I went to Twice’s New York stop of their fifth World Tour, “Ready To Be” this past Thursday, and I can confidently say that eight years into their career, this will go down as the best tour yet from the K-pop power group. While it was 90 degrees at Metlife stadium, me and my friend, Mickayla, lost our minds and sang our hearts out in the heat to the nine-member girl group’s biggest hits and fan favorites.
I have personally been a fan of Twice since 2019, so I didn’t want to spoil the concert for myself and I had no idea what to expect with their live performance. I tried my best to avoid concert videos on purpose and I’m glad I did. I feel like it brings more excitement when you walk into a concert not knowing what to expect. Since I was completely ignorant of the experience I was about to have, it caused me to be absolutely shocked throughout the night. If I wasn’t screaming my ass off, my jaw was on the floor.
Members Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu blew me away with their setlist. Their level of stage presence, execution of synced choreography, audience interaction, vocals, and overall energy throughout the entire concert was electric. While the songs the girls played as a group were exceptional, the most memorable moment of the show for me was the fact that each member got their own special solo performance. There were five solo stages in act one, (Dahyun, Sana, Momo, Mina) followed by four in act two. (Chaeyoung, Jihyo, Jeongyeon, Nayeon) The fans specifically went wild over Mina’s solo, as she covered “7 Rings” by Ariana Grande. Another hit was the dance routine done by Momo, the main dancer of Twice. Momo started her solo stage by giving the audience a superb hip-hop combo, followed by her taking off her football jersey and baseball cap to reveal a pole dancing section. I was full-on gagged by this and it was clear that the whole stadium was too.
There were also elements outside of Twice themselves that helped elevate the concert experience. Member, Sana, mentioned that this was the first time that the group has had a live band on tour with them. I must say, the live band was the best addition to Twice’s shows, and they really took the original composition of their songs to the next level. The band actually caused me to get emotional during the performance of “Feel Special.” (I also cried multiple times but whatever). Additionally, the lighting/graphic design was A1, as well as the backup dancers who created amazing visuals and formations with Twice on stage.
The night ended with the girls performing one of my favorites, “Talk That Talk.” As fireworks flew into the air amongst the lightstick-filled crowd, I completely absorbed the show I just saw. This concert provided even more proof that Twice isn’t considered one of the biggest groups to ever grace K-pop for nothing. They are here to stay (Because Dahyun said that they renewed their contract) In all seriousness, they have implemented themselves as K-pop royalty, and they will not be leaving their throne anytime soon.
Written by Jake Pranian
Photography by Jake Pranian