Twice knows how to put on a show.
In February, I attended the Philadelphia stop on Twice’s This is For World Tour. Twice is a nine-member K-pop girl group that has been active since 2015 and is one of the best-selling and most popular of the genre. I’ve been a fan of theirs since the ninth grade, and this was my second time seeing the group in concert.
One of my favorite quirks about K-pop concerts is how common it is for attendees to hand out little goodies before the show. I collected a mock ticket, a key chain and an absolutely delightful photocard of member Nayeon photoshopped in front of a Wawa. I was somewhat disappointed by the merchandise available, though. I’m not really that interested in buying a $50 t-shirt that doesn’t even have a good design.
The Xfinity Mobile Arena was packed and the crowd was energetic, even though the members scolded us for not knowing all the lyrics to their viral “Right Hand Girl.” I’ve seen one or two smaller K-pop concerts in Pennsylvania before, but big K-pop acts like Twice usually skip over Philadelphia in favor of New York or Atlanta. I hope the positive welcome the group received will lead them and other groups to make Philly a regular stop on their future tours.
It was a 360-degree stage, with the members and their backup dancers performing different songs on different sides of the stadium.
Members Mina and Dahyun were absent, which I only learned after the show started. Although I was sad not to see them, my “bias” Jihyo (K-pop fandom terminology meaning “favorite member”), who is Twice’s leader, brought as much energy as ever. The most parasocial I’ve ever felt was hearing her say, “Hi, Philly!”
I didn’t know the setlist or choreography beforehand, so it was a great surprise when Jihyo performed her solo song on the stage closest to me and spent some of my favorite songs, including “What is Love,” dancing on my side of the arena also.
The setlist began with some of Twice’s recent hits, including “This is For,” “Set Me Free” and “Strategy.” The members shone as they performed some of their more mature and sultry concepts. Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Chaeyoung performed “Takedown” from “K-pop Demon Hunters”–they recorded the song for the official movie soundtrack.
The members whose individual performances also had sultry concepts impressed me the most, including Jihyo’s “ATM,” Nayeon’s “Me,” and Momo’s “Move Like That.”
However, in the second half of the show, it was also great to hear Twice’s more nostalgic, bubblegum sound. This is the second time I’ve heard them perform “Fancy” live, and Jihyo’s high note at the end of the bridge never fails to make my soul ascend.
Finally, Twice ended the night with a real throwback: for the encore, the members performed the “Twice Song,” a humorous song that was first performed on a variety show in 2017 as an introduction to the members and their defining characteristics. It was a blast seeing it live almost nine years later.
I’m so glad that I’ve now gotten to see my favorite group twice (pun intended). Here’s to many more successful tours to come!