K-pop girl group Twice’s sell-out shows in Los Angeles shows how girl groups can hold successful world tours beyond Asia
- K-pop girl groups have faced an uphill battle when it comes to touring internationally, but Twice are showing how it’s done
- The group’s two recent sell-out shows at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles finished a tour that saw them perform to hundreds of thousands of fans
Twice’s recent two-night concert in the US proves that K-pop girl groups can hold a sell-out solo stadium show in America just like the boys.
On May 14 and 15, the nine-member team performed for over 20,000 fans each night at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles on the country’s west coast.
While all-male K-pop groups have in recent years become mainstays on the US touring circuit, girl groups and female soloists do not appear as frequently, if at all. Marketing, promoting, releases – all are (generally) harder to come by, even as K-pop becomes an integral part of the American zeitgeist.
K-pop girl groups have faced an uphill battle when it comes to touring internationally, with only a handful ever holding world tours, let alone any selling out major arenas or stadiums.
In the US, girl groups in general (K-pop or otherwise) have had a rough time. The last notable Stateside girl group was Fifth Harmony, active between 2012-2018, so acts from overseas – whether K-pop groups or others, like British hitmakers Little Mix – stand even less of a chance to stake their claim in the world’s biggest music industry.
In 2019, high-profile tours from the likes of Blackpink, Twice and Red Velvet seemed an indication that things were about to change, but the coronavirus pandemic put a halt to that. Now that in-person tours are making a return, groups including Brave Girls, (G)I-dle and Dreamcatcher have announced world tours that include dates in the US.
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Twice, who regularly sell out stadiums in Asia, are doing it bigger than anyone else, and showing others exactly how a girl group can resonate with US crowds.
Their two recent “Encore” concerts at the Banc of California Stadium wrapped up the tour.
The concerts showcased not just the band’s charismatic performances and their lengthy discography (they’ve released over 150 songs in Korean, Japanese and English since 2015), but why they tour successfully again and again, with their fans, known as Once, coming out to see them whenever they can. Twice make filling a stadium in the heart of America look easy, and other girl groups should take note.
Twice’s fans were there to cheer them on all throughout the three-act shows. Whether you wanted to be them or be with them (or both), it was an expression of themselves – soft and strong, bold and fun – from opening with English-language single The Feels to the firework-fuelled finale Dance the Night Away.
Throughout their performances, the nine women wore outfits that drew inspiration from schoolgirls and cowgirls, flirted with burlesque and summer beach, and went from looks for nights out to black tie. In doing so, they showed how they can be any and every girl and resonated with all of their fans as all the best divas do, both relatable and aspirational.
The setlist reflects how seven years into their career, they’ve evoked everything from girlish cuteness to impassioned sexiness to inspirational confidence, and they have found a way to be who they are in all their multitudes.
Their two nights in Los Angeles proved why girl groups are so special and why they are important to pop music fans around the world.
