With several successful U.S. tours and encores already under their belt, it’s no surprise that TWICE put on a mesmerizing encore performance of their latest tour, READY TO BE. Appearing for the first time in Las Vegas, the nine performers took the stage at Allegiant Stadium, a venue with an impressive 65,000 person capacity. The stadium was filled with fans, known as ONCE, dressed in TWICE-inspired outfits and wielding lightsticks and portable chargers as they prepared to cheer and “dance the night away.”
The evening began with a special opening performance by JYP Entertainment’s newest girl group, VCHA. Like TWICE, the group was also formed on a company competition show, as they were selected through the show, A2K, just last year. The members, sans Kaylee who is on hiatus for health reasons, confidently performed their latest single, “Only One,” before pausing for a quick introduction. The young members were practically bursting with excitement, as they mentioned several family members and close friends were in attendance for the show. They also made sure to express their gratitude towards TWICE and ONCE for the opportunity to perform at such a large venue. Following their self introductions, the group continued on to perform “Y.O.Universe” from A2K and pre-debut single “Girls of the Year,” before they swiftly exited the stage.
Although their bubbly personalities and synchronized dance moves were undeniably refreshing to see, their lack of live vocals and slightly awkward stage presence were clear indicators of their rookie status. In some ways, their presence was even reminiscent of rookie TWICE, bringing in a hint of nostalgia. Regardless, VCHA’s short and sweet set served as a fun start to an evening full of impressive performances, alluding to the potential growth VCHA could have in the future as well.
After another 30 minutes, it was finally time for the main act to appear. The lights dimmed as the music’s volume increased, and soon, all that could be heard was the sounds of “SET ME FREE” over the speakers and ONCE’s screams echoing throughout the stadium. A VCR began to play, showing the members of the group seemingly being unveiled to the world and setting the tone for the show. As the music progressed, nine silhouettes appeared on stage, and TWICE kicked off their three-hour encore concert titled READY TO BE ONCE MORE.
The concert began with the English version of “SET ME FREE” as the members appeared in sultry lacy red outfits. While TWICE was known for their fresh and cute concepts, the group’s music has matured over time, and this particular set of stage outfits mixed with the sensual choreography for songs such as “GO HARD” truly emphasized their growth and evolution. While innocent and cute songs like “The Feels” were still sprinkled in throughout the setlist, this first part of the show, which also included tracks like “MOONLIGHT SUNRISE,” served as a great summary of what this tour represents — TWICE’s growth in maturity, and their shift from “shy, shy, shy” young girls to strong women who are ready to be themselves and be confident standing in front of the world.
Showing a different side of TWICE, this tour was also the first to feature solo stages rather than unit stages. Each member of the group had their moment to shine through various music and dance performances, showcasing the group’s range. The first solo of the evening was Dahyun, who is known for her quirky and funny personality. While she is officially one of the rappers of the group, Dahyun performed Colbie Cailat’s “Try,” showing off her serious, sentimental side through the gentle delivery of meaningful lyrics: “You don’t have to try so hard because you’re precious the way you are.” Next up was Tzuyu, who performed Charlie Puth’s “Done for Me.” As the youngest of the group, Tzuyu is known for her gentle innocence, exuding a quiet and cute charm. Her solo stage emphasized her sharp and precise dance moves, presenting a cooler side to the young performer.
Similarly, Sana has always been known for her cute charms, having first shot to viral fame with her famous “shy, shy, shy” line in their song “CHEER UP.” Switching things up, Sana performed a sultry choreography to Dua Lipa’s “New Rules.” Mina, known first as an elegant ballerina, also displayed her duality, performing a hypnotic and sensual performance to Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings.” Rapper Chaeyoung’s performance was also of the same vein, opting to show her other talents with an acoustic song written about the love she felt when she got her first guitar.
While the aforementioned solo stages were meant to emphasize each members multi-faceted charms, elder members Momo, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Nayeon chose to show off their well-known strong suits. Momo prepared a well-choreographed dance number to Beyoncé’s “Move,” while Jeongyeon performed a cute and energetic cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” which she performed at 110% effort for the last U.S. stop: “Knowing it’s the last stop, I kind of just went for it.” Jihyo and Nayeon are the only two members with solo albums released thus far, so naturally, the two performed their respective title songs. Jihyo blew the crowd away with “Killin’ Me Good,” showing off her girl crush charms, and Nayeon proved that the eldest could be cute, too, with a bubbly performance of her song “POP!”
Aside from the display of versatility and range with their solos, other stages were prepared with just as much thought and care. “Feel Special” was made even more beautiful with a live band that was brought out for the remainder of the concert and an acapella bridge sung flawlessly and powerfully by Jihyo. TWICE gave “FANCY” the rock remix treatment with a live band and performed the song on the extended stage bridge to get closer to the fans.
For the encore show, TWICE replaced a few songs from the original tour setlist with their newest tracks, “I GOT YOU” and “ONE SPARK.” Another special performance song was “Look At Me,” which was originally part of their Twicetagram album released in 2017, but was recently revived with a cute and trendy TikTok dance. The B-side track served as the first encore song of the evening, and was chosen by the group’s infamous Encore Roulette Wheel — a wheel meant to randomize the encore songs chosen that’s usually playfully manipulated and rigged by the TWICE members themselves.
Despite all of these performances that put the group’s strong live vocals and sharp dance moves on display, the highlight of the show was undoubtedly their title track medley. With so many hit songs, a concert featuring full performances of each one would easily turn the show into a four or five-hour one. And thus, the title track medley solves this by showcasing multiple snippets of some of their biggest hits. Comprised of the songs “YES or YES,” “What is Love,” “CHEER UP,” “Likey,” “Knock Knock,” “SCIENTIST,” and “Heart Shaker,” this arrangement highlighted the group’s playfulness and strong bond during both their enthusiastic performances and laughter between songs. While the theme of the show focuses on the group’s evolution into a confident and mature group, the medley was an homage to their past and roots, taking fans down memory lane to their earlier days.
Even as one of the biggest currently active K-pop girl groups around, TWICE continues to put their hearts into every performance. Carrying the mindset of a rookie group, the nine members remain humble and grateful on stage, and the only difference now that they’re nine years into their career is their confidence in themselves. As they continue to grow, they’ve made it clear that they’re ready to show the world all unique aspects of themselves as individuals and as a group, and this encore show gave ONCE another reason to continue following TWICE on their journey.
