I had the pleasure of attending TWICE’s concert at TD Garden on Friday April 3rd. I had seen the group perform at MetLife Stadium in the summer of 2023 and it was truly one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. I knew I had to see them on tour again and I was so grateful they were finally coming to Boston.
I started off the day by picking up my roommate and her sister in Providence before heading off to Boston. We parked at Tufts University and used their T station to enter Boston. Our quest began as we entered the city on the Green line. We decided to stop at Quincy Market for lunch. Since it was a Friday during a holiday weekend, it was a bit crowded and many of the stalls had long lines. Our hunger led us to a Mexican food stall with no line, but pretty solid food. I got the tacos, which were decent, and my roommate and her sister split the burrito bowl. Overall, not the most amazing Mexican food I’ve ever had, but it got the job done. The highlight of Quincy Market was the pastries. We got two types of babkas and they were both insanely good.
After lunch we set out for the Isabella Stewart Gardener museum. The Green line was its usual self and had delays due to a train broken down further on the track, but have no fear, we arrived ready to explore the museum. Unfortunately, the museum sold out that day and we were not able to enter (stupid holiday weekend).
We quickly pivoted since the weather was nice and decided to walk along Boston Common, eventually heading down Newbury Street. The weather had really warmed up and the sun was shining. We popped into a few shops, but since we had to face the dreaded TD Garden bag policy later that night, we did not buy anything. We stopped at Blank Street for a matcha since my roommate wanted a blueberry matcha (she gives it a 6/10). The baristas were super nice and gave us free water since I was seconds away from dying of thirst.
We enjoyed the beautiful weather on our walk to the North End since we had lost faith in the Green Line. We had a scrumptious Italian feast with delicious pasta and a lot of the free bread. The vibes of the restaurant were immaculate since they had the windows open and the fresh air was blowing through. I drank a ton of water and we discussed Vampire Diaries lore.
After our feast, we made the final stretch of our journey to TD Garden. The doors opened at 6:30 and the show started at 8. The line was wrapped around the block, but the line moved quickly. We found our seats and took some pictures as our anticipation built. We discussed the state of Kpop with some other fans in our section (R.I.P. Mark and Heesung) and got some freebies, the best part of a Kpop concert in my opinion.
Kpop concerts do not have an opener so my girls came out right at 8:05 ready to put on a show. Unfortunately, Dahyun and Chaeyoung were unable to perform due to injury and were not present at the show. The stage was huge, spanning the entire floor with a main stage in the center, and two smaller stages on the sides. The center stage featured platforms that raised and lowered. Additionally, the big screen above the center stage moved up and down, as well as the smaller screens underneath the central screen.
In addition to a huge stage, the production featured a live band and 20 other dancers, in addition to the seven members. Also in Kpop concert fashion, the etiquette of sitting during the concert held in our section. While other areas of the venue had people standing up, section 327 kept the tradition and was full of respectful fans. The concert also featured interactive chants, which is common in Kpop. Finally, the members each had a solo stage during which they performed their own song and dance with the backup dancers. This was great since it illustrated the differences in their personalities. The outfits for the solo stages were great and the changing locations made each section feel included since all the action was not restricted to the main stage.
By far my favorite section was their older songs. While new songs like This Is For and Mars are some of my favorites, something about hearing YES or YES into Dance The Night Away caused me to ascend into heaven. The members took their final break, leaving the audience with the dance battle section. This part is also unique to Kpop concerts as fans have the chance to dance along to the group’s songs and be featured on the big screen. The members came back out for the encore with Feel Special and finished the night off with TT.
Overall, the concert was amazing. Kpop concerts truly are a unique experience and I highly recommend attending one, even if you are not a fan. The lightsticks, chants, and freebies were all great to experience once again. The production was absolutely mindblowing. Each member had four different outfits during the 2 hour and 15 minute concert. Additionally, the lack of an opener is a plus for me since I usually don’t care about them at all and the anticipation for the actual headliner just makes me antsy. TWICE are an amazing group and I’m so happy to see them touring across America. Cities like Boston usually get skipped over by Kpop groups, and TWICE’s successful two nights at TD Garden will hopefully lead other groups to stop by the city and put on a great show!