Last Friday and Saturday (18-19 July), Stray Kids got the full range of British summer weather for their two shows at Tottenham Hotspur stadium. With a blistering first day and a rainy second, the eight members showed willingness to perform in all weather; although after their thunderstorm scare in their earlier New York stop, there was no doubt nothing would stop the Kids – or their fans. 

On each day, the concert attracted a crowd of 50,000+ fans. Many of them had already attended an earlier Europe date in Amsterdam or Frankfurt or are planning to travel to Madrid or Paris for the end of Stray Kids’ worldwide tour, which is on its fourth leg – after Asia, Latin America, and North America. The members have finally made good on their promise to visit the fans after their worldwide District 9 tour was cancelled back in 2020 due to COVID. For many Stay (Stray Kids fans), this was the long-awaited conclusion to an almost six year wait!

Needless to say, on Saturday the crowd went wild as the show opened with the 25+ backup dancers (affectionately referred to as ‘Step Kids’ by the fans) on stage, waving huge ‘Stray Kids’ flags. The screams were deafening, and even more as Bang Chan, Lee Know, Hyunjin, Changbin, Han, Seungmin, Felix, and I.N. took on to the stage in grey bedazzled outfits. The opening song was the opener of their ATE (2024) album, ‘MOUNTAINS’. The lyrics felt so very much on theme; as the Kids sang ‘Tower over crowds, don’t pause ‘cause I’m loving it’ and ‘I dominate the grounds, the echoing surrounds / just feel the air vibrating oh so loud’, the air was indeed vibrating with the excitement of 50,000+ fans ready to give this show their all.

It took three songs of full-out dancing and singing for Stray Kids to finally take a break and greet the crowd. Barely out of breath, each of the eight members took a minute to say hello to the fans and crack a joke. While there was a translator present, most members spoke English – although the heavy lifting was done by Bang Chan, the Australian Korean leader of the group. Later on, there were a few more occasions during which the members stopped to speak to the crowd; these were also the moments which showed their dynamic as a group – their banter with each other and with the crowd were highlights of the show.

After a slippery ‘District 9’ due to some rain and their iconic title track ‘Back Door’, Stray Kids gave way to the Step Kids once again for a mashup of seven of their songs, including their debut title ‘Hellevator’. The dancers had the chance to showcase their incredible talent and synchronization while the crowd did the singing, giving Stray Kids time to change into their next outfits. 

On that note, huge kudos must be given to their entire team that worked on this tour. Their production and styling team have done an incredible job. On the second night only, the eight members wore five different outfits throughout the night, all different from night one (albeit some repeated from previous tour stops). As for the set, the screens had artistic designs for each song – all different from the other legs of the tour – and this is not counting the props, huge blow-up skzoo balloons, a cool vintage red car and the fire/fireworks/confetti/pink smoke tubes that featured nearly every single song. Saying they went all out almost feels like an understatement!

As for the performers, Stray Kids tour with an amazing guitarist, bassist, keyboardist and drummer quartet band – an uncommon occurrence within K-Pop – along with the aforementioned Step Kids team of 25+ dancers. It was very much appreciated that the dancers and the live band got their own moments of recognition, the later creating one of the the best musical moment of the show with a rock version of ‘Gods Menu’ and some adorable interactions between the members and the band. On both occasions, the screens showed ‘TEAM SKZ’, proudly displaying the talents of their team.

This was a show that lasted 3.5h with no openers, nearly no breaks, constant full-out dancing, and around 30 songs on the setlist. Stray Kids’ stamina is obvious and impressive – but that of the fans must not be disregarded. I can say from experience, giving all your energy for over three hours is exhausting, and nothing less is expected! But the Kids’ eagerness to show their fans’ talents was so very heartwarming; and this was where the Stay ATE part of the concert came in. The choreography of one of their songs would be shown on screen, and a Stay would be chosen by the camera to dance it in front of the entire stadium. Entertaining, impressive, cute, funny – it was one of my favourite parts of the concert. Stay do indeed eat!

Near the end of the set, the Kids hopped onto two carts that went around the venue in front of the first row of seats, allowing the fans to see them up close. While singing ‘My Pace’ and ‘I Like It’, they danced and waved at the crowd, throwing hearts, to the (loud) delight of Stay. Later in the show, the fans at barricade got repeatedly wet by the Kids throwing water on them, which was hilarious and very refreshing to the standing crowd. Seungmin, Lee Know, and a couple other members also walked down to the pit, touching hands and taking pictures with Stay. Throughout the whole show, their attention for every fan and every part of the crowd was evident.

London fans last saw them perform in 2019 at the O2 Academy Brixton, just one year after their debut, all of them aged between 17 and 20 years old – not counting their brief visit to headline BST Hyde Park last year. Now, having become one of the most popular K-Pop group internationally with almost 11 million monthly listeners on Spotify and a 30+ stop stadium world tour, it was brilliant to see how much they’ve grown. A fan project video was shown as a surprise on the screens, with Stay from all around the UK saying a few words of encouragement to the members or showing their love. It was clear how proud all Stay present in the stadium were as well – and if a tear or two were shed, no one will mention it (Stray Kids teared up too). 

The concert ended with the surprise song ‘Heaven’ from their 2020 GO LIVE album… and all the Kids finishing the song by lying down on the floor. As the fans, they clearly give it their all every time, which is what makes these shows so special. Every fan left the venue full of joy and adrenaline, ears ringing and bags heavier than they arrived with the freebies they received from other Stay.

And in Bang Chan’s own words, there’s a reason why the lightstick is a compass that looks like a star: because Stay are their stars. Stray Kids have finally gone everywhere all around the world – and I certainly hope they will be back soon!