Doh Kyung-soo poses with the audience during the first of his two-day 'Bloom' fan concert at the Araneta Coliseum, August 31, 2024. Photos from Company Soosoo's X accountThe Philippines had not seen Doh Kyung-soo in six long years. So when the South Korean singer-actor finally returned to the country for his recent “Bloom” fan concert tour, he was met with an overwhelming display of affection from his Filipino supporters.

“I never imagined that the Philippines would be this passionate,” Kyung-soo, better known as D.O. of the K-pop boy band EXO, told fans who packed the Araneta Coliseum midway through the first of his two-day sold-out fan-con.

The anticipation to see Kyung-soo was evident even before the show began. As the lights dimmed just minutes before showtime, the crowd erupted into excited cheers, chanting “Doh Kyung-soo!” in unison.

The screams reached a fever pitch when the 31-year-old artist, known for his boyish charm and distinctive vocal tone, finally took the stage. Dressed sharply in a suit paired with jeans, Kyung-soo kicked off the two-hour affair with “Mars,” the lead single from his August release “Blossom.”

“I missed you guys so much. It’s been six years that I didn’t come to the Philippines and I didn’t expect [the reception] would be this hot,” said Kyung-soo, who last visited the country in 2018 for EXO’s “The Elyxion” concert.

WATCH: EXO's Doh Kyung-soo sends message in ‘Mars’ MV

Kyung-soo explained that he chose “Bloom” as the title for his fan-con tour because it aligned with the flower theme of “Blossom.”

“Because the title of my album is ‘Blossom,’ I was thinking, ‘What would be suitable for this fan concert?’ I kind of thought, maybe the audience, you guys could bloom beautifully while watching the concert,” he said.

Fans were treated to a night of pure bliss as Kyung-soo showcased his passionate singing and endearing personality, deepening their connection with their favorite star. 

A “balance game” revealed his food preferences, such as favoring raw fruits over fruit juice, meat over fish for a week, beer to juice, and opting for a seafood party in Boracay rather than a barbecue in Cebu.

Another segment tested Kyung-soo’s memory of his acting projects, quizzing him about the department his prosecutor character belonged to in the legal drama “Bad Prosecutor” and details about his astronaut role in “The Moon.”

READ: Working on space film a dream come true for K-pop star D.O of EXO

Kyung-soo also took the opportunity to tease his Filipino fans about his upcoming series. He even debuted a shorter hairstyle during the Manila fan-con, revealing that the change was for the project.

“You guys are the first ones to see my new style. [It’s] because I’ll be shooting a new drama," he said. “My hair is kind of neat at the moment but if you see the drama, it’ll be a whole lot different.”

“It’s a very great villain [role]. It’s my first time [to play a villain]. I can’t expose the content of the drama, but he’s a very, very bad person,” he added.

Doh Kyung-soo takes a photo with the fan-made banner used during the first day of his 'Bloom' fan concert in Manila.

Solo music

In contrast to EXO’s dance-oriented title tracks, Kyung-soo’s solo discography is mainly composed of soulful ballads and mellow pop songs, which he showcased during his recent fan-con. The 10-piece setlist included “Simple Joys,” “That’s Okay,” “I Do,” “My Dear,” “Ordinary Days,” “Good Night” and “About Time.”

In “Somebody,” Kyung-soo would deliver the first “I love you” line in the chorus and then point his microphone towards the audience, inviting them to sing the repeated “I love you,” as if the singer and his fans were having an affectionate exchange.

During the finale song “Popcorn,” the crowd loudly recited the fan chants. Impressed by the enthusiasm, Kyung-soo decided to repeat the chorus a cappella, allowing the fan chants to echo throughout the Big Dome.

“I would like to say that I appreciate so much that you guys are singing along very well,” he remarked.

Despite his cool and calm demeanor, Kyung-soo also has a playful side. At one point in the show, for instance, he initiated a screaming competition between different sections of the venue to see which group could scream the loudest, only to admit later on that his real motive was to tire out the audience before performing his slow songs.

“It was actually my trick to drain your energy. Because the songs I’m going to perform are very calm,” he confessed.

“I’ll make sure to come back with a song that suits your energy, so please wait. But for today, we have no choice,” he said.

While he did not perform EXO songs in full, Kyung-soo sang excerpts of them during segments where he had to guess song titles from emojis and fulfill fan requests written on sticky notes. They include “Lotto,” “My Answer,” “El Dorado,” “Christmas Day” and “The First Snow.”

Among others, he also sang snippets of Yeng Constantino’s “Hawak Kamay,” which EXO covered during a 2013 visit; Travis McCoy’s “Billionaire,” famously performed with Chanyeol on the variety show “Knowing Bros”; and “Small Girl,” his collaboration with rapper Lee Young-ji.

Doh Kyung-soo in a behind-the-scenes photo from his two-day 'Bloom' fan concert in Manila.

‘Walang uuwi’

By the end of the night, it was clear that fans could not get enough of Kyung-soo, as they cheered, “Walang uuwi! (No one will go home).” The cheeky idol responded, “You’re not going home? You’re going to stay here? But I’m gonna leave.”

Before the show (presented by Wilbros Live) concluded with Kyung-soo watching a touching fan-prepared video that chronicled his 12-year career, he thanked his supporters for their time and assured them he would return to the country.

“Guys, we’ve enjoyed enough... [but] with this kind of energy, I feel like you guys have not enjoyed enough yet,” Kyung-soo said.

“For the next visit, I’ll make sure to prepare a setlist where you guys are going tell me, ‘I want to go home already.’ So please wait for me, okay?” he said.

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