After the near-week-long winter storm, TWICE, the third-generation South Korean girl group known for its cheerful, energetic music, delivered two shows in the American Airlines Center Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. “THIS IS FOR” is the sixth world tour from the girl group, focused on the fans with a 360-degree stage at the same distance from each side of the arena, bringing the show to everyone, no matter where they sat.
The snowstorm that terrorized the week of the concert had fans contemplating if there would be a cancellation and lining up in gigantic coats to wait for the big event. Regardless, the TWICE fanbase — also known as ONCE — queued to purchase merchandise and signs showcasing their favorite members, despite freezing red fingers. The winter freeze wouldn’t stop Oscar Mosto, a mechanical engineering senior and major fan of TWICE, from attending these activities and the concert.
“The only way I wasn’t going was if they had cancelled the concert entirely,” Mosto said. “They’re my favorite group, and I’ve been waiting a long time for them to come back to Dallas, no way I would miss it.”
The only way I wasn’t going was if they had cancelled the concert entirely. They’re my favorite group, and I’ve been waiting a long time for them to come back to Dallas, no way I would miss it.
— Oscar Mosto, TWICE fan
As a VIP ticket holder, the concert experience is slightly different from a typical attendee’s. The holder gets early venue access, gifts, the ability to purchase merchandise exclusively and access to soundcheck. Mosto said that although the perks drew him in, the intimate nature of it all was what he truly enjoyed.
“Soundcheck was great, there’s less people, so it feels more exclusive and close up,” Mosto said. “It also feels a bit more personal since they’re not following any choreography and just having fun.”
Outside the venue in front of the South Entrance, a massive crowd gathered to participate in something called an “RDP,” hosted by GenK Entertainment. An RDP is known as a random dance play, where a snippet of a song will play — then, if one knows the dance, they will go up into the middle of the crowd to perform the choreography. This brought out dancers of all ages to warm up their bodies not only to TWICE songs, but to artists across the K-pop spectrum. Paige Carruthers, a ONCE who participated in the RDP, could only feel anticipation.
“I waited since early October, since I signed up for the presale,” Carruthers said. “The weather was brutal, but I was not going to change my plans because I have been waiting to see TWICE since their last tour.”
I waited since early October, since I signed up for the presale. The weather was brutal, but I was not going to change my plans because I have been waiting to see TWICE since their last tour.
— Paige Carruthers, TWICE fan
After the pre-concert activities concluded, including the VIP activities inside, general ticket holders were let in. After waiting one to two hours in the cold, walking down to one’s seat felt like the greatest blessing. Quiet music filled the arena as concertgoers adjusted their special TWICE light sticks and practiced their dances while touching up their looks.
All of a sudden, the music became loud and ONCE lit up in cheers as TWICE appeared on stage. Despite two of the members, Dahyun and Jihyo, sitting due to injuries and illness, the energy never waned when they kicked off the show with the title track for the tour, “THIS IS FOR,” in beautiful blue and white outfits. “THIS IS FOR” lead into their song “Strategy,” which had the arena bumping with electricity and yelling “my strategy” over and over.
The girls started their way down to the right side of the stage as the band started a snazzy beat for “Moonlight, Sunrise,” with this showcasing that there truly was no bad seat during the concert. The beat change calmed my body down while simultaneously vibrating my brain with its familiar melody. The band’s energy flowed throughout the venue as they matched TWICE’s energy equally.
One perk of TWICE being a more mature group age-wise is the members being able to showcase their individual talents in solo songs. From Dahyun bringing out classical piano during “Chess” to Jeongyeon’s country song, “FIX A DRINK,” each member shone in her own way. Fans in the venue across different ages and genders cheered through various songs, sharing their communal love for the band.
The concert wound down with an encore stage of “Feel Special,” which notoriously was taken off in the first U.S. stop of this tour but was brought back for some stops. The infamous fan chant listing their names and slogan was heard across downtown, with Dallas getting a second surprise encore of their originally Japanese song “Doughnut.” “Doughnut,” which has been known to be rarely played outside of Japan, was decided on after the crowd having a back and forth with the members. TWICE did ballet moves across the stage as they interacted with fans for the final song of the night and then bowed goodbye with all their dancers.
TWICE brought much needed warmth to the hearts of those in Dallas for a weekend of fun and excitement. They have been praised repeatedly by fans for their performance skills and vocals, which were showcased excellently for their last U.S. stop before a break to Korea.
“They have such a great discography that anyone can enjoy, and each tour they have is a very different concept and set up,” Carruthers said. “They are the top group I’d recommend people to see live if they have the chance.”