This is All For Twice

On February 18, TWICE kicked off the first of their three New York City area shows at UBS Arena in Long Island. It was a Wednesday night concert that began after 8PM, and it ended close to 11pm. The crowds energy was honestly a bit off that night, likely due to the mid-week, not so early-night festivities, but as I walked out and made a mad dash with a friend to get the train from Long Island back into the city, it felt like we had just been witness to a major moment of festive reckoning: This tour is truly for Twice and nobody else.

For the past year, since the release of their 10th anniversary This is For album, and kicked off the tour, TWICE has been in their prime as individuals, which feels like was on-display throughout the night. TWICE as a group had some of their biggest hits in their early days, and have never stopped getting chart-toppers, but in 2026 it feels like it's not so much about TWICE as it is the members of TWICE. 2025 was a breakout year for them in the U.S., where they had hits thanks to their particpaton in the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack with the original song "Takedown" and the inclusion of "Strategy" with Megan Thee Stallion. They performed at Lollapaplooza and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The last of which witnessed Tzuyu influencing a generation about the power of a good push up bra.

As TWICE, the girl group's nine members has a brand sensibility about them that is fairly summarized as "pretty and charming". Many of their biggest hits are some of the most classic K-pop songs. But TWICE is nine women performing together and the This is For era feels like it's the first time we're truly seeing the members perform on their own terms and their general idea for TWICE sure seems to be "hot girls having fun because they're so confident in themselves".

This is a feeling I've had about TWICE all of last year and this year so far, watching their content from afar, but seeing it up close it became more apparent than ever that the members of TWICE are doing what they're doing because they know they're good at it. I would never say that "This is For" is my favorite TWICE song or album, but when the opening bars kicked off the show at half-past eight, a thrill went down my spine as a woman: I am one of those ladies they're singing to. And had the sense that maybe they're those ladies too, and they're not just here to hype up the crowd but actually themselves.

Because so much about being a woman in many societies is struggling with constant questioning of oneself, and alternating with cheering yourself and your friends on because if you don't know one will. It is the simple truth that society makes it so hard to be a woman engaging in the world in many ways, and this is doubly true for stars in the spotlight, especially in the music industry.

"This is for all my ladies who don't get hyped enough (hey, ladies)
If you've been done wrong, then this your song, so turn it up

(Turn it up for me, uh, uh)I wanna go where the baddest girls are from (uh, uh)
Might be another planet
Maybe, that's where Mother Nature made me (whoa)
Something about that water tastes like fun (yeah, yeah)
My girls make it rain confetti, sweet on your tongue"

For about three hours, it felt like TWICE had broken out of the bonds of their girlish early days, learning as they've gone, to become performers' who can fill up not only a single stage but an entire arena: they performed in the round, turning around to face different audiences throughout each song, but also had lengthy extended stages that brought them close to all sections of the venue. It was clear that whoever designed the stage clearly had in mind bringing TWICE and ONCE together, but also to gave the members ample room to show off and play around, whatever fit their mood. Throughout the night, I'd look to one area of the stage and either see a member charismatically posing or teasing fans, just seeming like they were having a good time.

And that, in itself, was more than a little bit of hard work that night: a few of the members' seemed a bit out of it, either due to exhaustion amid the tour or who knows what goes on in the life of stars of stage, and the crowd was a bit lethargic, to the point that at least one member expressed sorrow about too many fans sitting down. We couldn't even get a wave right during "One Spark", sadly, although a lot of hilarity ensued prior to it when the crowd wouldn't stop practicing the wave before the song began.

It was honestly a kind of funny dynamic, but a bit sad to see the members' clearly trying to thrive at their job when the crowd was a bit calmer than expected for some dance numbers. (That said, a friend made me realize after I posted on Threads how many people prefer or need to st during shows, and I want to clarify that I think that's totally fine, I just think the members' calling out a lack of excitement from the crowd was a bit disheartening for them and changed the vibe.)

That said, there's nothing better than seeing a crowd of women who have grown up into the spotlight thrive in it. They also were backed by an amazing crew of dancers and a live band that knew exactly what it was doing; it simply felt like, regardless of the environment, everything was for Twice to shine they way they want to.

It was the sense of fun during each group performance that made it clear watching that this was really a sense of exactly TWICE wants to be in their careers, but it was also the ease: during "The Feels", I noticed that Jeongyeon and Jihyo were just casually chatting before their turn to perform came up.

There was no anxiety that they had to be On 100%; there was no concern that anyone would question their professionalism if they just took a moment to chat, then perfectly hit their marks, then looked like they went back to gossiping with a dancer.

This may seem like a nothing aside that I caught, but I was honestly overcome with emotion. This is what it looks like when people are both recognized and recognize themselves, and it was a feeling I felt throughout the entire night. I left the show in awe of the comfort and confidence on display. I hope what I perceived is true, and I hope everyone feels it at least sometime.