TWICE in Europe So Far: Lisbon and Barcelona Set a New Bar for the THIS IS FOR Tour

Two cities down, nine to go. From the Portugal debut to a Spanish midweek that should not have hit as hard as it did, here is what the first week of the European leg actually delivered.

The European leg of the THIS IS FOR World Tour is officially underway, and after one week, it is fair to say TWICE have shifted the entire tour into a new gear. Two shows in. Two cities. Two sold-out arenas. Both delivered new setlist additions, surprise B-side moments, and the kind of crowd response that suggests Europe has been waiting on this run for far longer than the 11 dates can fit. Here is what happened, what to expect, and what every ONCE heading to Paris, Turin, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, or London should know before doors open.

Lisbon: the night the European leg began

On Saturday 9 May at 8 PM, TWICE walked onto the 360° stage at MEO Arena in Lisbon and detonated almost a decade of waiting in roughly two and a half hours. It was the group's first ever Portugal show, the official kickoff of the European leg, and by every measurable signal coming off Portuguese ONCE Twitter at midnight that night, an unqualified peak experience.

The opener hit hard. "THIS IS FOR" into "Strategy" into "MAKE ME GO" into "SET ME FREE" into "I CAN'T STOP ME" built the first act around the current era hits, with the "Strategy" Step 1, Step 2 chant landing exactly as Portuguese ONCE had clearly rehearsed for months. Then the first real Europe-leg setlist reveal: "OPTIONS" returned to the rotation after sitting out the entire North American run, and "MOONLIGHT SUNRISE" followed to close Act I.

Act II is where the Europe-leg setlist really showed its hand. "Gone", the *Eyes Wide Open* B-side ONCE have quietly been requesting on every tour cycle since 2020, was slotted in between "The Feels" and "CRY FOR ME". Mina took the opening, Jihyo took the bridge, the entire arena went quiet for the first time all night. If you have ever wanted to know what 20,000 Portuguese ONCE sounds like holding their breath, the answer is: very loud silence.

Then "CRY FOR ME" with the reworked instrumental that has become this tour's most reviewed moment. Then "HELL IN HEAVEN", then "RIGHT HAND GIRL", and into the Act III solo run.

Act IV closed the legacy run with "FANCY" into "What is Love?" into "YES or YES" into "Dance the Night Away" into "ONE SPARK", and then the second Lisbon-specific reveal: the TWICE Dance Challenge encore. New for the European leg, replacing what had been a more traditional second encore on previous tour stops. The members ran through a quick choreography medley pulled from their last decade of title tracks, with audience-mirror-style fan participation. Bookmark this as a moment that will absolutely make TikTok rounds.

Barcelona: the Tuesday night that became a Saturday

If Lisbon felt like a celebration of a debut, Barcelona felt like a city making up for lost time. Palau Sant Jordi is one of the most acoustically loved arenas in Europe, and Spanish ONCE have been waiting longer than most for a proper TWICE return. Tuesday night, midweek, the kind of timing that usually softens a crowd. None of that happened.

The setlist held the Lisbon spine: "OPTIONS" in Act I, "Gone" in Act II, "Run Away" opening the Tzuyu solo run, "Shoot (Firecracker)" for Chaeyoung's solo, "TAKEDOWN" closing Act III. The European setlist iteration is now officially the European setlist iteration. ONCE heading to Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam or London can build their prep playlist around it.

But then Barcelona did something Lisbon did not. After "ONE SPARK" closed the main set, the encore opened on "Feel Special", which had been removed from the main set following the Hong Kong shows but reinstated as a Europe encore option. Then the genuine curveball: "Alcohol-Free". The summer 2021 single, the Tropical House moment that ONCE call the most underrated TT-era era track, the song that has been quietly missing from setlists for nearly two full tour cycles. Cue Spanish ONCE losing the plot. Cue the TikTok timeline for the next 48 hours.

"Two shows in. Two encore surprises. Nine cities to go."

What both nights had in common: the lightstick is the production

This is the single most important takeaway for anyone with a ticket to a remaining show. The 360° in-the-round stage is built around the assumption that the Candy Bong sea is part of the visual production, not a decoration on top of it. Members rotate through every quadrant during ballads. Cameras pick up lightstick patterns from the upper tiers. Lighting designers cue cube transitions off the audience colour state in real time.

Lisbon ONCE understood this instinctively. The arena was lit from edge to edge from the opening bars of "THIS IS FOR". Barcelona, slightly smaller but more vertical thanks to Palau Sant Jordi's seating bowl, looked even more saturated. Both arenas reportedly had members shouting variations of "we can see you" during the Act II ballads, which is the kind of thing that only happens when the lightstick view from the stage is genuinely overwhelming.

If you are heading to Paris, Turin, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam or London and you do not yet have a Candy Bong, the question is no longer whether to bring one. It is whether you want to be the only person in your section without one.

What is locked in for the rest of the Europe leg

Based on Lisbon and Barcelona, the European spine is now stable. Act I: THIS IS FOR / Strategy / MAKE ME GO / SET ME FREE / I CAN'T STOP ME / OPTIONS / MOONLIGHT SUNRISE. Act II: MARS / I GOT YOU / The Feels / Gone / CRY FOR ME / HELL IN HEAVEN / RIGHT HAND GIRL. Act III: Solo run (Run Away, Stone Cold, Meeeeee, Fix A Drink, Chess, Shoot, ATM, Decaffeinated, Move Like That) into TAKEDOWN. Act IV: FANCY / What is Love? / YES or YES / Dance the Night Away / ONE SPARK.

The encore is where each city now gets its own moment. Lisbon got the Dance Challenge. Barcelona got Feel Special + Alcohol-Free. Paris, Turin, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam and London will each likely get their own rotating B-side reveal. Bring everything for every show.

One last thing before you go

Almost exactly a decade ago, TWICE debuted with "Like OOH-AHH" and a concept that nobody had any real precedent for. Last weekend they played their first ever Portugal show. Three days later they were in Spain pulling Tropical House deep cuts out for an encore. By 4 June they will have closed an 11-show European leg with two nights at The O2. The tour finale.

If you are reading this with a ticket in hand for any city between now and then, here is the short version: bring the Candy Bong, learn the European setlist, memorise the member call, and trust the moment. Lisbon and Barcelona did not hold back. Neither should you.

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