I have a confession to make --- I've never been out of the country. YEP, this old millennial somehow has never managed to. Well, I had the chance once but ended up passing, and that story is for another day.
But this April, I finally got my very first passport stamp, and it was for Singapore. A few days before the trip, I dropped by my old office and mentioned I was headed to Singapore the next day. A colleague asked WHY? with a puzzled look on his face, probably wondering why I chose Singapore as the first country to go to. Before I could answer, someone else chimed in and said "There is only one reason and one reason alone for Lexi to go out of the country and that is her kpop oppas"
And while I’d love to say that there could be a hundred other reasons why I was going out of the country, he was spot on for this trip. Rai and I hopped on a plane to Singapore to see CNBLUE live!
AND YES, It was Rai that convinced me to have this trip. I did hesitate, but with the tour not having a Manila stop, I knew this was our only chance to see them live.
I am the type of person who creates an excel checklist, packs weeks before and buys EVERYTHING the internet tells me to before a trip to a certain place. I do not like the unknown and this is how I cope. You can just imagine the anxiety I had preparing for this --- and so I will no longer go into detail how Rai laughed at me while preparing for the whole trip. Let's just say I has almost everything you can possibly think of in my bag and luggage for this trip.
Luckily, this trip didn't cause me much stress as we had friends living in Singapore and were more than happy to help us out. We arrived the night before the concert and so we had ample time to rest and prepare for the next day. We stayed in a
small hotel in Bugis which meant we had to take 2 MRT lines going to the Singapore Indoor Stadium. As expected, this was not a problem because the commute in Singapore is SUPER convenient.
We arrived at the stadium about 3-4 hours before the show, giving us plenty of time to do strapping for the soundcheck, grab a bite, and exchange some freebies. As we expected, we met many Filipino Boice (CNBlue fandom name), with some traveling from the Philippines, though most were either based in Singapore or visiting from other countries.
There was a bit of a wait in the soundcheck line, but it was much smoother than the queuing experience in Manila. The venue also had excellent air conditioning, which was a big plus given the hot and humid weather in Singapore.
The soundcheck alone was amazing. It’s hard to put into words, but (for me and Rai) there’s something about seeing a full band perform live. I already knew Yonghwa had incredible vocals, but hearing it in person was on another level; his voice was so crisp, clear, and powerful. And Jungshin? He was unbelievably tall! He showed up to the soundcheck in short shorts and honestly, if I wore them, they’d probably look like cropped pants—or as we millennials like to call them, capris or pedal pushers. 😂. Minhyuk was a whole other experience. I was so wrecked by him the whole night! Screens do not justify how good looking he is in person.
They performed classics from their earlier albums, including
Loner,
Love Light,
Coffee Shop,
I'm Sorry, and
Love Girl. They also played more recent tracks like
Time Capsule and
Love Cut from the
WANTED album. While I was hoping to hear my personal favorites,
Radio and
Manito, the concert setlist was incredible. It brought me back to the first time I watched a CNBlue live performance video and was instantly blown away. Their live performances are so exceptional that I’m more familiar with the live versions of their songs than the studio recordings.
If you are a fan or even a casual listener, you would know that Yonghwa loves putting his mic away and shouting at the crowd without it. Always thought it was just a party trick until he did it during the concert. I tell you, Yonghwa's voice and lung capacity is unbelievable! He reminds me so much of Skid Row's Sebastian Bach.
After the nearly 2.5-hour concert (not counting the soundcheck), Rai and I were completely drained. For the first time ever, we didn’t find ourselves saying, "Ay, bitin!" As we lined up for the Goodbye Session (yes, we BOTH won—Rai’s tried and tested fangirl luck must’ve traveled with us to Singapore😂), we agreed to stay at the front of the line to finish quickly, catch the train back to our hotel, and get some rest. But fate had other plans—we ended up being the first in the last line for the Goodbye Session. 😅 Still, it worked out because we had time to freshen up (after all the jumping and singing) before meeting CNBlue up close.
This experience truly felt like coming full circle for me. Not many people know this, but I first started listening to CNBlue during a difficult time in my life, when I was going through therapy after a dark chapter in a past relationship. Rai, ever the supportive best friend, would stay over the night before my sessions and drive me early the next morning. On those drives, we’d blast CNBlue songs in her car, and their music always helped take my mind off things, even if just for a little while.
Fast forward to now, standing just a few feet away from the band that unknowingly helped me through one of the toughest periods of my life. It was more than just a concert—it was a deeply personal moment, a reminder of how far I’ve come and how music can truly heal.
The trip to Singapore was worth every second. It was an experience I’ll treasure forever. If you ever get the chance to see CNBlue live, don’t hesitate. You need to see them live at least once in your life, I promise you, it's going to be worth it.
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