The concert took place this past Sunday, and the adrenaline from it has still not worn off. That should be a clear indicator of where this review will be going, but there are so many details you need to know, especially if you plan on visiting this venue, because I will say, STRAY KIDS made this venue special, but not sure if everyone can… I will talk more about that, tips if you go to a show for Stray Kids and/or a show at Rogers Stadium, what to expect, and my honest thoughts. Before you read below, make sure you follow me on social media (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook) as I post more concert/music content! For a preview of what to expect watch the videos below.
About
Stray Kids is a K-pop boy group that was debut under JYPE on 2018 consisting of eight members: Bang Chan (Leader) , Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N. Although most are South Korean, Bang Chan and Felix are from Australia and Han did live in Malaysia for a bit as well. They do have different subunits including 3RACHA consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han who are the main writers and producers of the group who actually started producing and release music back in 2016 before debuting with Stray Kids two years later. Stray Kids is a group with a massive global audience and have had some famous celebrity fans such as Jason Earles (from Hannah Montana) and Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds, who actually shows up in costume in thier music video for Chk Chk Boom! Which is why they have been doing massive stadium tours with a lot cities around the world embracing them. It was cool to see their different personalities during the concert especially during different unit duo performances.
My favourite member, bias, is Bang Chan (also known as Chris) even before I listened to them. Why? Because he always demonstrates a great amount of empathy and kindness to fans and other idols while expressing so much gratitude. From risking his own shot of debuting to sneak in food to TWICE members to eat, to standing up for his members and even in the concert, ensuring fans were ok and they were receiving water to stay hydrated in the heat… he is a great leader and someone I am proud to be a fan of! Below is a video compilation that shows a glimpse of that.
Stray Kids music when I first heard it wasn’t something I really vibed to but they always did have catchy songs with high energy moments. It was definitely more for a younger generation but for me I really became a fan of theirs when they released their song S-Class and Topline (I wish I got the comic even if it is a prop) because to me that’s when I could really understand their duality amount the group and how they can take you on a roller coaster with one song. They have very fun and feel good songs like Stray Kids as well as Maniac but also more intimate songs like Red Lights or high pumping adrenaline rushing songs like LaLaLa.
Tickets and Venue
The event took place at the newly built Rogers Stadium in North York (a borough in Toronto, like Scarborough). Bang Chan repeatedly mentioned they were in the middle of nowhere, and it was true; this used to be an airport, and there isn’t much around with parking being restricted and sand flying around. I know people want to remind others about this being a temporary stadium, but once you go, you can clearly see and feel why. The exact location is 105 Carl Hall Rd, North York. It is accessible via public transit (Downsview Park GO and Downsview TTC, and Sheppard Ave West TTC). However, with the stadium and others promoting taking Uber and public transit, it becomes severely congested and a nightmare to exit, which is why the news covered it the next day. It was also disappointing that they hired so many police officers to prevent people from parking near the stadium, which resulted in people parking in other areas and walking a bit further. I would suggest going towards Sheppard Ave West if you are looking for less congestion.
I know Live Nation, Rogers Stadium, and so many others underestimated the impact of Stray Kids but I did tell people that people from all over Canada and the US will be coming to this show, so I really hope next time they will actually allow parking and better exits for people not to feel overwhelmed. Another issue with this venue is that the stands don’t feel stable. For example, during MIROH (below), we felt our stands moving, which was scary. I jumped once but never again because it could be dangerous, and even walking up the steps didn’t feel easy at all; it was so high up that you could feel it shake when people ran, and some people needed to take breaks to catch their breath. I got my tickets back in November 2024 (which is way ahead for KPOP), and the tickets were about $200 CAD each after taxes. It was a bit pricey, but I didn’t want to get a bad seat, and I knew I didn’t want to get a floor seat either because the view can be bad (for some it was) so I went with West 105 Grandstand Row 21 which had a great view and wasn’t too sunny. I noticed that they had so many seats left, even at the start of the show (one girl got floor seats for $75 right before the show started). My only concern is that when you had to walk up stairs I couldn’t imagine how accessible it is for people that might have issues with stairs. I know there were some places where you can get some assistance for accessibility but not sure what exactly they offer and do to help accomodate.
They even invited influencers for free, which is funny when they really aren’t fans of the group, and a lot of the points they made were contradicted by people who actually paid for the seats. I would love to work with Live Nation one day, given the amount of money I spent on tickets and time writing these reviews, but please try to ensure the creators you spend money on do a good job of bringing more people to the show before it happens. Also, there were different gates to enter, with the main one having a huge line. You have to walk a bit, but if you have an American Express card, then use it to get to gate 3 for easy access.
Something I will say that I like about the stadium is that it did feel like the big stadiums I see on YouTube and similar to BMO Stadium in LA, but bigger. It was nice to have that big open concept, especially for the fireworks (below). Just keep in mind, with severe heat and depending on where you sit you might not get shade so wear appropriate clothing and protection as well as keeping yourself hydrated and other actions to keep you and your loved ones cool.
