When days feel overwhelming,
When time moves too slow,
When life gets hard,
There is always The Rose and their healing music.
And this year, we gathered once more in Rosetopia,
Right before they bid us farewell.
Utopia
“Welcome to Paradise, open your eyes.” The Rose instantly set the stage for Black Roses’ journey into Utopia. On August 15, Manila’s MOA Arena became “Rosetopia,” where a veil of falling rose petal confetti kicked off an unforgettable, magical paradise for The Rose and Filipino Black Roses.
Lifeline
“The Rose can be your Lifeline.” True to their word, Sammy (Kim Woosung), Leo (Park Dojoon), Dylan (Lee Hajoon), and Jeff (Lee Taegyeom) energized the crowd with hit after hit, including ‘Lifeline,’ ‘You’re Beautiful,’ and ‘Red.’ Sammy kept the charm going, teasing the audience, “Always remember that you are beautiful and now you’re mine.”
Just say *Yes*
Building on an electric opening, The Rose harmonized through ‘Yes’ before moving into member introductions, where Sammy brought back his legendary “playboy” banter for Jeff. The band then performed their gems ‘Walking on Clouds’ and ‘Threshold,‘ from ROSE (2026) alongside ‘Nebula’ from WRLD (2025) and ‘Shift’ from Heal (2022). Sammy even jumped into the crowd, giving fans some truly unforgettable interactions.
Time
Hearing It’s hard to say goodbye from ‘Time’ cuts so much deeper now, given the band’s upcoming hiatus after the tour. Even so, the track felt like a comforting promise that we will reunite one day, “smiling like before.” Tears streamed down my face before I even realized it, but experiencing the track live brought everything full circle—the song I used to lean on for comfort had ultimately healed me, and I owe that to The Rose.
Throughout the night, the members paused between sets to share intimate, funny, and emotional ments with the crowd:
Sammy: We were supposed to have a full album out before the first leg of the tour but because I had a vocal surgery, we had to push the dates so the album is not out but you guys still came here with only two new songs. Thank you so much for believing and coming to the show and sharing your energies. The upcoming album is called ‘Rose.’
Dylan: It’s been a long time, I don’t remember when was the last time I’m Manila. (2 years ago). Wow, it’s been quite a long time. I really want to see you guys. Thank you for being with us here. Hope you guys enjoyed tonight. Thank you.
Jeff: Hello guys. Finally I give up. I always say that I’m not a ‘playboy’ stop talking like that. Okay, I’ll make it a pass. Okay, it’s playboy Jeff, nice to meet you.
Leo delivered a heartfelt speech in Tagalog to thank fans for 9 years:
Leo: Napakalaki biyaya para sa amin ang makagawa ng musika at maibahagi ito sa buong mundo. … Maraming salamat sa inyong pagmamahal at suporta sa nakaraang siyam na taon. Dahil sa inyo, narito kami ngayon. Ako at kami ay napakasaya at proud na masabi naming kami ang The Rose. Thank you so much!
Back To Me
Immediately following their ment, the band shifted the arena’s energy into high gear with their hit anthem, ‘Back To Me.’ The opening notes sent a surge through the crowd, prompting thousands of fans to jump, dance, and headbang in complete sync throughout the entire performance. Capitalizing on that explosive momentum, The Rose seamlessly segued into a powerhouse run of the new fan-favorite tracks, keeping the arena roaring with electrifying performances of ‘Chemical,’ ‘Alive,’ and ‘Control.‘
Cosmo
Ultimately, ‘Cosmo‘ stood out to me as the single most magical moment of the night. The track transformed the arena into a massive, pulsing dance floor with the members letting loose on stage as a cascade of confetti rained down on the crowd. In that surrounding euphoria, singing along felt like a transcendent reality. Perhaps, in that exact moment, maybe we are the center of this universe, just like what the lyrics of the song says.
Sorry
Even though fans knew the hiatus announcement was coming from their previous tour stops, hearing it spoken in person still hit hard. Addressing the crowd directly, Sammy reflected on their journey and what lies ahead:
“Over the time, we have been so focused on making the band be the band like a race horse where they only see forward. And we were just running and running and running and we kinda forgot to look around a little bit as we were running. And because we were running together for so long. That’s why we were able to be here and being at places and reaching our goals.
However, after these years it’s time for us to take a small break from each other and do other things that each wanted to do on our personal lives. Maybe it’s a solo album for Dylan, maybe an acting career for Jeff, maybe a solo album from DJ Dojoon and good things like that so we’re going to take some time to learn again, learn about ourselves and we will comeback together after we gathered what we learned.”
Following ‘Sorry,’ the emotional journey continued as they performed ‘She’s in the Rain,’ ‘Beauty and the Beast,‘ and ‘Sour.‘ It didn’t feel like a permanent goodbye—perhaps because the band had already healed what needed healing within us. Now, it’s our turn as fans to give them the same support and space as they pursue their individual dreams, which is likely why the moment felt less like pain and more like peace.
Wonder
As The Rose prepared to bid farewell to Manila, a wave of life surged through the room. I know it wasn’t just me, you could feel the shared energy of everyone in the arena as the band took us on a nostalgia-filled trip through their history. Hits like ‘Wonder’ and their new song ‘Blue Moon’ made the atmosphere feel almost cosmic. Maybe, this is a powerful reminder of why their music connects so deeply with so many people around the globe.
Showers of confetti rained down on the arena, carrying special handwritten notes from the members. While the tiny slips of paper may not have made their way into every fan’s hands, the heart behind every message resonated with everyone in the room:
Dojoon: “Let’s all be happy”
Hajoon: “이 길을 함께 걸어줘서 고마워요” (Thank you for walking this path together with us.)
Taegyeom: “더 로즈가 빛날 수 있는건 블랙로즈 덕분이야.” (The Rose can shine because of Black Rose)
Woosung: “Welcome Home Our Utopia”
‘Our Utopia’
The very song that hyped us up at the start—’Utopia’—became the farewell track we dreaded hearing. It signals that we are heading towards the end of the show. Yet, as the energy in the arena shifted, those final lines hit infinitely harder: “Welcome home, don’t you cry, just close your eyes. Feel the silence hold you… Let go, our utopia.” It was the same song, but it carried a completely different weight especially that the performance used Black Roses around the world as the stage’s backdrop. As we say goodbye ahead of their hiatus, I hope their music continues to find and heal others the way it healed me.
Until that day comes, I hold on to the hope that we will meet again—in a place where we can all smile together once more, just as we did under the lights of Rosetopia, our Utopia.
The Rose, We Rose You.
