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K-pop group Twice: 5 things to know about the Forum show

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The K-pop stars Twice opened its show at the Forum on Tuesday with “The Feels,” the bouncy, bubbly song that’s the group’s first original English-language single.

A bold move, maybe, opening the first show of the United States’ leg of their III Tour with a song that’s one of their most accessible tracks for American audiences.

But then they closed their main set with the Benny Benassi remix arrangement of “The Feels” – that’s right, Twice played it twice – to bring it all full circle.

South Korean K-pop group Twice poses for a photo after an interview in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. The group opened its United States tour with the first of two shows at the Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, but did not allow photographers to shoot that performance. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The K-pop girl group Twice attend the 30th High1 Seoul Music Awards on January 31, 2021 in Seoul, South Korea. The group kicked off its 2022 U.S. tour with the first of two shows at the Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 15, but did not allow photographers to shoot that performance. (Photo by The Sports Seoul via Getty Images)

K-pop girl group Twice attend the 29th Seoul Music Awards at Gocheok Sky Dome on January 30, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. The group kicked off its 2022 U.S. tour with the first of two shows at the Forum on Feb. 15, 2022, but did not allow photographers to shoot that performance. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

K-pop girl group Twice performs on stage during the 8th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards on January 23, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. The group opened its United States tour with the first of two shows at the Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, but did not allow photographers to shoot that performance. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

K-pop girl group Twice performs on stage during the 8th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards on January 23, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. The group opened its United States tour with the first of two shows at the Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, but did not allow photographers to shoot that performance. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

K-pop girl group Twice performs on stage during the 8th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards on January 23, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. The group opened its United States tour with the first of two shows at the Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, but did not allow photographers to shoot that performance. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

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Twice, which made its U.S. debut at the Forum in 2019, returns to the venue for a second show on Wednesday, and if they have any energy left for their concert in Oakland on Friday, it’ll be a small miracle.

For at the Forum on Tuesday, the all-female group, which includes a whopping nine members, played 31 songs over three hours in a show that left a couple of its members seemingly exhausted by the finish.

Twice, like the U.S. girl group Fifth Harmony, and the British boy band One Direction, was formed on a TV singing competition series.

We’ll assume your familiarity with modern K-pop includes BTS, the boy band that’s one of the biggest acts in the world right now.

Twice isn’t that big, but their most recent album, “Formula Of Love: O+T=<3” reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and has sold more than any of the group’s previous five albums.

Here, to introduce you to perhaps the Next Big Thing in K-pop, are five things to know about their Forum show on Tuesday.

1. Twice as many: As “The Feels” shifted into “Feel Special” and then “Up No More,” the fact that there are so many singers on stage starts to feel normal, and roles and personalities start to emerge.

One group, including Twice leader Jihyo, Jeongyeon, Nayeon and Sana serve as the primary vocalists. Dahyun and Chaeyoung are the main rappers. Momo, Mina, and Tzuyu pick up the toughest dance moves.

It’s an impressive thing to see on stage. When they formed a straight line and stood to sing “Moonlight” into microphones on stands, swaying in place, just picture seeing the Supremes times three and you’ve got it.

2. Talk talk talk: Yes, the show ran three hours, but as much of a third of that was made up of moments scattered throughout the show, where Twice formed a straight line on stage and talked to the audience.

This is a common part of a show in K-pop, as anyone who caught BTS at SoFi Stadium for its four shows last year, well knows.

They welcomed the crowd and thanked them for coming during the first such break. Later, Dahyun led a cheering competition between different sections of the arena.

The Twice fandom is known collectively as Once, which occasionally led to group members thanking them by saying, “Once, were you happy to see us?” or “We love you, once!”

Before the encore, most of Twice spoke with the audience, delivering some of their most heartfelt words of the night.

And, of course, the crowd cheers wildly for each, and a little bit louder for their favorites.

3. Infectiously fun: Where BTS can be serious and emotional, the joy of a Twice show is just how much fun the songs and performances are.

“The Feels” is a terrific earworm of a song, but only one of many. Other highlights on Tuesday included “Icon,” with a great rap break from Chaeyoung, “Scientist,” with its disco-pop grooves, and both “What Is Love?” and “Knock Knock,” which are equal parts bubblegum and dance pop.

Occasionally they slowed the pace for a gentler, sweeter number. “Rewind” delivered a slow romantic groove, while “Dance The Night Away” and “Alcohol-Free” both had Latin dance influences in the music.

4. Putting on a show: Visually, the night featured all that you’d expect from a K-pop spectacle.

Twice changed costumes as often as you’d expect, from the red-and-black plaid of their opening section to black-and-white Western-inspired outfits, then pastel satins, and for the encore, casual wear of Twice sweats and T-shirts with denim.

The production included plenty of pyro, blasts of metallic streamers and rainbow confetti, and loveliest of all, white confetti that fell and accumulated like snow on the remote stage in the middle of the floor.

5. Jeongyeon’s return: The world of K-pop and the culture of “idols” in South Korea, Japan and other Asian pop culture can be brutally stressful.

In Twice, that led to Mina take months off in 2019 due to extreme anxiety, and more recently, Jeongyeon stepping aside for much of the last year and a half for anxiety and panic disorders.

She hadn’t performed at the end of December when Twice launched the III Tour with two shows in Seoul, and the Forum was her return to live shows, something she addressed in an emotional moment before the encore.

“It’s been a long time since I participated in a concert,” she told the audience, speaking through a translator. “I was actually really nervous and really worried prior to the concert. But on stage, you can hear the music really loud. Once I heard the music, I really wanted to be here.”

The audience responded with huge cheers, as her bandmates all hugged her and she wiped tears from her eyes.

K-pop fans let their heroes know they are loved.

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