Food and Activations
I am grouping these two together because they do have similar pointers. Firstly, to enjoy both, you need to arrive early as there will be long lines that conflict with your show time, and for me personally, I would rather skip this than miss the start of the show. I arrived around 6 p.m. and got to my seat at 7:30 p.m., so I was exploring for about an hour and a half, but it wasn’t enough. When I wanted to get some food, even though it was ridiculously overpriced (e.g., patties for $8), I still wanted to eat something because I was worried about the heat. Unfortunately, all the vegetarian options were sold out. Also, when trying to get some kind of cold pop, those were also sold out, and eventually we got a tall Pepsi for $7 or $9, which wasn’t initially on sale and reserved to make alcoholic drinks but allowed us to purchase. There were several alcoholic drinks available, more than water or iced tea. Also, the water stations had huge lines, so we ended up paying $7 and then filling my BTS X Gongcha tumbler with it, which kept it cold throughout the concert, and I recommend you do something similar! It would have been cool to have some exclusive Stray Kids food at the venue even a special drink like their label mates ITZY had. Below was a popup Stray Kids cafe I went to that was really cool and wish could be incorporated at future concerts.
In terms of activations, I noticed Rogers was trying to do something similar to PTD Los Angeles, but it wasn’t as engaging. Speaking of, apparently they are trying to bring them in 2026 to perform five nights in a row. You might have noticed the Ferris wheel but the lineups for that were really long. Personally, I wasn’t too concerned about it, but I was intrigued in the Rogers Replay, where there is an activation where you scan the QR code, connect to their wifi, and take clips at certain spots where you would get a video edit of yourself at the concert. We went to the big one and took some photos and videos, and enjoyed the live DJ. However, the problem is that even though they have an online map of where each touchpoint is to take photos and videos. The staff working at each activation were nice, but they weren’t too sure of where certain ones were and even though it said something was there, there was no signage to locate. The final video had a lot of generic video and not even the ones we recorded ,like the 360 video. Tip: When you go early do this if you want but start with ferris wheel, eat your food, and then do the Rogers Replay activities.
Merchandise
This is something that I have mixed feelings about as well. I do appreciate that there were multiple merch booths at the venue, but when you have 50,000 people attending you need to set up even more or extend your hours to adapt because these lines were massive! Each line had hundreds of people in it and even the pre-sale the day before stopped an hour earlier than stated because of how many people there were. I think they should have done something similar to SVT Right Here Tour, where they had merch available a few days before and after the concert while also giving the option to reserve and pick up certain items. The merchandise I really needed were the lightsticks and thankfully we saw a popup by KPOP Nation (from Los Angeles) which I talk about in the video below to easily secure them. My sister also ended up going to a merch booth while they were taking a break and talking and was able to get me the Toronto exclusive shirt and a tour t-shirt for hers. The merchandise design are actually good looking and although it is pricey, the genuinely look great.
Concert Performance
The concert started at 7:45 p.m. and ended around 11 p.m. which seems really long but trust me they didn’t make it feel like that. I wanted to go to a Stray Kids concert ever since I started to properly get into them but I had no expectations of how they will be. I was blown away and this is hands down my favourite concert of the year! I love the theatrics and high energy they put into each performance. There were several songs I listened to before and thought it was ok that I keep signing randomly days after the concert. This is why you pay money to go see a concert. You want artists to give their all and make you feel good which Stray Kids did. Beyond their energy their production value was incredible from fireworks to pyrotechnics to the confetti or the dancers and props used (e.g., when performing GIANT).
I also want to mention they have great fan immersive experiences such as the unit performances that get close with the crowd, especially during Lee Know and Seungmin’s performance of Cinema which had a credit roll (I wish I recorded) that featured some of the fans in attendance names. They also had carts that got a lot of people excited and they were paying attention to Stays during that moment as well. From the water splashes and also running in the crowd, you can’t say Stray Kids don’t care about their fans. This concert was memorable and Rogers Stadium is beyond lucky to have hosted them because they transformed it into something magical. I can’t get over how good this concert was and hands down one of the best KPop concerts I have been to and one of the best overall concerts I have attended in Toronto!
Overall and Tips
If you have the chance, definitely see Stray Kids live! Even if you are not into Kpop I am sure you will have fun and will appreciate the members’ efforts and fan engagement. If you are going to a show at the Rogers Stadium, please prepare and stay safe! Here are some quick tips:
- Arrive early to avoid longer lines and enjoy the activations comfortably as well as get food before it sells out
- Bring a water bottle that can keep things cool and buy one at the venue if the refill station lines are too long
- Try to park in areas where you are not too far away but still ok to park and walk to the venue
- Wear very comfortable shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty because it can be a long, straining walk with a lot of sand.
- Lower 100s seem like a great view of the stage while being close to them when they are on their carts
- Bring a power bank and a clear bag
- Eat before you go in case you can’t get proper food
- Take the sheppard avenue exit when leaving the concert to experience less people congested when leaving
- If you are going to take TTC or GO or Uber, there will be some wait time but if you are going to drive it’s at your own risk but parking further out can help avoid the big congestion
Overall, I had a great time because of Stray Kids and happy to be part of history since this was the first ever concert at Rogers Stadium. I hope Live Nation does make improvements to make their venue better for fans and hopefully they can use my feedback here to help. I hope this review helps if you plan on going to a show here or if you’re seeing Stray Kids in the future! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on social media by following me on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for more concert, k-pop, and music content!