Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N., otherwise known collectively as Stray Kids, are back in Australia for their third world tour!
In support of their ninth Korean-language EP Ate and their second Japanese-language studio album Giant (both released this year), the DominATE World Tour, which kickstarted in Seoul back in August before heading to Singapore last month, recently had Melbourne as its third city stop.
The vibe around Marvel Stadium was a keen calm before the storm. Prior to the venue doors opening, many attendees were seen dressed in their best red and black attire (including myself) to fit the DominATE World Tour colour scheme. Through their own pockets, some fans even wandered around the venue to gift fan support items to lucky fellow patrons. Arriving half an hour before venue doors flung open, I still managed to receive a card that looked like an Australian driver’s license of Stray Kids member Han, Skzoo themed keychains, member photocards, and several Stray Kids themed handmade charm bracelets, all making for wonderful little keepsakes.
Official merchandise wise, I was happily surprised to see that for this tour, the Stray Kids lightsticks were in stock and readily available to purchase. These lightsticks were later synched which made for a stunning pulsating coloured sea of lights across the Marvel Stadium venue during the concert.
Production wise, the lighting and staging, complete with massive screens and a giant ‘Stray Kids’ sign that also lit up, was a sight to behold. This is Stray Kids’ biggest tour yet with the group globally performing in stadiums for the first time, and it shows. With the occasional pyrotechnics, the DominATE World Tour kept fans on their toes throughout the night. The weather turned out too, so the Marvel Stadium roof was open and the K-Pop stadium concert was in full swing, right from the moment Stray Kids appeared out of a silver giant mouth, keeping with the ‘ate’ theme. Honestly, what a clever entrance.
It was only when Stray Kids started performing their first number ‘MOUNTAINS’ did I realise the grandeur of this tour. The enormous screens took us on a journey up high among mountains, flew us through the clouds, had us witness a thunderstorm during ‘Thunderous’, and when they weren’t taking us on an adventure, they were showcasing movie-like clips of the group in between sets, all of which never felt out of place.
Throughout the evening, lasers frequently manifested, danced in unison, and effortlessly pierced the Melbourne night sky. They were especially evident during songs ‘District 9’, ‘LALALALA’ and ‘Domino’. The lighting was dramatic and looked spectacular while moving to the beat and matching the songs that were played. ‘God’s Menu’ in appropriate fashion also conjured rows of fire, and songs ‘S-Class’ and ‘MANIAC’ brought everything to the table and held nothing back. I honestly couldn’t believe what I was seeing, to the point where found myself gasping on multiple occasions!
Choreography wise, Stray Kids’ ‘Back Door’ dance was reinvented with actual doors and was captured in a unique way that felt like we were invited to something special. Despite the super large stage, Stray Kids made the effort to give every side of the stage and their fans love. For the first time as well, every Stray Kids member had a solo performance, displaying their unique styles and personalities.
Han shared his gift for music with his powerful voice and guitar skills, pulling out an electric guitar to complete his song ‘Hold My Hand’ while the venue was showered with confetti. Lee Know exhibited his impressive falsetto and dancing skills with ‘Youth’. Seungmin appeared to sit on top of a cliff playing an acoustic guitar, serenading the stadium with his beautiful voice in ballad ‘As We Are’, while the screens displayed a meteor shower around him. Hyunjin showcased his slick finesse and dance ability with ‘So Good’. Bang Chan provided mesmerising choreography and teased a bit of skin with track ‘Railway’. I.N. showed off his sexy side with his song ‘Hallucination’ that conjured deafening screams. Felix’s solo ‘Unfair’ was an impressive and emotional vocal treat, which had him emerging from the ceiling of the stage, sitting upon a giant silver ‘F’. Finally, Changbin had a commanding stage presence as he executed his fast-raps with ease during his song ‘Ultra’.
If the production of DominATE World Tour wasn’t grand enough already. ‘Chk Chk Boom’ had Stray Kids emerge on stage in a convertible car! Honestly, this tour has one of the most insane productions I’ve ever seen in a stadium in Australia, and in any music genre. My only criticism is that the audio mixing, although great for the performances, was not during the MENT moments where the group spoke to the audience. Unfortunately and disappointingly, not everything that was said by Stray Kids carried over to where I sat. So, at times, I couldn’t understand a lot of what they were saying as it was inaudible. However, I am certain this will be an easy fix before the next concert.
It wouldn’t be a K-Pop concert without a dance challenge where fans showed off their knowledge and skills for Stray Kids choreography, arguably one of the most fun moments you can have at a K-Pop show. There was also a cheer counter and a karaoke style sing-along to their song ‘MEGAVERSE’.
When Stray Kids weren’t dishing out all their catchy original tracks, they were interacting with fans as much as they could during their colossal 3-hour concert. Affectionately addressing the Marvel Stadium venue with “Hello, Melbourne!”, Korean-Australian members Bang Chan and Felix cheekily emphasised their Aussie accents, much to the delight of the Melbourne crowd. This only influenced the honorary adopted Aussie members to also have a little bit of fun, with frequent uses of “Yeah, nah” and the staple Australian cheer, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie – Oi, oi, oi!”.
Bang Chan made sure to ask who was seeing them live for the first time, which in response, had many patrons shooting up their hands equipped with their lightsticks. This was followed by the comment, “We’re glad we’re back in STRAYA!”. Felix was chuffed be playing a stadium show in his home country, stating in warm gratitude, “Thank-you so much to everyone in this stadium.”. Seungmin also took the opportunity to add, “Thank-you for everyone letting Bang Chan and Felix come to Korea from Australia.” And he made a valid point, as without Bang Chan and Felix, there would be no Stray Kids.
After being surprised at the end of the night with a touching fan video prepared by Aussie Stays, Stray Kids looked very moved and performed the highly anticipated and anthemic ‘Stray Kids’ (yes, titled the same name as the group) which made for a gorgeous moment of the night and a heartfelt sing-along. The song is also one of my favourites and this moment had me teary too! The lyrics were smartly and purposefully penned to acknowledge how far they’ve come in their careers, the group currently dominating in their 7th year (they’ve been active since 2017) in the industry and counting. Fellow anthem ‘Lonely St.’ also had the same serenade-the-stadium sing-along vibes which felt so good to be a part of.
Although, every song was welcomed and Stray Kids have no bad songs, there were no real crowd favourites as patrons were all ecstatically screaming in response to everything that was played. Top songs of the night not already mentioned above included the irresistible ‘JJAM’, ‘TOPLINE’ which had heads bopping, the catchy ‘I Like It’, ‘Chk Chk Boom (Festival Version)’, and the epic ‘MIROH’ which had everyone in the venue passionately pumping their fist with their lightsticks into the air, all up on their feet and dancing.
Overall, a 35-song setlist in a stadium tour is no ordinary feat, but 4th generation K-Pop boy group Stray Kids energetically dominated Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium with their signature sound, unique choreography, and their genuine joy for performing, with their self-written and produced music. Not only did the group successfully entertain their Melbourne audience, but at the same time, they’ve marvellously cemented themselves in Australian music history as the first K-Pop boy group to headline a stadium show in Australia.
Stray Kids are currently touring Australia as part of their DominATE World Tour, proudly promoted by JYP Entertainment and Live Nation Australia. The group performed in Melbourne on Saturday October 19th at Marvel Stadium and will be Sydney this week to play at Allianz Stadium on Saturday October 26th.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.livenation.com.au/artist-stray-kids-1182958
https://straykids.jype.com
https://www.instagram.com/realstraykids
Photography by Richard Clifford.
