Writers: Riya Choudhary (Delhi, India) and Aishwarya Ravichandran (Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India)

Editor: Pooja Vishwanathan (Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, India)

The Global icon, Stray Kids, an 8-member K-pop group under JYP Entertainment, dominated the hearts of American Stays with their sold-out concerts in Los Angeles. They ignited the stage with their highly anticipated world tour concert <dominATE>, held at iconic SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California, on 31st May. Due to excessive demand, they added another show for 1st June. The tour began in Seoul on 24 August 2024 and is set to cover multiple cities in Asia, Latam, North America, Europe, and the UK. We connected with Ms. Aishwarya Ravichandran, who attended the concert on 31st May and shared her experience of seeing Stray Kids dominating the stage live in the US.

A Unique Sonic Journey at SoFi Stadium: Where Music Met Intimacy

The 3-hour-long concert started with a soundcheck, which included CHK CHK BOOM, TOPLINE & MIROH. There was a strict policy of no cameras, which made the experience more enjoyable. The stage was also huge, with additional extended stages, and the members made sure to use the whole stage. The opening started with backup dancers/performers putting on a show with drums and some other props, and that looked good. Then the actual show began, where SKZ opened the stage with an energetic performance of the SKZ anthem, followed by MOUNTAINS expressing Stray Kids’ confidence and strong energy. Then they performed fan-favorite Thunderous and continued with most of their hit songs, such as JJAM, District 9, and Back Door.

The SKZ dance crew performed an energetic dance medley on the songs Hellevator, Easy, S-Class, Walkin’ on Water, Charmer, VENOM, and Hall of Fame. Their setlist included dynamic unit stages as members Han & Felix performed the lazy hip-hop song TRUMAN, a captivating R&B performance by Bang Chan & Hyunjin as they performed ESCAPE, stimulated the emotions of Stays by performing CINEMA by Lee Know & Seungmin, and filled the stage with exciting pop punk and rock feel with Burnin’ Tires by Changbin & I.N. The American Stays filled the stadium with screams as they performed the legendary Chk Chk Boom, brought cheerfulness and freshness with DOMINO, and rocked the stage with God’s Menu.

Then they performed the song GIANT along with a section with the inflatable giant on stage, which was memorable. The setlist surely showed their journey of creative discography as it included around 30 songs, including Walkin’ on Water, S-Class, Lonely St., Cover Me, TOPLINE, Social Path (Korean ver.), LALALALA, MEGAVERSE, MANIAC. They even had a fancy car as part of the stage props. Another thing that sets the Stray Kids concert apart is a live band, which made the experience all the more enjoyable. It made the show feel like a music festival.

Since the venue was huge, the members came around in carts to greet the fans in the upper levels and see them up close. The encore included SUPER BOARD, I Like It, My Pace, Blind Spot, Stray Kids, and MIROH, and the concert ended with a powerful festival-suitable song, Chk Chk Boom (festival ver.) and Hall of Fame. There were a lot of fireworks as part of the stage as well. The audience took over the stadium with so much energy throughout the show, and they were loud. Overall, it was fun and energetic.

Fan Experience – Aishwarya Ravichandran

It was a well-organized event with no delays or confusing instructions, which have sometimes happened at other concerts. The stage effects, live band, and backup dancers all added to the positive experience. Most memorable moments in the show would be performances of MIROH, God’s Menu, Thunderous, District 9 and Back Door. I am not a STAY but went to give my friend company, but I really enjoyed the show.

Conclusion

Stays at SoFi Stadium, one of the biggest stadiums in LA, felt every beat, every note, and every word and returned everything with the same intensity. The stage was really big with additional extended stages, and the members made sure to use the whole platform. Fans could see them clearly whenever they came to the extended stages. They attracted over 10000 fans on both nights, which shows a powerful testament to their growing influence. The Stray Kids World Tour <dominATE> was more than just a concert; it was an epic celebration that will surely go down in the history of the group and the Brazilian STAY. Stray Kids will now embark on their remaining shows in North America, Europe, and the UK and conclude in Rome on July 30th.

Would you like to attend their concert in the near future? Tell us your favourite songs from Stray Kids in the comments below!