[REVIEW] Stray Kids’ Tottenham shows are what K-pop is all about

Where do I even start? Stray Kids took over Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Friday and Saturday, and I’m not exaggerating when I say: it was one of the most insane, emotional, chaotic, beautiful, and completely unhinged concerts I’ve ever been to. Outside the stadium, a random man came up to me and asked who was performing. When I told him it was Stray Kids, his eyes went wide. “You have to be big to play this stadium,” he said. And when I told him they were doing it twice, he was actually speechless (no joke).Honestly? Same. Because after two unforgettable nights, Stray Kids delivered a show that somehow managed to top even their iconic BST Hyde Park performance last year – and that’s saying something. Let me tell you more about the show that Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, HAN, Felix, Seungmin and I.N have put together.

The moment the show kicked off there were flames bursting from the stage and dancers moving like they were summoned by thunder; you knew this was about to be a show for the books. From “District 9” to “Back Door,” the energy was just there. Also a special mention to their background dancers; they danced like they were trying to break the stadium floor. The way they supported the members in every beat, every drop, every transition? 10/10 really. When the live band came out for “Chk Chk Boom,” the whole vibe shifted in the best way possible. The music hit harder, the vocals rang louder, and the crowd filled with STAYs went fully feral. It felt like a rock concert disguised as K-pop, with the same choreography and polish we love, but with a whole new level of energy.

And the fan interaction was there constantly as well. Hand hearts, eye contact, teasing… Stray Kids are experts at making a massive stadium feel like a small fanmeet!

Let’s talk about the duo performances, because the group stood out individually with their duets. Changbin and I.N. were my personal highlight with their performance of ‘Burnin’ Tires’, they had insane chemistry and stage presence and it was actually hilarious to see them running all over the stage. But honestly? Every unit stage felt like a new flavour of Stray Kids, and every member got their shine, so did HAN and Felix with ‘Truman’. Followed up by Bang Chan and Hyunjin whom performed ‘ESCAPE’ with amazing visuals. Lee Know and Seungmin had a beautiful performance of ‘CINEMA’. Then suddenly… a giant human balloon rolled out for “GIANT” and the whole stadium collectively screamed. We love a literal stage interpretation. The moment flowed into “Walking on Water” and with the lighting and visuals? It felt like a movie.

Another highlight was “S-Class”, as their iconic hit started playing and the stadium went off. The dance break alone could’ve torn the roof off. People were jumping like it was a festival. At one point, Changbin literally lost his in-ear monitor from dancing too hard, but kept going with a grin like nothing happened, but it does show how much energy they give. And of course, they gave us the classic London treatment—throwing out Harry Potter spells in British accents like they were trying to get into Hogwarts. And then, Felix. While the others were admiring the view and the stadium, he looked out at and said: “Do you know who else is beautiful? Stays”. We see you Felix, we see you!

Time to hit some emotional snares because if “Lonely St.” didn’t wreck you, the fan project definitely did. As banners lit up across the stadium, the members’ expressions softened. You could see it hit them, that “we made it” moment. It was one of the most genuine, beautiful pauses in the chaos. They also gave the live band a heartfelt shoutout that didn’t go unnoticed. You can tell how much they value every piece of the team that helps make this machine run.

But no time to cry here, as by the last stretch of the show, the stadium turned into an actual club. There were dance challenges, fan singalongs, and just full-on chaos. At one point, Bang Chan casually gave us a tour of the stadium mid-show, showing us where the toilets were, as if any of us were going to leave our spots (and it was a bit too late anyway for that… thank you anyway!). Just when you think you’ve seen it all, they hop onto moving platforms and ride across the stadium. Like, casually driving past STAYs while waving and throwing hearts. Every section got a moment. Every Stay got seen. That’s how you close out a night.

But there was obviously and encore as well, two even. As after almost 3(!) hours, the group was still going at 110%. “MEGAVERSE” and “Topline” felt like they could’ve opened the show with how much energy they still had.

I honestly don’t know how to process everything I witnessed during this show. This wasn’t just a concert; it was a full-body, full-heart experience. Every song felt like a highlight. Every moment was bigger than the last. I can’t even give you highlights this time, everything was so fun. This show reminded me what K-pop is about, and if this is what the future of K-pop stadium tours looks like, count me all the way in!