TWICE: THIS IS FOR-THE FINAL US STOP

Review by Jasmine Nguyen Edited by Christian Hernandez

TWICE has already cemented themselves as one of the top groups in K-Pop, debuting almost 11 years ago and have stayed on the rise together. Their music is upbeat, catchy, and their performances are history making. 

I grew up listening to K-Pop during the second generation. I lost interest until I heard the song “Alcohol Free” during the peak of Covid, which brought me back to the love I had. The 9 members all have such distinct quirks and personalities, albeit on the softer side. However, when they get up on stage, they are truly the definition of performers. 

The energy the ONCE’s had even before the performance began was infectious, everyone buzzing with excitement, the lightsticks lighting up Austin’s Moody Center. The 360 degree stage allowed for a perfect view of the entire show and the entire crowd, shaping up to be an exciting closing to the end of the US leg of the tour. 

Still riding the high from the Dallas show back in January, I knew this show was going to be a spectacle, even with 2 of the 9 members being out for these last two nights. That meant the seven remaining members were going to need to turn it up even more in their absence. Rest assured, that was no issue for them.

As the giant THIS IS FOR screen came down like it was time for a WWE Steel Cage match, ONCE roared with cheers and barking. The show opened with “Four”, which was met with the fans up on their feet, barely holding on their excitement as the rest of the large screens were lowered. An intro video played as the girls got into position. You could see fans trying to peak through the screen to get a glimpse before the big reveal. 

At the concert, there was no shortage of light sticks, each fan clutching to their own and swinging it back and forth as the lights began to sync with the lights of the show. The live band set the mood, building anticipation before the girls were revealed. The beat of the drums soon was taken over by the sounds of guitar riffs, which only grew the fans wilder.

Act 1 opened with their latest title track “This is For”. The act starts off with powerful songs, setting the energy for the entire concert. Songs like “Strategy”, “SET ME FREE” and ‘OPTIONS” kept ONCE on their feet, cheerfully singing along. As ACT 1 winded down, “MOONLIGHT SUNRISE” closed it out, met with beautiful and dazzling stars on the screens.

ACT 2 opened with “MARS” and “I GOT YOU”. You could see just how much effort the girls had put into their performances, each one getting better and better during their 11 year career thus far. The live band was incredible, being a part of every step of this tour and this performance. The energy they brought was matched by the energy of the girls. We even got “Gone”, a surprise song for many, as this was a departure from their pop and more into rock. ACT 2 closed with “RIGHT HAND GIRL”, a fan favorite, and set the stage for ONCE’s most anticipated part of the tour: the solos. 

ACT 3 is the solo part of the show, where each girl gets to showcase what they bring to TWICE. We got Tzuyu’s “Run Away”, Mina’s “STONE COLD”, Nayeon’s “MEEEEEE”, Jeongyeon’s “FIX A DRINK”, where she donned a beautiful cowgirl attire, Jihyo’s “ATM”, Sana’s “DECAFFEINATED”,  and Momo’s “MOVE LIKE THAT”. ACT 3 closed with TWICE’s version of “TAKEDOWN”, the popular song from K-Pop Demon Hunters.

With solos out of the way, we quickly were underway to Act IV, with songs like “FANCY” (Editor note from Christian: My favorite song by them!), and “YES or YES”. We were already nearing the end of the show, which was a shock. The concert is so well paced you don’t realize how quickly it’s flying by. Even when the dancers had their performances in between ACT 1 and 2, they helped the concert still not feel rushed. The last act was met with a lot of interactions between TWICE and the fans. Moody Center was a bit smaller, and the 360 degree stage made the interactions and the performance feel much more intimate. The last act really allows the girls to show off their own personalities and connect with the fans, with the girls waving, asking for props from the crowd, even splashing the fans with water (with the fan’s request of course”.

The encore songs we got that night were “Feel Special”, “SIGNAL” and “TWICE Song”, all met with cheers and love from ONCE. It was the perfect night and the perfect beginning of the US sendoff for TWICE. We already can’t wait to see them again!