TWICE Lights Up the Nation’s Capital for Valentine’s Weekend

All photos: JYP Entertainment // ALYSSA PIAZZA

It took many years, but TWICE finally graced the nation’s capital with their presence. The city was recovering from a deep freeze a few weeks earlier during the polar vortex, though a distinct chill still hung in the air. Despite the winter air, the cheery nature of ONCE warmed up the atmosphere as fans funneled into Capital One arena, clad in beautiful bright outfits and full of excitement for the upcoming concert.

This was my first experience with a 360-performance stage, and as I walked into the arena I felt quite a bit of curiosity about how the performances would pan out when getting a first look at the stage setup. The concept is new to K-Pop shows, and it was quickly obvious that this experience would be very different from previous shows. Center stage is the main focus with a large moving holographic screen on all four sides, and it would drop down for transitions during the show, as well as the opening introduction of the girls to the stage. It was a very interesting experience, as the girls would change the main stage focus with each song. One would be facing the right side of the audience, the second facing the left side, followed by movement to the front stage and then back stage. This does give them the opportunity to interact more with the audience on a bigger scale compared to the usual front and back stage setup used in previous shows. 

It was announced the day before the show that member Dahyun would not be performing due to an injury, which was quite a shame, but ONCE were still super hyped for the show as the big screen made the descent to center stage, showcasing the start of the show. The remaining eight members of TWICE came out swinging immediately with their latest hit “THIS IS FOR,” hyping up the crowd to ten for the show. The energy was followed with “Strategy,” “MAKE ME GO,” “SET ME FREE,” “I CAN’T STOP ME,” “OPTIONS,” and “MOONLIGHT SUNRISE” to round out the first act.

I found it very interesting that for the first intermission for their outfit change, instead of simply playing a VCR like usual, there was an entire dance number performed by the backup dancers across the entire stage. I thought it was a great way for the dancers to showcase their talent while keeping the audience entertained. TWICE came back onto the stage in new gorgeous outfits to perform “MARS,” “I GOT YOU” and “The Feels.” The girls would take time to run from one extended stage to another to greet fans on each side of the stage, and I have to say that for most of the show Jihyo really stood out in her engagement with the audience and overall enthusiasm for performing each number. You could feel the energy radiating off of her and could tell she really loves performing.

Next came “CRY FOR ME,” “HELL IN HEAVEN” and “RIGHT HAND GIRL” before the next intermission, and this time the audience was treated to a jam session from the live band that accompanied the performance with the girls. The guitar player went pretty crazy to entertain the crowd, which was a fun shake-up from the usual formula. 

Now we got to the point of solo stages, all of which were shortened slightly. Tzuyu came out first to perform her solo “DIVE IN,” followed by Mina’s “STONE COLD,” Nayeon’s “MEEEEEE,” Jeongyeon’s “FIX A DRINK,” Chaeyoung’s “SHOOT (FIRECRACKER),” Jihyo’s “ATM,” Sana’s “DECAFFINATED,” and Momo’s “MOVE LIKE THAT.” The crowd erupted with the final song of this act, “TAKEDOWN” performed by Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung.

The final act of the show was a treat for those of us that have been fans of TWICE for many years, kicking off with “FANCY” to the absolute roars of the crowd. Other fan favorites followed, including “What is Love?,” “YES or YES,” “Dance the Night Away” and “ONE SPARK.” There was a lot less choreography towards the end of the show, with the girls of TWICE focusing more on audience engagement with their performances. No K-Pop show is complete without an encore, and to the delight of everyone in the venue, the two tracks performed as an encore were “Feel Special” and “Alcohol-Free.”

As someone who has followed TWICE since their debut in 2015, it was such a pleasure to have the chance to see them perform in my hometown city after all this time. It was so much fun to be able to enjoy their performances on the 360-stage and check off a bucket list item since they debuted. Thank you again to Live Nation and JYP Entertainment for inviting The Kraze to cover the show.