Following four massive sold-out arena shows back in May. TWICE brought their READY TO BE: PART 3 tour back to Melbourne! Performing at Marvel Stadium on Saturday 4th November, they made history as the first-ever K-pop stadium concert and the first-ever female group to headline a stadium in Australia.
As ONCEs eagerly awaited the start of the concert, a gorgeous ‘READY TO BE’ VCR of the girls played in a loop, showcasing their breathtaking visuals. So many fans arrived wearing the cutest Twice-inspired outfits, with some even going all out by dressing up in hilarious costumes such as a donut, soju bottle, and the iconic encore roulette wheel. The stadium gradually began to fill up, with an impressive total of over 26,500 people at the end of the night.
The atmosphere was filled with excitement and liveliness. At 7 pm, a sudden countdown commenced, and loud cheers erupted across the stadium. Fans, like a wave, stood up row by row, holding up their cameras in anticipation of TWICE’s appearance. It was visually appealing to see everyone stand up in sync. The girls opened up their show with an explosive performance of ‘SET ME FREE’ and ‘I CAN’T STOP ME’.
DAHYUN explained the meaning of their tour name ‘Ready To Be’ during the introduction ment. Ready To Be meant that the girls are ready to show us who they are just as they are. She said that as time went by since debut, they got comfortable being themselves thanks to Once’s increased warmth and love. Just two weeks prior to tonight’s concert, TWICE celebrated their 8th anniversary. Watching the girls perform on a massive stage and realizing how far they have come and grown throughout the years makes me feel like a proud parent. They continued their set with ‘GO HARD’, ‘MOONLIGHT SUNRISE’, and ‘BRAVE’. Go Hard visuals were chefs’ kiss, their silhouette against the vibrant backdrop during the chorus made the crowd go wild.
My favorite part of K-pop concerts is the solo stages, where idols are able to showcase their own individual talents and personal style. Of course, with TWICE having 9 incredibly talented members, we were blessed with 9 solo stages.
DAHYUN performed ‘TRY’ by Colbie Caillat on a beautiful white grand piano and wore the most stunning overflowing blue dress. Overheard a lot of Onces say she reminded them of Elsa from Frozen, especially when she started her solo off with the intro to ‘Let It Go’. Dahyun’s voice was so soft and angelic, truly an angel sent from heaven.
TZUYU, SANA, and MINA surprised Onces with their unexpected mature charm, leaving us in awe. They performed covers of popular pop songs: ‘DONE FOR ME’, ‘NEW RULES’, and ‘7 RINGS’. The choreography was visually stunning, and their voices suited their respective song choices well, creating a glamorous and sexy concept.
MOMO showed us how versatile of a dancer she is by giving us a heated dance cover of Beyonce’s ‘MOVE’, incorporating pole dancing into her performance. The crowd went crazy as Momo danced flawlessly with so much energy and demonstrated her core strength on the pole. It was a jaw-dropping performance to watch live in person, Dancing Machine is 110% her rightful nickname.
With a quick outfit change, the girls returned as a group plus a live band to perform some of their most well-known tracks including ‘FEEL SPECIAL’, ‘CRY FOR ME’, ‘FANCY’ and ‘THE FEELS’. We got to witness Jihyo’s Feel Special acapella which gave me goosebumps, she really woke up that day and ate a CD for breakfast. Cry For Me stage was one of my personal favorites, the camera work for the big screen was absolutely flawless showcasing how in sync TWICE was with their choreography.
CHAEYOUNG performed her first self-composed song ‘MY GUITAR’. The stage was minimal with only a mic stand, a chair with a rabbit plush, and a guitar, all of which were decorated to encapsulate her unique style. The lyrics along with her voice were soft and very comforting to listen to.
The vibes turned 180 when JIHYO and NAYEON came out next to perform their solo tracks ‘KILLIN’ ME GOOD’ and ‘POP!’. Jihyo mentioned that she was actually in the middle of preparing her album when she was last here in May and finally, she was able to come back and show us ‘Killin’ Me Good’. The wait was well worth it, her stage presence during her solo was unmatched. We were also fortunate enough to see Nayeon performing in her iconic Louis Vuitton towel outfit that she wore in her music video. Nayeon’s stage was so bubbly and fun with one of many confetti canons going off and raining down on fans.
A different song was also performed by JEONGYEON this time. She wore a uniform, school bag, and geeky glasses as she sang Justin Timblerlake’s ‘CAN’T STOP THE FEELING’. She had a little dance break which Sana asked her to repeat later on during a ment, as a result, the other girls were forced to do it as well which made everyone in the stadium laugh.
The second half of the night was definitely where I started to lose my voice as well as many others around me. The girls wore the cutest pastel-colored summery outfits ready to sing a medley of their biggest hits ‘YES OR YES’, ‘WHAT IS LOVE?’, ‘CHEER UP’, ‘LIKEY’, ‘KNOCK KNOCK’, ‘SCIENTIST’, and ‘HEART SHAKER’. The live band that accompanied them really gave the songs a new life. It was endearing to hear the whole stadium belt out all the well-known English lyrics within each song. Seeing the sea of lightsticks illuminating the stadium was magical, especially being in an open-roof stadium with a moonlit sky above.
A K-pop concert wouldn’t be complete without an encore. For TWICE’s big finish, they brought out a roulette wheel that would decide which songs they’d perform to wrap up the night. It was undoubtedly Doughnut that was a crowd favorite, however tonight we landed on ‘SINGAL’ and ‘PERFECT WORLD’. The girls partied hard one last time as they jumped around and interacted with everyone close to the stage. The night ended with a spectacular fireworks display to cap off one of the most memorable events.
Written by: May Lam
Photo credit: Ian Laidlaw
- Excited
- Fascinated
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
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