You never forget your first time in Manila—we know pH-1 certainly won’t. 

“There are about 500 people in here. I’ve done shows in North America and Europe bigger than this, but the energy here is incredible,” the Korean rapper beams after opening his first-ever concert in the Philippines. 

He was greeted by a loud and raucously excited crowd—a typical Manila welcome if you will—that filled the intimate setting of The Filinvest Tent with an eruption of cheers and screams. The city comes as part of the latter half of the Asia leg of his aptly named, ABOUT DAMN TIME tour, a much-anticipated addition presented by Karpos Live. So, when pH-1 finally jumped out onto the stage, everyone let him know exactly how long they’d waited for him.

pH-1 treated the crowd with a plethora of hits and favourites, from energetic party anthems like ‘ZOMBIES’, ‘YUPPIE TING’, 'iffy' and ‘Groupie’ to collaborations like ‘I’m Not Sorry’, ‘JULIETTE!’, ‘Nerdy Love’, and ‘365&7’ to mosh-worthy bangers like 'Achoo', 'The Purge', and 'Orange'.

With every single song, the crowd didn’t hesitate to sing and rap it word-for-word right back to the H1GHR MUSIC act. Feeding off the love and excitement, pH-1 brought an infectious adrenaline on stage, prompting everyone to dance and jump. It was such a common sight to see people moving, beyond the usual bops and sways, in the pockets of space among the crowd. In the words of his favourite song to perform on stage (‘ZOMBIES’): “It’s a party!”

Even as pH-1 slowed things down with 'BREAK THE GLASS', 'SHRINK TOLD ME', and his favourite song ever 'DVD', the crowd was right there with him, painting the venue with orange-coloured lights and transcending into self-reflection and introspection with him.

pH-1 had a way of commanding the crowd into the different highs and lows of his diverse discography without anything feeling out of place. Every second of his hour-and-a-half set, he had everyone dialled in, forging an unwavering connection that only a few have the power to do.

Even when he spoke, the rapper was commendable, interacting with everyone with so much care and grace (even giving a shout-out to former H1GHR MUSIC labelmate SiK-K's new label, new boy group ZB1, and a Filipino designer who designed him an outfit). 

As he ended the concert with an encore performance of 'Oscar', pH-1 bowed, thanking the crowd with the utmost sincerity. "You've made my first time in Manila very very very special," he said. It was about damn time he came to Manila and here's to hoping it won't be his last.