some kind of survival mission. When he came to check on me himself, I tried to act cute and asked if he could buy me merch. Guess who ended up with a Carat Bong and the official shirt? Me! So yes, maybe dad of the year lol!
I waited for Ate Rianne so we could go in together, and when we finally entered the arena, it felt unreal and overwhelming in the best way. Like stepping into something I had only ever watched through a clips in Facebook.
And then we were at the barrier.
Which sounds iconic.. until you remember I am not tall. At all. So I was mostly being pushed around by the crowd while still trying to take everything in all at once.
Still, I was close enough that Woozi literally looked in our direction at one point. I even have blurry photos that kind of prove it. And for 13-year-old me, that was basically equivalent to a spiritual experience haha!
At some point in the middle of the concert though, I got tired of constantly being pushed around, so I decided to move farther back where there were fewer people in the standing area just so I could properly breathe for a bit. Surprisingly, I was still really close to the stage even after moving. There were probably only around four or five rows of people between me and the barricade, which honestly still felt unreal considering how huge the crowd was. So yes, tiny me survived VIP standing somehow.
The performances I’ll never forget..
Seeing SEVENTEEN perform it in person felt surreal in a way I didn’t know how to process at that age. It wasn’t just a song anymore–it was a shared moment with thousands of people all feeling the same thing at once.
Seeing SEVENTEEN in person that close felt surreal in a way I didn’t know how to process at that age. It was loud, chaotic, a little overwhelming–but in the best possible way.
Don’t Wanna Cry — this will always feel like the starting point for me. It’s the song that pulled me into them in the first place, so hearing it live felt full circle. And seeing the choreography performed in person was surreal. As someone who loves dancing and actually studied that choreo before, watching them do it live was exciting!
Trauma — I was secretly hoping they’d perform Trauma because it had just been released at the time–and they actually did. You know that feeling when you hope something happens but convince yourself it probably won’t, so you try not to expect too much? Then it suddenly does happen and you still end up shocked anyway? Yeah. That was me.
Aju Nice — pure chaos. Everyone jumping, everyone screaming, and somehow it just felt like joy in its most unfiltered form. They looked like they were having fun too, which made it even better.
Pretty U — this one is permanently associated with Seungkwan’s high note for me. No explanation needed. Just talent. Absolute vocal moment.
What made the Manila stop even more special was that it wasn’t just another concert date for SEVENTEEN. Carats were also celebrating the anniversary of the fandom’s official colors–rose quartz and serenity–which made the whole night feel extra sentimental. On top of that, Manila was the final stop of SEVENTEEN’s first world tour, so the energy inside the arena honestly felt historic.
Looking back, it wasn’t just my first K-pop concert–it was my first time realizing how different it feels to experience something you love in real life instead of through a screen.
I will never forget this experience! Not just because of the performances, but because of everything around it–the strangers who became lifelines, the panic that turned into excitement, and the kind of joy that only makes sense when you’re right there in the middle of it.
And somehow, it all started with Don’t Wanna Cry dance practice on YouTube.
D.
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