Returning to Los Angeles as part of their Ready to Be world tour, TWICE performed a sold out show at the SoFi Stadium on June 10th. Despite the gloomy weather, fans, known as ONCE, showed up by the thousands, donning TWICE inspired outfits and ready to dance the night away.
Upon entering the venue, the visages of the nine members could be seen on the large screens by the stage, showing a pre-show clip to build up the excitement. A little past the 7:30pm start time, the lights went down as the volume went up, with the music blaring through the speakers matching the volume of the fans’ screams. A VCR followed, showing off the nine members being unveiled and posing in front of a variety of LED lights, and shortly after a brief countdown on screen, the girls themselves were standing on stage, ready to dive straight into their first song of the night, “Set Me Free.” Surprising fans from the get-go, the group performed their latest title track in English, building a special connection with their overseas fans. Keeping up the momentum, the group’s next song was “I Can’t Stop Me,” before they took a brief break to introduce themselves. The cheers echoed through the stadium as the group did their signature “One in a million! Hi, we’re TWICE” greeting, and their outfits consisting of dark clothing with silver sparkles and embellishments helped them shine like stars in the night sky. The members introduced themselves individually, introduced the first two songs, and shared the meaning of the tour’s name before moving on to the next stages. “Ready to Be means we are ready to show you we are who we are, just as we are. As time went by, we became more comfortable and natural being who we are as TWICE. ONCE made us super confident, so we are ready to be happy with you.”
While the first two songs were powerful and energetic, the next few songs added an aura of sultriness to the mix. The lights became a combination of red and purple hues for “Go Hard,” “More and More,” and their first official English language single, “Moonlight Sunrise.” With a large stage setup that included an extended stage and runway on the extended stage, the nine members made sure to arrange their choreography and formations to spread out as much as possible, greeting as many ONCE closely as they could. Following a performance of their song “Brave,” five of the nine members quickly went backstage to change into special outfits for their upcoming solo stages. Remaining members, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and Chaeyoung entertained fans in the meantime, showing off their individual dances, and closing out their talking segment with a unit performance of Stray Kids‘ “S-Class.”
Kicking off a wide range of performance types and song genres, the first TWICE member to take the stage solo was Dahyun. Starting off by playing a quick piano snippet of “Let It Go” from the Frozen movie franchise, the member most known for her humor showed off a different side as the song transitioned into Colbie Caillat’s “Try.” She later described her stage as expressing her heart and an important message to ONCE. Originally scouted for her dancing, Tzuyu’s flawless execution of her choreography to Charlie Puth’s “Done For Me” was no surprise, but her stable vocals throughout her stage also showed her incredible growth as an artist. Continuing on the path of showing off their different sides, Sana performed a sensual cover of Dua Lipa’s “New Rules,” showing off her versatility aside from her well known cuteness. Momo unsurprisingly blew everyone away with a dance solo to Beyoncé’s “Move,” finishing off her stage with a pole dancing performance that was equal parts fluid and smooth, yet strong and powerful. Closing out the first section of solo stages was Mina, who easily had the biggest show of a reverse charm. Known as the elegant, sophisticated ballerina of the group, Mina showed off her sexiness with her cover of Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings,” twerking and body rolling with stable vocals to match.
Coming back out as a full group, the group moved forward with the show with a live band, amplifying the experience for concertgoers. TWICE blew through songs “Feel Special,” featuring a beautiful acapella bridge sung by Jihyo, “Cry For Me,” “Fancy,” and “The Feels,” before it was time for the second set of solo stages. Starting off this second set, rapper Chaeyoung performed an acoustic self-written song titled “My Guitar,” which expresses the emotions she felt upon buying her first guitar. Yet another original song was up next, with Jihyo performing “Nightmare,” a song with a darker rock vibe. Jihyo also revealed that the song would be part of her upcoming solo album, which is officially dropping this August. Completing changing up the atmosphere, Jeongyeon was next, with a fun, bright cover of Lizzo’s “Juice.” Mid-song, the vocalist also gifted fans with a short performance of Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” from the Netflix series Wednesday, with Jeongyeon playing the melody on a recorder and her dancers doing the iconic dance. Much to her surprise, however, not all ONCEs were familiar with the song, leaving her feeling a little shy and embarrassed. The last of the solo stages was Nayeon, who performed her solo album’s title track, “Pop!” With colorful confetti and a special dance break, the stage was the perfect ending to TWICE’s parade of individual talents and colors.
With one final VCR video that carried the message of shining the brightest by being yourself, TWICE came back on stage with denim outfits on for the last leg of the show. The group performed a title track medley consisting of some of their biggest hits — “Yes or Yes,” “What is Love?,” “Cheer Up,” “Likey,” “Knock Knock,” “Scientist,” and “Heart Shaker” — before diving right into the last trio of songs, which ended in “Talk That Talk.” Not wanting the night to end so early, an audience dance cam led into the group’s actual final return to stage, to perform “When We Were Kids,” “Crazy Stupid Love,” and a select few songs off the group’s signature Encore Roulette Wheel. Starting the tour off meaningfully, ONCE surprised the members of TWICE with a special video and banner project, expressing their gratitude towards the group for being themselves — a fitting message to kick off the Ready to Be tour. Because of the audience’s high energy and enthusiasm, the group performed three songs off of their Encore Roulette Wheel rather than the usual two, and the night came to a close.
With many more cities to visit on their U.S. tour, TWICE is sure to bring more special moments and memories to each stop for their ONCE. Everything about the show was simple proof of why the nine members make up one of the biggest girl groups around, with their stable and strong vocals, difficult choreography, versatility, and confidence all on full display. Thank you to TWICE and team for allowing Officially Kmusic to attend the show!
Written & Edited By Ephney Tsai
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