Hello readers! I am sure you have noticed I have a new domain! Welcome to mikhail’s journal! I am back with a new review for the Stray Kids: DominATE World Tour show in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium on May 31st, 2025.
Stray Kids is a K-pop group based in South Korea, currently touring for their ninth mini album, “ATE”. (By the time this is posted live, they would’ve completed the tour!) I have been a fan of Stray Kids (a STAY as they call us) since 2018 and have seen Stray Kids live once before at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles in 2023. SoFi Stadium is quite a capacity upgrade from BMO Stadium and I was so proud to see Stray Kids book TWO shows there at SoFi. When Stray Kids announced the previous concerts, I was hoping (and crossing my fingers) that they would book SoFi Stadium.
K-pop concerts are typically announced so far in advance (this show was announced in November 2024) that I knew I would wait til the last minute to buy my tickets for the best resale price. I purchased my ticket for $190 the Wednesday before the concert, then purchased my lightstick from a local K-pop store in Koreatown (Thank you KPOPBestie!) The lightstick is so beautiful and reminds me of a compass.
On the day of the concert, I arrived at SoFi Stadium at approximately 3:30pm and knew that the merch line was gonna be interesting. I was in the merch line for exactly 3 hours and thankfully I had water and Gatorade with me. There was also a woman selling hot dogs and I know she made good business selling to STAYs. Favorite part of k-pop concert culture are “freebies,” which are free crafty items fans make and give out to people nearby in line. My favorite member of Stray Kids is Lee Know, so I got quite a few of his photocards, pretty keychains and overall fun interactions with other STAYs in line.
After securing my merchandise, which was a white concert t-shirt and a sticker pack, I made my way around the stadium to my entrance gate. My ticket was for section C243 which is in a VIP area, which meant I was able to enter through VIP 11. I quickly assessed where to get food and decided french fries from a VIP Club area called “Gallagher Club” was my best option. The fries were $14 and actually quite delicious (and plain) which I enjoyed. Once I finished my fries, I made my way to my seat and was in awe of how pretty and beautiful the stage looked.
favorite moments
chk chk boom
Released on their ninth mini album ‘ATE’ and featured in “Deadpool & Wolverine” in 2024, “Chk Chk Boom” is an absolute hit. “Shoot down my goals, one by one, I snipe them” is one of my favorite lyrics because I achieve my goals one by one! It’s such a dance song and I love singing “Boom Boom, Chk Chk Boom!”
domino
Released on their second full-length album ‘NOEASY ’ in 2021, “DOMINO” is one of my favorites. In their lyrics, Stray Kids tease that other artists and groups copy them like a domino effect. Lyrics include “setting up my ambitions, completing them one by one” and “it starts with me, they follow me, the domino effect.” I also love the domino game references “with a single nudge, domino, domino, domino” and it’s such a fun dance song that tickles my brain. Everyone was up and dancing to DOMINO.
super board
Released on their seventh mini-album ‘MAXIDENT’ “SUPER BOARD” is another song that makes me wanna get up and dance. “SUPER BOARD” features lyrics that translate to “I am delivering myself to my dreams” and “a thunderstorm in the clear sky, we are stirring up a raging storm”
god’s menu
Released on their first full length album ‘GO LIVE’, “God’s Menu” was truly the song of the summer in 2020 and one of the best k-pop songs of 2020. “God’s Menu” is about standing out from your competitors, or anyone around you. Immediately starting the song with “welcome, it’s easy to choose what you want in our kitchen, anything on the menu will satisfy all your five senses” which is true for Stray Kids music. Other standout lyrics include “there’s no limit, we create our sound, and we’re one of a kind, no one can copy us.”
The chef references such as “I just wanna taste it, make it hot” and “Cookin like a chef, I’m a five star Michelin” always make me laugh.
maniac
Released on their sixth mini-album ‘ODDINARY,’ “MANIAC” is essentially the epitome of ‘stay weird’.
Translated lyrics include “Maniac, going crazy like I have a loose screw” and “like the seam of a torn doll, eventually you’ll expose your real self.” Stray Kids’ previous world tour, was titled after MANIAC, and I loved all the green imagery from that tour!
cinema
Released on their album ‘Mixtape: dominATE’ featuring members Lee Know and Seungmin, “Cinema” is about determination til that final curtain call. “When you cannot find your way, i’ll be waiting, welcome to our cinema” always makes me happy because I can succeed with Stray Kids by my side.
my pace
Released on their mini album ‘I AM: WHO,’ “My Pace” is one of my all-time favorite Stray Kids songs. Featuring lyrics that translate to “you just have to go your own way” and “going ahead doesn’t mean you’ll get there first, look at it from afar and take your time,” it has always made me happy and comforted. In 2018, when it was first released, I was in the middle of college trying to figure out my path.
I’m thankful they always include it on the setlist just for me!
my review
I rate this concert 4/5. There are a few changes I would’ve made for a better experience. First, I would’ve definitely had the entire merchandise segment held in the parking lots on the south side of SoFi Stadium. When the BTS concert was held at SoFi Stadium in 2021, there were multiple spots to buy merchandise, including a full parking lot length-size tent with other 20 workers facilitating sales. I was in that line for 2.5 hours, compared to my 3 hours in the Stray Kids line.
Next, I would’ve wanted translators for the members and/or immediate subtitles on screen. I have a hearing deficit and there were moments where the fluent English speakers were introducing themselves, and I could not fully hear or understand their speeches. It was only later that I saw videos of the same moments on X, and realized he was happily introducing himself to the crowd and I just couldn’t hear. Also, having a Korean to English translator gives the members more flexibility and comfort when speaking their thoughts about the concert. Since the concert did not have a translator, many of the members were more shy about their English, but did their best in getting the crowd pumped up and excited.
If I made the setlist, I also would’ve included my personal favorite ‘Get Cool’.
“Get Cool’ is my favorite song about having luck, and getting kkul (꿀) which means getting honey. Lucky moments in the song include finding money in your pocket, getting a sale on your drinks, getting another piece of chicken in your order, or your package being quickly delivered and not worrying about the next day.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the concert and the use of SoFi Stadium’s 360 screen. There were moments in the concert where members were on the 360 screen as ‘individual fancams’ and it was BEAUTIFUL!
They served, chewed and surely ATE and all the members were so sweet and happy to be in Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium. Stray Kids Everywhere All Around The World.
