10 HOT REASONS NOT TO MISS 2NE1’S AON CONCERT IN MANILA

In many of 2NE1’s music videos, you would see them wielding a bat. Later on, you will realize that they use this for crushing charts and breaking records. From the moment they debuted as a group in 2009, these formidable femmes – CL, Bom, Dara and Minzy — have treated mediocrity with spite, choosing to blaze new trails in a music genre that was then dominated by four-letter words like “cute” and “sexy”. They wasted no time in creating a look, a vibe and a musical influence that was entirely their own – sharp, edgy, fierce and defiant. After sweeping scores of major awards from the Korean music industry, they flew to New York City where they were crowned MTV Iggy’s Best New Band in the World in 2011. The following year, they became the first K-Pop girl group to embark on a world tour, before promptly proceeding to do musical collaborations with the likes of will.i.am and Snoop Lion.

Things fell quiet in 2013 when they busied themselves wrapping up their second studio album and dropping a few singles that tickled but did not exactly tantalize. Then, boom – their agency, YG Entertainment, announced a second world tour scheduled to kick-off in Seoul by March 2014. And oh, that long overdue second album? It will drop a few days ahead on CL’s birthday, since she composed three of the tracks. What followed was absolute bedlam. Their fans – known collectively as Blackjacks – started dusting off their light sticks, printing new banners and pinching their allowance to purchase concert tickets, digital tracks and hard copies of the new album, “Crush”.

Meanwhile, the tour concert entitled “All or Nothing” (AON) caught people’s fancy with its sleek, sci-fi themed cinematic teasers and creative promotions that had the otherwise elusive girls appearing on variety shows, staging fan meets, hamming it up in their own YouTube videos and basically inundating their personal social media accounts with an enticing trail of photos and other sneak peeks leading to the show. To date, AON has announced 15 performances covering 12 cities in nine countries, with more stops still on the drawing board. However, the most important concert date for Filipinos falls on May 17, when 2NE1 brings AON to Manila at the Mall of Asia Arena. It has been three years since they first visited for a gig called “The Party” and this is the first time they are coming for a full concert, leaving their Pinoy fans breathless with anticipation.

To get a preview of what’s in store for us in May, this writer flew to Seoul to watch both nights of their AON launch at the Seoul SK Handball Arena. Despite the freezing post-winter weather, 2NE1 burned down the hall and everyone in it with the kind of frenzied conflagration only they can conjure. Here are some of the hottest reasons why watching AON is good for you, your friends and the entire human race:

1. Dara’s goddess abs 

In a word: yummy. You wouldn’t believe someone as seemingly frail as her could carve a four-pack but she did it in just two months, following a strict exercise and diet regimen which called for giving up her favorite ramyun and pumping iron every day under the eagle eyes of their company’s captain trainer. Undoubtedly, all the hard work paid off. The minute the girls step out onstage, those glorious abs are practically stamped as “Today’s Special”. So yes, I’d like a serving of Sandara Park’s scrumptious prime cuts served on a stretch of silky smooth, slightly tanned, honey gold skin… please!

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