[Concert Recap] Stray Kids' 'District 9: Unlock' Concert in LA

AKP STAFF

On February 17, Stray Kids finished off the last leg of their “District 9: Unlock” USA Tour, hosted by Subkulture Entertainment, in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theater. The group did not disappoint, bringing high energy to the venue throughout the entire concert.

Stray Kids opened with a powerful intro as they danced to “District 9.” The members instantly showed off their individual charms: Hyunjin’s crystal clear rap and body rolls had fans screaming, Han was able to hit all of the high notes effortlessly, Changbin delivered his powerful rap, Felix’s dark voice captivated fans, Seungmin, Lee Know, and I.N charmed with their soft vocals, and Chan showed off his charisma.

The group proceeded to perform “Victory Song,” in which they boasted perfect synchronization in their choreography; “Question,” which highlighted Seungmin’s vocals and Hyunjin’s rap; “Rock,” which was a super fun and dynamic performance for both the members and the fans; and “Side Effects,” which included challenging formations as well as a few acrobatic sequences.

Before proceeding with their setlist, the members paused to interact with fans. Chan began by greeting fans, which instantly had the crowd going crazy. As each member introduced himself, the venue was filled with excited screams from fans.

Stray Kids then showed off their playful side with “MIA.” Each member had a mini individual dance break — during Felix’s dance break, he did the famous Renegade dance from Tik Tok. During this song, Seungmin’s vocals shined while I.N was able to charm fans with his cute voice, especially during the chorus of the song.

When the dance line took over to perform “WOW,” there was instantly a different aura. Felix, Hyunjin, and Lee Know had amazing synchronization as well as amazing technique. Each member had a spotlight — first Hyunjin, then Felix, and Lee Know — which really helped to show off their individual charms. Most importantly, the entire performance was a body roll galore.

The next song “Mixtape #4” highlighted the strengths of the rappers of Stray Kids. Han opened the song, entering on a raised stage while delivering incredibly powerful and clear lyrics. Changbin had equally as punchy lines throughout the song.

After a short commentary, the members filled the stage with their aegyo in “Get Cool.” I.N particularly stood out in this fun and light-hearted song. The members’ aegyo was a complete turn from their previous more powerful performances. Fans were all smiles, especially when Changbin had his solo aegyo moment. They goofed around on stage — Hyunjin even piggybacked on Han! Felix’s powerful rap towards the end added a fresh aspect to a generally more cute song.

The following song was just as playful. As the members performed “Awkward Silence,” it was evident that they were truly having fun on stage. Their teamwork shined through the song and the members had perfect harmony.

The members proceeded to go off the stage as a quick video played on the screen. As the video came to an end, Chan’s voiceover intro filled the venue and the screen was filled with meaningful phrases for Stays: “Stray Kids will be with each and every Stay. Strat Kids everywhere all around the world.” The Stray Kids members slowly reappeared on stage to perform their most recent release, “Levanter.” The members changed to all-white outfits, which created a completely different atmosphere. The choreography for “Levanter” told a story, and the vocal line truly shined through the song.

The screen once again played with Stay’s heartstrings as it displayed the following: “Stay together. You and I, we all make Stray Kids stay.” Seungmin began the song with his soft vocals, wearing a soft blue sweater that gave him a boy-next-door look. I.N. added in his youthful vocals, which also shined through this song. During the entire song, Stays swayed their hands back and forth, creating a sea of lightsticks. Particularly impressive was Changbin’s lyrical rap. Although completely different from his signature punchy and more hardcore rap, his lyrical rap was able to deliver a lot of emotion and paired perfectly with the song itself.

All the members came back together to perform “3rd Eye,” which had a more futuristic concept. Each member had his own chance to shine: Changbin, Han, and Hyunjin showed off their impressive rap skills while Seungmin, Lee Know, Felix, Chan, and I.N boasted amazing vocals. This song had a particularly impressive performance aspect, as the members used chairs as a prop during the dance.

“I Am You” was next, and it was one of my favorite songs from their concert. Chan began the song under a spotlight with his honey vocals. Han and Changbin surprised fans during this song with their perfect vocals. Despite being the rappers of Stray Kids, they showed off their versatility and their ability to truly conquer all musical skills. Chan’s chorus towards the middle of the song was incredibly powerful and emotion-wrecking, as it was evident he was pouring his heart into the song. Before concluding the song, the members all chimed in to sing “You and I”, which was a very wholesome and heart-warming ending.

