TWICE fulfills mission with live debut of 'Takedown' from 'K-Pop Demon Hunters': Lollapalooza review

It’s a takedown. That message was clear as TWICE dominated the Bud Light Stage Saturday night, making history as the first time a K-pop girl group headlined the festival.

TWICE’s Lollapalooza appearance — and their first large festival performance — followed male stars like BTS’ J-Hope, Tomorrow X Together and Stray Kids who had previously been given the gig as the festival continues to tap into the global music phenomenon.

The girl group’s historic moment came at an opportune time in 2025 as K-pop has been dominating the summer with Blackpink, Stray Kids and ATEEZ stopping through town (and Xdinary Heroes, Wave to Earth and BoyNextDoor filling out the Lolla lineup) but also as part of TWICE’s 10th anniversary.

More importantly, TWICE’s performance added to the unstoppable girl power that’s been dominating the festival weekend as breakout sets from Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Clairo and Doechii — and Sabrina Carpenter closing out the festival Sunday night — have been grabbing everyone’s attention. TWICE doubled down on the sentiment in tracks like “Queen of Hearts,” an ode for the women "who rule the world" and the title track of their new album, “This Is For” that rallies up all the ladies “who don’t get hyped enough.”

The nine members — Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu — fulfilled that mission, however, as the talented squad brought seamless R&B harmonies and skilled choreography that could rival a top-level Vegas show. The Lolla appearance was part of the group’s recently launched sixth world tour and, so far, remains the only American date. The ensemble paid homage to that fact with a backdrop that mirrored a New York subway train and standard American apparel that included white tank tops and cutoff denim shorts with chaps; there also were a few moments of line dancing to drive it home.

The ONCE fandom was ready for it all, brandishing illuminated light sticks, singing along to every word and screaming for joy when they found friends in the crowd they could share the moment with. That’s truly what a TWICE show and its overall ethos is all about. As the group recently said, the “for” in their latest album title, released in July, was really “for” the fans, and when they performed the title track and album standout “Right Hand Girl,” it felt authentically true.

The set also included fan favorites like “Talk That Talk,” “Moonlight Sunrise,” “Strategy” and a live debut of “Takedown,” the “K-Pop Demon Hunters” song from three members: Jeongyeon, Jihyo and Chaeyoung. Adding to the spectacle was a dazzling drone show that displayed the message “The honmoon is sealed,” a nod to the main characters’ mission in “K-Pop Demon Hunters.” Just like their anime counterparts, TWICE was victorious in their Lollapalooza debut.

In the background at Lolla were a dozen additional dancers, a talented live band who got their time to shine during an instrumental interlude of “Stuck In My Head” and a series of firework flares. All of it added to the magnitude of the night that lived up to their "Four" lyrics: "Once you see us you'll madly love us — TWICE.”

TWICE Lollapalooza 2025 set list

The Feels

More & More

What Is Love?

Talk That Talk

Alcohol-Free

I Got You

Icon

I Can't Stop Me

Cry For Me

Right Hand Girl

Takedown

Fancy

Queen Of Hearts

Moonlight Sunrise

One Spark

Strategy

This Is For

Feel Special