By Jacqueline Ayala, Editor
The moment I learned that going to concerts was a possibility, I started taking any chance I could to attend as many as I could. Singing, dancing, and watching your favorite artist live is an experience I wish everyone is able to have. And no matter how close or how far I am from the stage, it will always be an unforgettable memory for me. If I had the funds for it, I would be seeing an artist live almost every month – that’s how much I love concerts.
My first concert of 2026 has now been marked by the K-Pop girl group, TWICE. As one of the top girl groups in the K-Pop music scene, you may know them from their featured song in K-Pop Demon Hunters, “TAKEDOWN.” And, if you are a bigger fan of this widespread music genre, then you know TWICE’s name has been brought up as one of the most well-known and influential girl groups in the industry.
TWICE has started up their 6th World Tour, “THIS IS FOR,” named after their album of the same name. Overall, the tour has a total of 78 concert dates, starting in Incheon, South Korea, on July 19, 2025, and set to end on June 4, 2026, in London, U.K. At the time of writing, it has already become TWICE’s highest-grossing concert tour of their career. The tour date I attended was their performance on February 27, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia, at State Farm Arena.
For those who aren’t in the K-Pop circle, why is TWICE so popular? Well, for one: they actually put effort into the choreography, unlike another popular K-Pop group… Their music also focuses on confidence; they’re high-energy, and they showcase all of their talents. The nine members show their love for ONCEs (TWICE’s name for their fans), not just through their songs, but also through their charisma and stage presence.
While the group has nine members, only eight are performing for the majority of the tour; Dahyun has dropped out of the tour due to a broken ankle she mistook for just a sprain. ONCEs were upset at not having the chance to see all members perform together, but the group honors Dahyun by playing her lines as opposed to having someone else sing – a common theme for the group whenever a member has to miss a show.
I started the concert with nosebleed tickets. Actually, a week before, I assumed I wouldn’t get a chance to see TWICE at all. It wasn’t until two days before the concert that my best friend managed to get two tickets for $100 each. The two of us were happy to see TWICE, no matter how far away they were. My own text message to her said “inside the venue is inside the venue” – that was all we cared about.
Only thirty minutes before the show was supposed to start, did we leave our seats in order to buy some water. Singing at the top of your lungs puts a lot of strain on your voice, after all. But we passed a worker as we did so, one holding several tickets we weren’t sure what for. He told my friend and I, “You girls look like you want some floor tickets.”
Sketchy, right? But when you are inside the venue and see a worker in uniform, you’re bound to trust him. If it failed, we simply would go back to our original seats. So we did take those tickets, running around trying to find the general admission line and wasting time doing so before the concert started. And, lo and behold, the tickets we were given were not fakes – we were on the floor, right in front of the stage where my favorite girl group would be performing.
TWICE’s setlist consisted mostly of their well-known songs like “THIS IS FOR,” “I Can’t Stop Me,” “Strategy,” and “TAKEDOWN.” But, they also had songs which weren’t just title tracks from their albums – this list includes songs like “Hell in Heaven” from their EYES WIDE OPEN album and “Gone” from BETWEEN 1&2. Each of the nine members also had the opportunity to sing their solo songs from their recent album TEN: The Story Goes On in one of the concert acts, showcasing each of their individual personalities and styles. And, if there is one thing about TWICE you need to know, it’s this: when they perform, they will put in their all.
As the TWICE members do not speak much English, a translator was present so they could interact with the audience. Still, they were waving and smiling, trying to notice as many fans as they could. This was benefited by the design of the stage, a 360-degree center with walkways on all sides in order for them to walk around, allowing them to get closer to the audience. This made it so that all the fans got to get an up-close view of the members, even from the nosebleeds, and created a more interactive experience.
The connection between TWICE and ONCEs only got better when Jihyo, the leader of the group, worked to hype up the audience by having us scream “This is for TWICE!” whenever she asked, “This is for what?” – This call and response happened throughout the entire concert, as she was feeding off the energy of the crowd. Her stage presence especially showed in her facial expressions and energy, proving just how much she loves her job and her fans.
The concert had a total of four acts and an encore, lasting about two hours. They opened the show with their song “THIS IS FOR” from the album of the same name, performing songs like “Strategy” (this song may sound familiar as it also was in K-POP Demon Hunters!) and “Moonlight Sunrise”. The first act featured more of their newer songs, the oldest ones being from their 2020 album EYES WIDE OPEN.
Act three featured their solo songs as mentioned before, all from TEN: The Story Goes On except one: member Chaeyoung actually sang her song “SHOOT(Firecracker)” from her own solo album LIL FANTASY vol.1. In all honesty, I’m not sure why she was the only one to have a different song outside of it being the most recent solo debut out of the members, which is giving them a chance to promote the album.
Act four featured older songs from when they were just starting out. My own personal favorite, “YES or YES?” was the highlight of this act for me, as there was a time in my sophomore year that I quoted the beginning way too much. This act was more nostalgic for ONCEs as we got to see how much the members have grown since releasing these songs.
When we thought the concert was over and I was about to leave, my friend stopped me and said, “There is going to be an encore! Wait.” Lo and behold, she was right! TWICE came back after a jumbotron-dance off for the audience to do, performing two more songs for us. One of which was “FEEL SPECIAL,” and ONCEs freaked out at hearing this since the song was missed from other tour dates due to being replaced by “TAKEDOWN.”
“FEEL SPECIAL” is an important song for ONCEs – it was written by the group’s CEO, J.Y. Park, who interviewed each member on their emotions about the group. Each of the member’s verses are based on their real feelings. ONCEs were upset when it got taken off the setlist, but luckily, it has made its comeback in the encore.
The second song of the encore and the final song of the concert were up to the audience’s choosing. I wanted them to perform “Doughnut” or “TT” to be performed, but everyone else seemed to want “Talk That Talk,” so that is the song they sang. Regardless, this is a beautiful song that I did enjoy, and now, my screams in the video I took will forever remain embedded in my memory. Admittedly, I teared up at the end of the concert as I realized one of my favorite moments had come to an end.
This concert was the perfect beginning to my 2026 year. A week before, I thought I would not even get a chance to go, let alone get floor tickets. Not only was the concert full of energy and love, but it brought me back to my K-POP fan days in high school, with photocards of my favorite members and posters all over my wall. To see a group that has helped me in confidence and to see it with my best friend opened my eyes to how much I enjoy music as fun as TWICE’s. Not only that, but to be given the chance to get noticed by one of my favorite members on the floor and get to see TWICE in a way I never thought I could was a dream come true.
Concerts have gotten expensive. It’s why my friend and I did not get tickets until two days before, when a reseller had lowered the price exponentially. And concerts have always been a luxury, I will admit. But when there is a chance to see your favorite artist, and you have the ability to go, why not take it up? And hey, there just might be some free upgrades in your future!
