Roadtrippin’ with KPop stars B1A4

Why did the KPop group B1A4 decide to have a stopover in the Philippines? It’s because during their fan meetings, Filipino fans who had come all the way to Korea to see them would keep on asking them to do a show here, according to member Gongchan a day before the concert.

And on Saturday, September 6, every member of BANA (the band's official fanclub) went on a wild ride at B1A4's “Road Trip to Manila” concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The giant LCD wall opened to reveal the boys, dressed in all white-suits and pumping up the audience with their debut single "O.K.", accompanied by the B1A4 Road Trip band.

The concert was part of B1A4's Road Trip Tour.

It’s in their blood

B1A4 took their name from the members' blood types. It may seem strange at first, but in Korea, personalities are believed to be based on blood types, just like other people believe them to be based on star signs.

The band name suggests that the four of the members have type A blood, which is often associated with hard work, perfectionism, and conservativeness, while only one has blood type B, which is associated with creativity and optimism.

However, after years of working together with his type A bandmates, type B Baro might be starting to turn into a blood type A kind of person.

From Manila to Seoul

After a series of upbeat songs, the band asked the audience,: “What is the capital of Korea?” In unison, the crowd replied “Seoul!” Now the band's "trip" went on a slow cruise to Seoul as the giant LCD displayed a fantastic view of its cityscape as the band performed ballads, unplugged versions of their songs and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Knocking on Heaven's Door.”

Traveling halfway, the boys picked up a passenger: Sandeul dialed the phone of someone in the audience, and a few moments later a BANA joined them onstage and they serenaded her with their song “Chu, Chu, Chu” coupled with lovely gestures such as holding her hand and playing with her hair—to the squealing delight of the other fans.

B1A4's singles are your usual run-of-the-mill KPop songs, but at the concert, almost all of them were re-arranged into a different style such as bossa nova, rock, and acoustic. The upbeat songs, such as “Beautiful Target” and “Baby Goodnight,” sent fans head-bobbing along with the drums.

Reaching the end of their journey, the boys gave the customary 90-degree bow to the audience as a sign of gratitude under a shower of white confetti. As the LCD wall closed behind them, they each said their goodbyes, trying to peep through the wall before it was shut completely.

But the concert didn't end there. A behind-the-scenes special showed an adorable clip of the boys trying to learn Tagalog using a phone app. A Korean staff member comes in and hands over a cake to birthday boy Baro, and those who are still inside the coliseum sang “Happy Birthday” in Korean along with the video.

The band is also known for their many strange nicknames, such as “paper-dols,” “sprout-dols,” and “countryside-dols.” The last one was given to them because the members hail from different parts of Korea, and so speak different dialects. In the video below, B1A4 members (left to right) Jinyoung, Sandeul, Gongchan, Baro, and CNU say "I love you" in their local dialects.



The trip was a pleasant ride, continuing B1A4's candid and light-hearted delights from the day they arrived here until the end of their concert. If they ever decide to go on an actual road trip in the Philippines, the group said they'd want to visit Boracay and maybe try some lechon baboy. — BM, GMA News