Stray Kids Everywhere All Around The World

Three years ago my then-boyfriend (now husband) introduced me to anime. You're probably wondering what in the world this has to do with K-Pop. I assure you, it's relevant.

So spring of 2020, I am shown my first Anime. As neurodivergent people tend to do, I hyper-fixated and devoured everything anime I could get my hands on. My Spotify quickly became littered with Anime OPs and EDs. One of my favorites (though I had never seen the show) was "TOP" from Tower of God.

Here's where the K-Pop comes in. TOP is by Stray Kids, a 4th Gen K-pop group that debuted in 2018. Plays on Spotify led to videos on my TikTok until one day a video came across my FYP.

One watch of MANIAC and I was HOOKED! I was officially a Stay (the name adopted by Stray Kids loyal fandom).

Fast forward to March of this year. After having to cancel their original date due to Covid, Stray Kids reschedules their Atlanta, GA show and adds an additional performance and by some stroke of luck, I was able to get tickets, really decent tickets too.

I have been to numerous concerts in the past. Everything from large multi-day music festivals and stadium shows to intimate venues and lounges. I've probably been to several dozen shows over the last 25 years.

This show was unlike ANYTHING I've ever seen. So here is what I learned at the March 23rd Stary Kids concert in Atlanta.

1. There is no opening act. If you've been to other non-kpop shows you're probably used to an artist or two performing before the main attraction. This is not the case. When the lights when down at 7:30 it was Stary Kids that took the stage.

2. There are breaks in the show. This again is something I wasn't used to. At various points during the show the artists left the stage (presumable for a break and a costume change) and a video showed on the screen. Many Stays took this opportunity to rest their feet and rehydrate.

3. Fan Freebies! This could be a Stay thing, but I can't help but think it's a K-pop thing. There were people walking around handing out freebies all night. Stickers, photo cards, jewelry, cup sleeves, etc. They were just giving them out and asking for nothing in return.

4. Fashion Show! Speaking of the fans, being in the arena was like being at a fashion show. From cool casual to high fashion, Stays dressed to impress. It was so opulent, that Lee Felix (a member of Stray Kids) mentioned how incredible everyone's outfits were.

5. The setlist. I was not ready for the sheer size of the setlist. They transitioned so seamlessly from song to song that you almost didn't notice the song had changed. Between whole group performances, unit songs, and solo covers, Stray Kids did 30 songs that night. From lights out to lights up, the show was over 3 1/2 hours long.

Now for things I'll remember for my NEXT K-Pop concert...and believe me, I'll be back.

1. Get floor seats. This is just a personal thing. My lower-level seats were just fine, but seeing videos from the ground level shows a totally different experience. So next time I'm going to be close enough to smell the sweat.

2. Bring freebies. I was so touched by the awesome freebies I was given, I'm definitely going to participate next time.

3. Wear in your shoes! I made the mistake of wearing brand new platform Converse (K-pop fans will understand). Big mistake. I could bearly walk the next day.

4. Be present. Again, this may be a personal thing. I spent the better part of the first half recording EVERYTHING for "memories". Because of that, I didn't truly get to enjoy that portion of the show. When I really started to have fun, was when I put my phone away and let myself be present at the moment. You can always find concert clips online later, but living it in real life, that's irreplaceable. Don't rob yourself of the experience for some videos you may not watch again.

Overall, the concert was amazing. An experience I'll never forget. I'll definitely be back to another show and would recommend anyone who ever remotely likes K-Pop, to go to a show if you can.