MANILA, Philippines – It was Taeyang’s first time back in Manila after nearly seven years.
His return to the country after his “White Night” world tour in 2017 was a long time coming. The Manila stop of his 2025 “THE LIGHT YEAR: ENCORE” world tour on February 22 at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena happened to be the very last one, so it was already bound to be special from the very beginning.
When attendees were let into the venue, Taeyang’s music videos were playing on loop on the LED screens while waiting. It helped build anticipation, and perhaps even better, it helped fans practice their singing for when Taeyang would actually go on to perform the songs on stage.
Fans would cheer and sing along each time a new clip was shown on screen, but even more so when all the lights dimmed and signaled showtime.
As soon as the lights reactivated and began to blink faster and abruptly slowed down, it wasn’t long before you could finally make out Taeyang’s silhouette from afar and hear the intro of “Prayer” get louder and louder. He had appeared on stage in a shimmery white blazer and black bottoms that allowed him to easily stand out against the bright orange lights — immediately breaking into a dance that showcased his signature groove.
Taeyang’s entire performance was a balanced display of his skills as a vocalist and as a dancer — the very things that allowed him to shine as a member of BIGBANG and eventually, as a prominent solo artist. One minute, he stood still as he faced the crowd to sing “Vibe,” his collaboration with BTS’ Jimin, and the next, he was impressing the audience anew with the upbeat track’s choreography.
It was a constant back and forth between focusing on the vocal-heavy parts of a song and letting the music take over as he moved around the MOA Arena’s lengthy walkway rhythmically, and clearly, the fans wouldn’t have had it any other way.
He beckoned everyone in the seated areas to get up when it came time for him to perform classic favorites like “1AM,” “STAY WITH ME,” and “Make Love,” even asking fans to put their hands up or sing back certain parts of the song.
It became all the more apparent that Taeyang wasn’t just a performer who happened to be an exceptional singer and dancer — he was a true entertainer who knew how to keep his audiences engaged, too. Because it’s one thing to put on a good show, but to make sure that everyone present is having a good time is an entirely different ability that only a few artists like Taeyang have been proven to have.
He knew his way to his Filipino fans’ hearts, too. It wasn’t just through showing off the common Filipino phrases he learned, but also by treating them to a cover of OPM singer TJ Monterde’s “Palagi,” which he sang twice after figuring out what the crowd’s “Isa pa! Isa pa! Isa pa! (One more time! One more time! One more time!)” chants meant.
“One more time? Okay, if you say so,” he said, smiling.
Easily one of the most memorable parts of the two-hour concert, though, was when Taeyang performed a series of BIGBANG’s hits. When the songs that were dominated by slower vocals like “Blue” and “IF YOU” came on, more BIGBANG light sticks started to radiate their signature yellow glows as VIPs sang back to him. Sometimes, he’d even let them take over entirely.
When Taeyang performed his group’s faster, dance-worthy songs like “BANG BANG BANG,” “Fantastic Baby” and “WE LIKE 2 PARTY,” it wasn’t just those in the standing section who were jumping up and down with him; those in the seated areas did, too.
It’s safe to say that the show was not only a celebration of his impressive artistry as a soloist, but also as a member of BIGBANG, one of the groups that shaped the industry and raised an entire generation of K-pop fans in the Philippines.
And of course, Taeyang wouldn’t be one to forget “Eyes, Nose, Lips,” a song of his that many Filipinos religiously streamed on YouTube. He and the crowd sang it together, and when he momentarily left the stage, fans belted it out all over again to signal his encore.
It felt like an honor for Manila to be the last stop on Taeyang’s “THE LIGHT YEAR: ENCORE” world tour, and it seemed that he felt the same way. He promised multiple times that he would be back soon, and when the stage doors began to close, Taeyang got down on his knees for a full bow, and waved goodbye until the lights dimmed again.
When Taeyang does finally return in the future, we know we’ll have a fantastic time to look forward to. – Rappler.com