Stray Kids took over our weekend with the three first dates of their second world tour, the Maniac Tour. While we weren’t able to watch the first two shows, we had the chance to catch the online show on Sunday – and it was everything we wanted and so much more. Here are eight of our favorite moments of the night!
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OT8 Version Of ‘Red Lights’
This goes in the list of things we dreamed of and thought would never happen – but it did. The Bang Chan and Hyunjin sub-unit that was released in NOEASY last year and took over our playlist and our minds, was rearranged in this tour to have into a full OT8 performance. While Bang Chan and Hyunjin still sing the entirety of the first verse, the other six members take over the second verse and it is everything. And the choreography… well, no words. It’s an experience, to say the least.
‘Charmer’
‘Venom,’ ‘B Me,’ ‘Lonely St’ and ‘Star Lost’ are four songs that we hadn’t seen live and that totally blew our minds. But ‘Charmer’ is truly the one we cannot forget about. One of ODDINARY‘s best b-sides has one of the best performances we’ve ever seen. The song has already been living rent-free in our mind since its release, but the choreography and the energy it gives off makes it even better – and we didn’t think that was possible.
The Live Band
You read that right: Stray Kids have a live band with them on tour, and it makes everything even better. Stray Kids already have such incredible energy live and an insane stage presence, but the band makes the songs come to life in a way we could’ve never expected. They seem to embrace the rock influence they’ve had ever since their debut and bring it to a whole other level. The rock version of songs like ‘God’s Menu,’ ‘TOP,’ and ‘Domino’ feel like a slap in the face with how good they are. The performance, the rearrangement, and the energy just take you to a whole other world.
‘Thunderous’ New Version
Now, while all the rock versions of the songs are incredible and everything we’ve wanted and wished for, ‘Thunderous‘ is a whole other level. First of all, the dance intro – Danceracha are insane for that. Second of all, the break in the first chorus just makes it hit all the much more. It’s not only about the live band but they also added even more traditional elements and turned this already incredible song into an absolute masterpiece. We thought we had seen every possible re-arrangement of ‘Thunderous’ after the year-end performances, but we were clearly very much wrong. And we’re grateful for that!
‘YAYAYA’ & ‘ROCK’
Remember how we mentioned that Stray Kids has always been massively influenced by rock music? Well, these two songs are the epitome of it. ‘YAYAYA’ is a b-side of their pre-debut Mixtape – that’s how far it goes – and ‘ROCK’ is a b-side of their debut EP, I Am Not. Not only it’s amazing to see them perform those songs again, but to hear them with a live band is everything. Plus, Changbin‘s dance break between the two songs was just impeccable and incredible every single night.
Unit Mends
‘Red Lights’ might have been turned into an OT8 song, but ‘Waiting For Us’ and ‘Muddy Water’ weren’t – and they performed both of those songs. That alone was a highlight of the night, but what made it even more special was the mends in the middle. It was the moment of the night when you could less predict what would happen. On the last night of the Seoul dates alone, Han performed a freestyle and also a version of 3RACHA‘s ‘Carpe Diem’ with Changbin, while Hyunjin and Felix sang part of Hyunjin’s unreleased self-written song, ‘Beautiful.’ Meanwhile, the other unit, Lee Know and I.N sang part of YB’s ‘After Sending You,’ and Seungmin and Bang Chan sang ‘You Were Beautiful‘ by DAY6. It was always something new and fun, and it made each day of the Maniac Tour an even more unique experience.
‘Hellevator’ New Version
And we go down Memory Lane once again. Of course, Stray Kids will never let go of their first-ever release – they’re just like us. The song has seen many re-inventions, but this has to be one of the best – if not the best. This new version of ‘Hellevator‘ starts with a piano and builds into this incredibly epic and monumental song. In many ways, it’s quite emotional to see them perform this song that represents their beginnings and never letting go of their roots. They’ve come so far, it’s incredible.
The Encore
Yes, we love new choreographies like ‘Venom’ and we love seeing them showing off vocals like in ‘B Me,’ but there’s something truly special about all eight boys going around the stage happily singing songs that mean the world to us. The first song of the encore changed according to the night: first ‘Astronaut,’ then ‘My Pace,’ and finally, ‘TA.’ Followed every night by ‘MIROH,’ ‘Star Lost,’ and eventually the closing song, ‘Haven‘ – even though the last day, they did perform ‘Boxer’ as an extra. It’s been two years and a half since Stray Kids had their last offline concert, and it truly showed how immensely happy they were in the first days of the Maniac Tour. The interactions with stays and between the members were incredibly heartwarming, and we can’t wait to see more of it as the tour just started.
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— Stray Kids (@Stray_Kids) May 1, 2022
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What’s the most memorable thing about the three first days of Stray Kids’ Maniac Tour? Which song would you have added to the setlist? Be sure to let us know by tweeting us at @thehoneypop or visiting us on Facebook and Instagram.
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