Last time NIKI had her first solo show here in the Philippines (Nicole World Tour, 2023), I wasn’t able to secure tickets. It sold out instantly. So this time, I made sure to level up my online ticket-buying game. I got to beat the scalpers. Lol. When I got in after the queue, I actually managed to add 8 adjacent tickets to my cart (for me, my work friends, and our +1s). But of course, SM Tickets had a shitty ticketing system. Payment failed, errors appeared, and voilà — all gone. Had to start from scratch and queue multiple times.

⟡ February 12
I got one centre-view Upper Box ticket but sold it since it was my backup plan in case I couldn’t find two seats together. I wanted to go with the Beshywap, so I kept trying and finally got two General Admission tickets. I preferred centre seats, but those were hard to find. Anything beyond 5k was a hard pass. Getting General Admission (near-centre seats) was enough. I just badly wanted to see NIKI live.

Kaye and I agreed to attend Day 2 (Wednesday). The theme that day was Mystic Force. Too easy. I rarely dress up, so I just wore all black. Boo! Boring.

The opening act (Reality Club) was such a vibe. The crowd was wild, and their outfits were giving. (Omg, the words I’m using are too Gen Z. Lol.) It was nice to see that most were singing at the top of their lungs, lyrics memorised by heart. Even though the songs from her new album hit deep, most were still total bops. I even ended up loving a few tracks more after hearing them live. Take Care and Magnets really stood out. Take Care, especially. The acoustic version was just beautiful. I enjoyed the whole experience. I just wish it had started on time. The aunt in me was already ready for bed by then. Kidding aside, it was such a good way to start the year. First concert down, many more (hopefully) to go.

P.S. BFF and I have been frennies since high school, and it’s only recently that we’ve been getting to experience new things together. Huwaw. 🖤🏍️

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⟡ March 1
Yuuus, I ended up going to the added Day 3 show too, even though it was weeks later and felt kinda random. Irish managed to score adjacent Upper Box seats. We originally planned to go as a group for the earlier dates, but they didn’t manage to get tickets. So when Day 3 was announced, I didn’t want to miss out and decided to join them. FOMO is real.

The theme that day was Bumblebee on a Blossom. So I actually made an effort and bought a top from Shein to match. Glad it was held at Smart Araneta Coliseum too. Still the best concert venue for me.

And wow, Day 3 was insane. The crowd felt even louder (maybe because the arena’s more compact than MOA), and it was jam-packed. Well, all days were sold out anyway. NIKI lang sakalam. 💚🌹