Completely contrasting from the previous performance, the 3RACHA members took over the stage with a stronger beat and more powerful performance. “WE GO” featured a more hip-hop rap style, beginning with Han, sho showed off his fast, yet clear and energetic rap. Changbin also boasted an incredibly fast and catchy rap, while Chan captivated with the chorus. The entire son was simply a performance, and the members showed amazing teamwork.

Members slowly rejoined on stage to perform “Road Not Taken.” The entire song had incredible energy. Hyunjin began by asking the audience “LA, are you ready?” The members all encouraged the crowd to clap along, which only increased the high energy in the venue. The dance break for this song stood out, with powerful and precise moves by all members.

Stays knew exactly what to do as the next song “My Pace” began playing. All Stays chimed in and started singing along as the members jumped around on stage, smiling and being goofballs. It was hard to pinpoint one specific member who stood out in particular, as all members showed off their individual charms. There was an absolutely adorable dance break, where members passed off playful dance moves to each other. As the song ended, Changbin had the audience repeat “Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na,” which immediately had the audience engaged.

Chan began another moment, saying, “From the start of today, I felt today was going to be a very good day. LA, your energy is crazy. We’re going to party for the rest of the night.” Hyunjin then asked fans, “How was 3RACHA? How was the vocal team?” to which fans immediately began to scream and cheer. Han added, “We prepared really hard and worked really hard all because we wanted to meet you guys. I love you!” Felix proceeded to tell Stays, “We really prepared for you guys and we have so much to show you. We haven’t even started yet!” Seungmin showed off his adorable English as he asked fans one simple question: “Did you like it?” Changbin impressed fans with his meaningful comment: “I think everyone has their own hard times, so I hope that every moment will disappear like the wind.”

Then came the iconic moment, where Chan made every audience member a Stay as he said, “Everyone can be a stray kid. Everyone can feel lost, a bit stray, confused, depressed, anxious. But we just wanted to say that we’ve completely been through those times and we know what that feels like. We want to reach out to those stray kids out there through our music and our performances. That’s why we have this very special occasion where we Stray Kids and Stays can have this very special moment together. To have our own special district, to see you guys up on stage, to see your faces and where you’re from, that’s what makes this district in LA more special. It doesn’t matter how old you are, it doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl, whatever you choose to be, doesn’t matter where you’re from, everyone is welcome in our special district and we will always have pride in it.”

To this, the Stray Kids members responded by saying, “He is the best leader!” which fans agreed with, as evident through their screams.

Lee Know added in the last comment before Stray Kids returned to their performances, telling fans, “We gain a lot of courage and encouragement from you guys. With all of this energy, we will work harder and continue to show you guys more good performances, so get ready!”

Flashing red lights created an ominous vibe on the stage as the members performed “Double Knot.” Felix’s dark voice was the highlight of the song, in addition to the powerful rap line and dance break.

Just when fans thought the Stray Kids members might slowly be getting tired, the members proved everyone wrong with “Boxer.” The members were incredibly energetic throughout the song and interacted with fans more. Hyunjin’s body rolls were arguably one of the best parts of the song, in addition to amazing raps by Han and Changbin, and Chan’s acrobatic trick.

My personal favorite of the entire concert was “Hellevator.” Seungmin began under the spotlight with an emotional intro that brought back memories from Stray Kids’ trainee days. The song was incredibly meaningful for fans because it was the song that truly defined Stray Kids from the beginning. The song was rearranged to have a more EDM-type beat and an extended dance break. “Hellevator” was a nice reminder of how hard Stray Kids have worked until this moment.

As the members slowly transitioned into “Miroh,” there was an extra powerful dance break, which included Korean drums as props. Stray Kids also showed off their versatility with various acrobatic sequences: Chan jumped over Felix and the other members also included tumbling tricks. The drums were later used not only as a dance prop, but also as an instrument by the background dancers. Chan added in a sweet surprise for fans at the end by teasing his abs, which instantly brought the noise level up in the venue.

JYP Entertainment included an incredibly creative way to engage fans as Stray Kids took returned backstage. A Stay featuring guide played on-screen, with a video-game-like format in which fans learned how to dance along with Stray Kids during their performance.

