Stray Kids ignites Seoul with energetic kickoff to world tour 'dominATE'

K-pop group Stray Kids performs during the last show of the Seoul leg of its third world tour, "dominATE," at KSPO Dome in Songpa District, Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment.

K-pop boy group Stray Kids successfully kicked off its third world tour, "Stray Kids World Tour 'dominATE,'" with its Seoul leg, which consisted of four 150-minute shows that wrapped up on Sunday.

Starting with two concerts on Aug. 24 and 25, the eight-piece act — comprised of Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N. — held another two shows over the weekend at KSPO Dome in Songpa District, Seoul, selling out all four shows.

The new world tour follows the successful "Stray Kids 2nd World Tour 'MANIAC,'" which ended in April 2023 after 42 shows in 18 regions globally.

Appearing through a lift from under the stage, the group opened the concert with an energetic performance of "MOUNTAINS" from its latest mini-album, "ATE," dazzling the fans in a glittering beige and white outfit.

The group ran through two more songs, "Thunderous," the title track from its 2021 album "NOEASY," and "JJAM," another track from "ATE," with dozens of dancers before greeting the fans.

"Wow, the heat today is crazy. It's really fun," Bang Chan said as the fans shouted after the opening performances.

K-pop group Stray Kids performs during the last show of the Seoul leg of its third world tour, "dominATE," at KSPO Dome in Songpa District, Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment.

"Following 'District 9: Unlock World Tour' and 'MANIAC,' we're now welcoming our third tour, 'dominATE,'" Hyunjin said. "Thanks to all of you, we're extremely happy to be able to share this experience with you on an even larger scale."

Han hinted at forthcoming dynamic performances, saying, "As we're starting this significant tour together with you, we have (worked hard) to show you impressive performances."

Picking up the show with their debut album's title track, "District 9," the members staged about 90-minute nonstop performances encompassing the pieces they've released throughout their six-year career.

The songs include "Back Door," "LALALALA," "S-Class" and its latest hit "Chk Chk Boom," in which the group appeared in a vintage Cadillac, as if celebrating the song's climb to No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Each member showcased their unreleased solo songs, starting with Han, in a rock outfit and an electric guitar, performing "Hold My Hand," followed by Lee Know's performance of "Youth" while wearing a blue hoodie.

Seungmin played an acoustic guitar, singing "As We Are," Hyunjin sang "So Good," Bang Chan sang "Railway," and I.N performed "HALLUCINATION." Felix performed "Unfair" while dropping from an elevated seating prop in a leather outfit, followed by Changbin's performance of "ULTRA."

"Carrying out our activities for the new album "ATE" and preparing for this 'dominATE' tour, we've felt like we're opening our unique new chapter. We've worked hard, putting our heads together with our members and many staff, dedicating ourselves to the preparations," Seungmin said after a series of performances.

Stray Kids members perform unreleased solo songs during the group's Seoul shows from Aug. 24 to Sunday. Courtesy of JYP Entertainment.

Hyunjin added: "Opening this new chapter means we can create many more memories together with all of you in the future. Let's make lots of joyful memories together for a long time to come."

The group performed "MANIAC" before returning for an encore, which included "I Like It," "Stray Kids" and a festival version of "Chk Chk Boom." It ended its impressive three-hour run with "Haven."

The members shared their emotions before wrapping up the show, thanking the fans for such vibrant reactions to their performances.

"I don't get nervous before going on stage anymore. I'm just excited and eager to perform. But this time, I was nervous … I came on stage feeling very tense. But when I saw STAY (the official fandom of Stray Kids) jumping and playing along with us, I was able to relax and dominate the stage as we always do as Stray Kids. Just like our tour's name, I think Stray Kids ate the stage and STAY devoured the audience seats," Changbin said.

"We received such great energy that we'll take it with us to enjoy the rest of the tour in a healthy and fun way."

Lee Know added: "It wasn't easy to put together (the concert) with overlapping comeback activities … But after performing four shows, it's clear that Stray Kids is born for the stage. You showed us the magic that made all those worries disappear instantly. You are our driving force, and we want to be yours as well. We look forward to your continued support."

The group is set to continue the tour with upcoming stops in Singapore on Sept. 28, followed by Australia's Melbourne and Sydney in October. It will travel to various countries in Asia, including Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia and will add more stops in Latin America and Europe, as well as North America.