Running Man has done it again. Last Saturday, July 6, 2024, the cast of Running Man went back to the Philippines to give their Filipino runners another night full of fun, laughter, and entertainment. It was a dream come true for many, and a promise fulfilled for most. Filipino runners were full as one by one our bucket lists were filled by the members who never failed to make us laugh.
Back in 2020, their 10th anniversary concert/fan meeting was postponed due to the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. After three long years, Running Man had fulfilled their promise and visited Manila for Running Man: A Decade of Laughter. Now, a year later, they were back again. This time they were running back to the Filipino runners as the first leg of their “Run 2 U” fan meeting.
The cast of Running Man Philippines, Glaiza De Castro, Mikael Daza, Buboy Villar, Lexi Gonzales, Angel Guardian, Kokoy De Santos, and Miguel Tanfelix, opened the program with enthusiastic song and dance performances. They definitely hyped the fans with Glaiza singing “Tala” by Sarah G. and Lexi and Angel performing the most popular PPOP song of today, “Salamin, Salamin” by BINI.
A heartfelt reunion
The Philippine capital welcomed the cast of Running Man with overwhelming love and support as they got onstage for their opening song. Like BTS’s song “Spring Day”, Running Man members expressed how much they missed the Filipino Runners. One by one, the cast greeted their fans with Tagalog phrases they had worked so hard to learn. One could feel the love and effort each of them brought on stage.
Fourteen Years of Laughter
No matter where they were, Running Man members were simply entertaining. It was quite an effort to try to understand what they were saying as they were being their natural talkative selves as they played some games. Nonetheless, the chaos added to the fun. The language barrier didn’t matter much as both fans and cast worked together to play the games, especially the ones about K-Pop. In fact, Song Ji Hyo even taught Filipino fans a new Gen MZ slang 품 미첬다 which is a new phrase to call someone “incredible”.
Nostalgia and Surprise
Song Ji Hyo opened the solo stages with her rendition of Bibi’s “Bang Yang Gang”, channeling her inner cuteness. Meanwhile, our eldest brother Jee Seok Jin poured all his emotions into his version of John Legend’s “All of Me”. He may be a comedian, but his performance was a good reminder that he was also a recording artist. He is, after all, a member of MSG Wannabe. One of the highlights of the solo stages was Yang Se Chan’s impersonation of the iconic Freddie Mercury. It was both an unexpected and expected surprise from such a great comedian. HAHA turned up the heat singing his summer song “Ice Bottle.” As the “One Man”, Kim Jong Kook, stepped onto the stage and began performing his timeless song, emotions ran high among the audience. Closing up the solo stages was You Jae Seok who channeled his trot singer persona, You San Seul, singing his hit song “Redevelopment of Love.”
After the solo stages, the duo SGP from Quan Entertainment (headed by HAHA) surprised the fans with a special performance, followed by a collab stage with HAHA and Yang Se Chan. When they sang RGP’s famous “Dang Diggi Bang”, everyone was so amped and refreshed, perfect for such a hot day in Manila. Arguably, the highlight of the show was SPARTACE couple’s special stage. Ji Hyo and Jong Kook gave their Filipino fans a toothache with their sweetness as they sang “We Need to Talk” by The Jadu.
Of course, the fan meeting wouldn’t be complete without participation from their fans. Filipino fans recreated some of the most iconic and funniest looks of the members, surprising the cast with how well-made and accurate their cosplays were. They joined the cast for a game of Telepathy where You Jae Seok’s team won.
Finally, the cast ended the show with one of the longest and most fulfilling fan service ending stages ever. They started by singing their 9th-anniversary song “I Like It”, followed by the longer version of the 600 Shot’s (a Running Man sub-unit that debuted in episode 705) debut song “둘리세요” (Turn it Around). They also sang Day6’s “Time of Our Life” and no Running Man concert would be complete without Kim Jong Kook’s “Loveable” and HAHA’s “Busan Vacance”. The cast went around singing, dancing, taking selfies, and signing autographs for the fans.
Overwhelmed by the love and support of their Filipino fans, the Running Man members promised they would continue to run and work harder to bring laughter and joy to their fans. Filipino Runners couldn’t wait to see and run more races with them in the future. Just like our newly learned catchphrase, Running Man’s “Run 2 U” was 품 미첬다 (Super Crazy!) indeed.
Running Man “Run 2 U” in Manila was presented by PULP Live World.
