Oakland Arena (Oakland, CA)
06/13/23
On a vibrant evening at the Bay Area’s Oakland Arena, K-pop sensation TWICE graced the stage for the second of two sold-out nights in the arena for their “Ready to Be” world tour. The tour follows the release of their 12th mini-album of the same name, READY TO BE. With a discography filled with infectious hooks and catchy melodies, TWICE has amassed a massive international following, evident by them selling out arenas and stadiums this tour. For Oakland, the second night was added for the sheer demand the show had, so despite a 30-minute delay, the room never stopped buzzing with excitement as thousands of devoted fans, known as “ONCE,” eagerly awaited the arrival of the group. Once the lights dimmed and the intro music began, TWICE emerged at last, dressed in dazzling outfits, marking the start of a two-and-a-half hour period of euphoria.
Opening with the English version of “SET ME FREE,” the title track from READY TO BE, the entire arena was pulled onto its feet to dance and sing along with Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu, the nine members of the group. They immediately then launched into “I Can’t Stop Me” from their 2020 album Eyes Wide Open before pausing to introduce themselves to the crowd and welcome everyone to the show. Dahyun defined their album and tour name, “Ready To Be,” explaining, “We are ready to show you who we are, just as we are.” The rest of the show kicked off with the group shouting, “Ready to be…” and the crowd finished the sentence with “TWICE!” The passion and love for the group reverberated through the arena.
Showing a different side of them compared to their usual upbeat and bright concepts, they performed the Eyes Wide Open b-side, “Go Hard,” with heavier hitting beats and a sensual choreography with the members backlit by a red backdrop. The silhouettes of the members, divided on two levels by a raising platform on stage, executing the choreography in sync was extremely effective and had the crowd enraptured. The stage featured a vibrant LED backdrop that transitioned between a live feed of close-ups of each member and vivid animations and visuals. Combining the backdrop with the lighting design, confetti cannons, and the sea of lightsticks in the audience that were bluetooth synced to flash different colors on beat, the arena was completely immersed in the atmosphere of TWICE and ONCE. Throughout the concert, the TWICE members took turns interacting with the audience, expressing their gratitude and love for their fans.
In addition to the group stages, every member also performed a solo stage, allowing them to showcase their individual talents and distinct personalities. Dahyun was the first one to go and showcased a captivating piano performance that was begun with “Let It Go” from Frozen before switching to a cover Colbie Caillait’s “Try.” From Momo’s electrifying hip-hop and pole dance routine to Beyonce’s “MOVE,” to Jihyo’s powerful vocal performance of her song “Nightmare” from her upcoming solo album, these solo stages provided a glimpse into the diverse range of skills that each member brings to the group. As the only member of the group who has released solo music, Nayeon did her solo stage last, performing a shortened version of her hit “POP!” with no shortage of confetti.
TWICE, being one of the most active groups in the K-pop industry releasing two mini or full length albums nearly every year since their debut in 2015, has had many chart-topping hits. With only a finite amount of time during the concert, they condensed seven of their title tracks, “YES or YES,” “What Is Love?,” “CHEER UP,” “LIKEY,” “KNOCK KNOCK,” “SCIENTIST,” and “Heart Shaker,” into a medley that had the crowd singing and dancing along the entire time. For this tour, they also brought on a live band for the first time, bringing a fresh new vibe to their songs. After two hours of TWICE performing 26 different songs/medleys, including “Dance The Night Away” from their 2018 album Summer Nights, and “CRAZY STUPID LOVE” from the new mini-album towards the end, the focus of the show went to the audience, spotlighting dance battles between members of the audience. This went on until the group returned to the stage for a casual encore, spinning a wheel to decide which songs to perform. The final three songs of the night were “BLAME IT ON ME,” “SIGNAL,” and “Basics,” after which the members walked around the stage (which extended to the middle of the floor) to bid their final farewells to the crowd.
It was a night of pure joy, the mutual adoration between TWICE and ONCE clearly felt the entire night. TWICE’s “Ready To Be” tour continues in five more cities in the U.S. and their incredible performance is definitely not one to miss.
