Maya’s POV:
At the end of October I got an add on my instagram promoting the TWICE world tour. Since my birthday is in the start of November I begged my parents for tickets and got them as a birthday gift. I invited Lila, who also happened to be a K-pop fan, and when January 31st rolled around we coordinated outfits and got prepared to be amazed.
TWICE is a K-pop (Korean popular music) girl group comprised of nine girls: Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. They work under JYP Entertainment, their record label, and have been actively putting out music since 2015.
I have been a fan of TWICE since my middle school years. To be frank, I have been a K-pop fan for a really long time, but only recently have I felt comfortable telling people of the fact.
Since the release of the new movie “Kpop Demon Hunters,” in which TWICE has two songs, K-pop itself—but especially TWICE—has become a new fad for the western world, notably in younger generations. So when I found TWICE World Tour tickets on sale for the American Airlines Center in Dallas, I knew it would be my only chance to snag them, considering that the last time Twice had been to Texas was in 2023.
The concert was in a 360 immersive stage, and the venue was filled up to the nosebleeds. And although I thought that I wouldn’t understand anything being said on stage because I don’t speak Korean, there was a translator who facilitated the communication between the girls and the audience. The show was done in five acts. During this show in particular, Dahyun was seated in a stool on stage because of her fractured ankle, and Jiyho kept coming in and out of numbers because of cold/flu-like symptoms.
Before the concert even began, the line outside of the venue had the best vibes, and everyone was all so kind. People were trading bracelets, giving out goodie bags, asking one another to take pictures (which I gladly took part in), and giving each other an onslaught of compliments.
Set list for show set list album:
Some of my favorite performances included “MAKE ME GO,” “CRY FOR ME,” and Momo’s song “MOVE LIKE THAT.” This leads me to my next point—this tour included something I hadn’t seen before from K-pop artists: solo performances.
Act three of the concert was all of the members’ new songs in the group’s newest album (at the time of this article) “TEN: The Story Goes On,” except for Chaeyoung, who sang “SHOOT (Firecracker),” a song from her own album “LIL FANTASY vol.1.” The performances were all so well done and really different from one another, which allowed the audience to see a little into each of the girl’s personalities.
The loudest part of the concert was at the end of Act three, when the group sang “TAKEDOWN.” This song was a main feature of the “Kpop Demon Hunters” movie. A little aside: other than the Taylor Swift “Eras Tour,” I had never really seen so many children at concerts.
So when the group began performing “TAKEDOWN,” I finally understood why so many kids were there. The little girl seated behind me even woke up from her nap to sing her heart out during the song, but alas, she went back to napping when the song was over.
Even if the concert was long and the girls kept singing the whole time, their stamina never faltered and the energy from the crowd never dimmed. The breaks in between acts probably played a part in that. It was more fun being able to stand up, dance, and enjoy the music, than to sit down and enjoy a rock show or an interpretive dance.
But my favorite part of the concert had to be the game show segment. During the longer break in between the last act and the encore, a camera began panning on the audience to get them to participate in competitions. For example: during one of the games, they played a song and panned the camera around to see which audience members knew the choreography to the songs. Lila and I immediately sat down. I was so impressed with all the people who know how to dance, and I won’t speak for Lila, but if I went on that big screen, I would die of embarrassment.
I would recommend all avid concert goers to go to a K-pop concert at least once. The environment, fans and overall entertainment level is unlike any western artist. This concert was definitely one of the best I had ever gone to and I will admit I shed a few tears when I didn’t snag BTS tickets. Nonetheless, this show will definitely have a lasting impact on me and I would totally go to a K-pop concert again.
Lila’s POV:
Now I may be a fairly new K-pop listener (4ish years—doesn’t seem that short of a time frame, but these people run this thing like the military), I am nowhere near new to the concert experience. Usually, you buy a ticket, the doors open, you buy merch, you watch the opener, and eventually, the headliner comes out to play.
Then, I went to a TWICE concert.
We arrived at American Airlines Area around the time they started to open the gates. But sadly, we were at the very back of the line and had to wait outside for about 30 minutes. It was freezing outside (Maya even lost feeling in her toes), especially because we were not dressed for the weather, but there were still some benefits from waiting in line. The main one is all the freebies we got.
K-pop idols put selfie cards included in every album alongside exclusive fan benefits. So some people had cards alongside stickers, bracelets, and little trinkets (I got a tiny pink duck, and Maya got a cowboy hat). It was so fun to receive these from random people because we built a sense of community with other concertgoers. It was almost like the other fans were welcoming everyone, and instead of feeling overwhelmed by the crowd, I felt like I was joining a massive welcoming festival.
Walking into the arena, I was immediately immersed into a newfound understanding of just how different K-pop and Western concerts are. It was almost a cultural exchange.
The main difference between the two are the openers. At a Western concert, you usually have 30ish minutes of an opener, during which time you patiently wait for the main act to happen. At a K-pop show, there is no waiting. TWICE immediately dove into their title track (and name of the tour) “This is For,” quickly gaining the attention of all the fans in the building. It really made it feel like the artists were there to put on a performance for the fans for the next two hours.
At a Western concert, you might see a sea of iPhones filming each song. While you might see a few iPhones in the crowd, it’s more likely that a K-pop concert will be a coordinated light show, and such was the case with TWICE. Most K-pop groups create “lightsticks” (each group creates their own, which showcases their individual identity), which the fans then sync up with the venue and use throughout the performance. This allows the fans to have a more immersive experience by actually taking part of the concert. The lights are a symbol of the relationship between the group and their fans (which have names as well—for TWICE, the fans are called ONCE).
I also think that the production of the TWICE concert was on a different level. They performed different “acts,” each equipped with cool different marvels. For instance, some acts would have them on a platform rising into the sky, others had videos on massive screens, and some had figures on stage. The group also danced choreographed moves continuously throughout each song, alongside some very good backup dancers. Everyone on stage was very committed and looked like they were having fun.
Two of the members were even sick and stayed on stage the whole time, performing their parts without dancing. One member was sick, while the other had a broken foot, so both were placed on chairs on the stage. The member who was sick even came back and performed fully towards the end of the show.
The show also had a lot of versatility—some songs were sad ballads, while others were rock-inspired beats. There was also an act of the show where the singers came out one by one and sang songs they produced solo.
In between these acts, there would be something to entertain the audience. Since these were used primarily for the group to have time to change, I assumed that we would just be waiting for them to come back on stage with the ambience of music in the background. However, the concert had interpretive dancers, fire, and a live band during the breaks. There was never a dull moment in the concert.
When the main performance ended, the crowd cheered for an encore. During this time there were dance cams, capturing audience members dancing to the choreography of some of TWICE’s songs. Many fans prepare for games prior to the concert (sadly, neither Maya nor I knew any dances).
The band did end up coming back for an encore after about 10 minutes. They returned in quiet, cozy outfits, which made it feel like less of a concert and more of a gathering of friends. They also let the fans vote on which songs to play in the encore. There was some discourse about what song to play, since the fans were divided, but they eventually landed on “Doughnut.” I don’t know this song very well, but I enjoyed being able to participate in the vote for the song (even if mine didn’t get picked). This was the first time on the American leg of the tour that they ended the concert with a song in all Korean lyrics.
I think everyone should experience this at least once, because while Western music concerts are amazing, K-pop concerts feel like a relationship between the fans and the artists. It’s a spectacle that rivals sports events (seriously, those fans are dedicated) and also provides the community with things such as the handmade gifts from other fans. Everyone should experience the joy that comes with watching nine women come onto stage and perform with so much charisma that it transcends language.
