Stray Kids, the popular K-pop boy band formed by JYP Entertainment, recently completed their second world tour titled Stray Kids World Tour ‘Maniac’. The tour spanned 24 concerts across 16 cities in Asia, North America, Australia and Europe. With their growing popularity since debut in 2017, one of the biggest questions around the tour was – did Stray Kids sell out their tour stops?
Tour Dates and Locations
The Stray Kids World Tour ‘Maniac’ kicked off in Seoul, South Korea on June 25, 2022. They went on to perform in various cities in Japan, USA, Canada, Mexico, England, Germany, France, Netherlands, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines and Australia. Some of the major venues included Tokyo Dome, Madison Square Garden in New York, The Forum in Los Angeles, Mercedes Benz Arena in Berlin, Accor Arena in Paris, and Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The tour came to an end with two encore concerts back in Seoul on October 15 and 16, 2022.
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| June 25, 2022 | Seoul | KSPO Dome |
| July 16, 2022 | Tokyo | Tokyo Dome |
| July 30, 2022 | Los Angeles | The Forum |
| August 6, 2022 | New York City | Madison Square Garden |
| August 30, 2022 | London | The O2 Arena |
| September 7, 2022 | Paris | Accor Arena |
| September 28, 2022 | Jakarta | Indonesia Convention Exhibition |
| October 1, 2022 | Manila | Mall of Asia Arena |
| October 4, 2022 | Sydney | Qudos Bank Arena |
| October 15-16, 2022 | Seoul | KSPO Dome |
Ticketing Details
For most legs of the tour in Asia, tickets went on sale 2-3 months prior to the concert dates. Pre-sales options were made available for fan club members and credit card holders. Given Stray Kids’ immense popularity in South Korea and Japan, tickets for the dates in Seoul and Tokyo sold out almost instantly. Extra dates were eventually added in both cities to meet demands.
In North America, tickets went on sale 4-5 months in advance through Ticketmaster. Most of the shows including New York, LA, Fort Worth, Atlanta, Toronto and Mexico City completely sold out within days. VIP packages were also sold out weeks before the concerts.
For the European leg, tickets went on sale 5-6 months in advance. The London, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam concerts saw tickets sell out within hours after online bookings opened. Additional dates were added in Paris and Berlin because of the huge demand.
In Southeast Asia, the Jakarta concert was a full house within a day of ticket sales opening. Extra dates were added in Singapore and Bangkok too. The Sydney concert down under also achieved a sold out status after tickets went live.
Reasons for Sellouts
There are several factors that contributed to the instant sellouts and huge demand for Stray Kids’ tour:
Expanding Popularity
Over the past 2 years, Stray Kids have grown to become one of the most popular K-pop groups worldwide. Their album sales, music video views and social media followers have all steadily risen. This expanding fanbase meant bigger demand for their concerts.
Limited Touring History
This was only Stray Kids’ second ever world tour since their debut in 2017. Their first world tour ‘District 9: Unlock’ in 2019 had very limited stops. So fans were super eager for the chance to see them live after 3 years.
Pent-up Demand After COVID
The COVID-19 pandemic had brought live concerts to a standstill worldwide in 2020 and most of 2021. So once restrictions were lifted, fans were desperate to see their favorite artists live. This contributed to the instant sellouts.
Exclusive Tour Merchandise
Concerts usually come with special tour merch that is not available elsewhere. Diehard fans look forward to getting their hands on rare tour T-shirts, hoodies, light sticks, bags etc. The FOMO (fear of missing out) resulted in frenzied ticket purchases.
Setlist Spoilers on Social Media
These days, setlist details and performances are instantly shared by attendees on social media as the concert is going on. Fans who missed out on tickets feel disappointed seeing the online posts. This created fear of missing out the next time around.
Positive Reviews
As the tour progressed, positive reviews started pouring in on social media. Fans who attended showered praise on the production, setlist and performances. This generated more buzz and demand for upcoming stops.
Rare Overseas Performances
K-pop groups rarely hold concerts in certain parts of the world like Mexico, Amsterdam or Jakarta. So local fans in these cities were super eager to catch their idols live as they may not return for a long time.
Ticket Resale Prices
Sold out Stray Kids tour dates inevitably led to a thriving ticket resale market on websites like StubHub. Let us look at how steeply ticket prices rose:
| City | Orig. Price Range | Resale Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $50 – $300 | $200 – $1000 |
| Los Angeles | $50 – $250 | $150 – $700 |
| London | £50 – £200 | £200 – £800 |
| Jakarta | Rp 500k – Rp 3M | Rp 1M – