Last week, K-Pop icons TWICE brought their <THIS IS FOR> World Tour to Los Angeles, filling up the Kia Forum for a series of four stand-out shows. Having previously performed the Kia Forum in 2019 for their TWICELIGHTS World Tour in 2019 and holding following tours at nearby stadiums, TWICE has had a track record of providing their LA fans a unique, innovative experience with every visit.
This time around, TWICE’s tour featured a 360-degree stage occupying the venue floor. At the Kia Forum, this looked like a large square-shaped base in the middle of the arena floor, with two large catwalks extending to the north and south corners of the venue, and a large rectangular platform at the end of each catwalk. This allowed fans (known as “ONCE”) to feel close to the action, no matter where in the venue they were seated.
As ONCE trickled into their seats on January 22, they were greeted by a large rectangular screen perched above the main stage. White letters that spelt out “TWICE THIS IS FOR” were displayed in front of a blue background. Roughly 30 minutes before the show started, a live feed of the audience arriving to their seats could be seen within the shapes of the letters. Admittedly, this caught me by surprise, but it was also a very fitting detail. Since this would be a show designed by TWICE for ONCE, it made perfect sense to highlight ONCE throughout the arena before the action kicked off. This was a night made just for us!
Shortly after 8PM, lightsticks all across the crowd began to flicker repeatedly while “Like OOH-AHH” blasted throughout the arena. Suddenly, the screens in the center of the stage were lowered, and a dramatic intro video featuring all the members stole ONCE’s attention. Once the video concluded, the screen began to rise to its original position, and all of the TWICE members emerged. As they opened up the show with “THIS IS FOR,” DAHYUN made her way to a stool on the edge of the stage, as she was unable to perform choreography with the rest of the members due to an ankle injury at a previous show.
During her opening ment, ONCE showed their support to DAHYUN by cheering (and most notably, barking) as she waved hello to the crowd. She went on to tell the crowd, “I’ll try to come back as soon as I can, and I’ll try to get better.”
Keeping the energy levels high in the sky for the beginning of the show, TWICE performed “Strategy,” which immediately prompted those who weren’t already standing to get up and dance! A brief, yet electrifying outro by TWICE’s live band followed the number, and the members quickly shuffled into different positions on stage. All of a sudden, several pillars of the stage rose up and down as the members performed “Make Me Go.” A troupe of male backup dancers dressed in black also made their first appearance of the night, showcasing striking choreography with TWICE.
The members then walked together to one of the catwalks on stage, walking side by side in two rows and eventually forming a single file line. DAHYUN rotated her stool to face the members, and delivered a powerful rendition of “SET ME FREE.” There was an effortless transition into a performance of “I CAN’T STOP ME,” which seemed to make the crowd’s excitement skyrocket.
As the members took a brief pause to introduce themselves, JIHYO couldn’t help but notice just how enthusiastic the crowd seemed during the first few songs. She commented, “It must be that a lot of people heard about our concert, or you guys studied beforehand. As soon as the screen came down, you guys were already taking pictures and saying hi to us!”
While I may have been guilty of watching a few fancams before the show, nothing could take the place of the experience of watching one of the biggest K-Pop groups of all time perform in front of me. Hearing your favorite songs live is a sacred experience for any music fan, and TWICE managed to deliver an additional touch of magic with each performance throughout the night. Since its release, “MOONLIGHT SUNRISE” has been one of my most listened-to TWICE songs. I was thrilled to see the members create a moody atmosphere with a rendition of “MOONLIGHT SUNRISE” that started out with a slower tempo, only to progress to its normal pace during the chorus. Being able to watch an artist perform creatively reimagined versions of their hits creates a special memory, and one you certainly look back upon once the show has concluded and you’re back to streaming the music.
Speaking of hits, the entire evening felt like a giant highlight reel, with hit song after hit song being performed. Tracks such as “The Feels,” “What Is Love?,” “Fancy,” and “CRY FOR ME” can be considered staples in a K-Pop fan’s musical palette, and performances of these songs led the entire venue to jump up and down and sing along passionately. Many ONCEs also performed the choreography at their seats, with friends and other concert goers enthusiastically filming them to share on social media.
Being a group with such an extensive catalogue, TWICE also dedicated a portion of the show for solo and unit performances. TZUYU kicked off this segment with her solo track “DIVE IN,” joined by backup dancers and surrounded by perpendicular bars that resembled monkey bars from a playground. JEONGYEON led the crowd to swing from side to side and even square dance with “FIX A DRINK,” all while wearing a stylish pink cowgirl outfit. The arena also erupted with screams when JEONGYEON, JIHYO and CHAEYOUNG returned to the stage to perform “TAKEDOWN,” the iconic song from Netflix’s Kpop Demon Hunters.
Prior to TWICE’s encore performances, the screens in the middle of the arena instructed the crowd to get up and dance. “THE MOST HYPED ONCE,” as mentioned by the screens, would be featured on camera. As various TWICE songs played through the speakers, ONCE all around the arena showed off their sweet dance moves and were even paired up for dance battles. The girls eventually returned to the stage to perform “FEEL SPECIAL,” sending off a night full of spectacular memories for both TWICE and ONCE.
TWICE’s <THIS IS FOR> World Tour is a celebration of all of the iconic music and moments shared between the group and ONCE since their debut in 2015. The U.S. leg of the tour runs through April, then makes its way to Japan and Europe.
Great article! I miss Twice already 😭