Cheers and sing-alongs: TWICE rocks PH Arena stage
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 1) – Even technical issues cannot stop members of K-pop group TWICE from giving their all-out performance during the first night of their “Ready To Be” concert at the Philippine Arena on Saturday.
As the K-pop group performed “Feel Special,” fans, known as Once, were unable to hear Jihyo’s voice. Some of the members' vocals can't also be heard while they were signing “Queen of Hearts.”
Despite audio problems, cheers and energy filled the Philippine Arena in Bulacan since TWICE opened the stage with their songs “Set Me Free,” “Can’t Stop Me” and “Go Hard.”
“We notice that you were singing along together,” Nayeon said in Korean.
“I saw that our Once sang a lot even the Korean parts,” Jihyo said in Korean.
TWICE members also showcased their talents during their solo performances.
Dahyun serenaded the crowd while playing the piano, while Momo left the audience in awe as she covered Beyoncé‘s “MOVE” and showed her pole dancing skills.
Jeongyeon's performance gave off good vibes as she covered Justin Timberlake's “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” while pop songs continued to reign as Sana, Mina and Tsuyu covered Dua Lipa’s “New Rules,” Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” and Charlie Puth’s “Done For Me,” respectively.
Meanwhile, Jihyo performed her recently released music “Killin’ Me Good” while Nayeon gave a twist on her song “Pop” with a dance break.
Through the influence of Filipino Once, Jihyo and Nayeon shouted “shot puno” to hype the crowd before their performance of “Alcohol Free.”
Chaeyong, however, was unable to perform due to health issues.
READ: TWICE's Chaeyoung skips PH concert due to health issues
A live band accompanied the K-pop group during the medley of “Likey Likey,” “Yes or Yes” and “Scientist,” among others. As the two-hour concert was about to end, TWICE once again sang the songs that were affected by technical issues during the earlier parts of the concert
The K-pop group also congratulated a couple who got engaged during the concert.
“That really shows that they wanted to give Once the show that they deserve,” Januar Junior Aguja, a fan since 2020, told CNN Philippines.
“They want us to hear them sing. Their mics were on. They made sure of that,” he added.
Capping off Day 1 of their Philippines concert, TWICE exhibited their vocals by singing “When We Were Kids,” “Crazy Stupid Love” and “Hot.”
TWICE's influence vs pandemic
Aguja, who came from Cebu, said he started to get emotional as the concert ended because it reminded him of how TWICE meant to him, especially “during the first months of the [COVID-19] pandemic.”
“I guess it's because of their songs that are just so happy,” he said.
“There is that maturity that they have with their music but there is that positivity, that bubbliness that resonates with me as a Once, as pop culture fan,” Aguja added as he described TWICE's songs through the years.
Emmel Berro said she also became a fan during the pandemic.
“Her (Jihyo) vocals were really good. Grabe, sobrang [it really gave me] shivers,” Berro said as she shared her experience in the concert.
She added that TWICE influenced her to learn Korean and Japanese languages.
TWICE last performed in the Philippines in 2019 for their "Twicelights" tour. They debuted in 2015 under JYP Entertainment.