After the fun video, the members returned to the stage in their more casual tour merch. Seungmin sported an adorable bandana, while Hyunjin opted for a beanie. Chan, Changbin, and Jisung showed off their toned arms in their performance of “Grow Up.”

As the concert neared an end, a fan-made video played on stage and all members sat down to watch. Chan got teary after seeing the unexpected love from LA Stays. The members individually began to say their farewells to fans:

“It's time for us to say our goodbyes. I can’t believe it’s already over. Thanks for helping us make such good memories. Time flew by so fast and we had so much fun.” - Lee Know

“Wow it’s really the end this is sad. During our tour, you guys showed so much love and energy and cheers — you guys make us feel loved. I feel loved because of you guys. During this tour, you guys gave us big energy and love. You guys gave us good memories and touched our hearts. You guys gave us the gift (video) today and almost made me drop tears. It’s okay, Iwon’t cry. I won’t mess up this happy day, but thank you. Because of you we exist. You guys are so good! You guys are beautiful! You guys are brighter than the sun and I’m so proud of you guys. Stray kids are always supporting you.” - Han

“Thank you for coming to our last stop. We are so grateful for all of you guys. We will work hard and improve for when we come back. Thank you and I love you.” - I.N

“Last year we performed in LA for the first time. This year we toured in 8 cities. This tour made me feel very nervous for some reason. I’m so glad I got this opportunity to perform in front of you guys up so close. Thank you for giving us this chance to interact with you. Even though I’m nervous, I’m always so grateful and so thankful. Whatever we do, you guys always support us. We’re so happy to make music for you and make you feel happy in any way possible. It’s such an honor and pleasure to be here in front of our shining stars who touch us in every single way. Thank you staying with us, for just being Stay. Never stop shining.” - Felix

“I don’t know how we’re here already, but here we are at our last performance. I still can’t forget the excitement we felt when we heard about our U.S. tour but i’m so sad it’s already the last show. It was a really meaningful time to learn about different cultures and feel the nature around me and I think my English improved a lot. Do you know why I’m learning English? I have only one reason: because of Stay! I have 100 things I want to say, but I’m sorry I can’t say everything because I’m not perfect at English, but I feel like you guys get my message through my heart. This is really beautiful and thank you for Stay. Stays are really really precious to me and I’m so thankful that you guys are singing along even though the language is different. I won’t forget our U.S. tour and U.S. Stay.” - Hyunjin

“Stray kids is back in LA through this U.S. tour. I realized again that I’m really happy when I’m on the stage and when I’m making performance with you guys. I could feel the different atmosphere for 8 cities and a lot of cultures and a lot of passion from you guys. Thanks for making tonight bright and someday we might come back again. Please look forward to our future activities and have a good night with Stray Kids.” - Seungmin

“Whenever I come to LA I make good memories. That’s why I always look forward to LA, but I don’t think I have to expect anything from now on because you guys are always so much more than my expectations. We hope to come back again. You guys change our lives.” - Changbin

“I’m not the best [leader]. I’m trying. If you guys think that, I’ll accept that but I’m not there yet. I’m still trying. I just want to say I’m really proud of the boys because before we came on stage they were all thinking really hard and writing down what they want to say in English. Thank you to all of our staff: our stylists, makeup, hair, security, producers, everyone running the show, our drivers, whoever. There are so many people who worked with us and this was one big team project. It makes me feel so good when I see you guys in this special place. This district was meant for us. I want to give you guys the time of your lives and make you feel better. If I round up everything, this whole tour was amazing. I think it’s our 3rd time in LA. I always feel comfortable here in LA — it feels like another home to us. Thank you guys for making this place very special.“ - Chan

“STAY YOU MAKE STRAY KIDS STAY” - Stray Kids

After this emotional time with Stays, Stray Kids immediately bounced back with “Ya Ya Ya.” Changbin and Hyunjin had incredibly delivery and the members spend time engaging with fans and taking time to pose for photos. Members goofed around on stage, showing their tight bonds. In fact, Seungmin, Hyunjin, and I.N took turns turning off fans cameras, which was a hilarious way to engage with fans.

Stray Kids ended their performance with “Miroh.” Fans jumped up and down for the last time, using the gestures they learned from the video that had played beforehand. As the song ended, the members lingered on stage, not wanting to say goodbye to Stays.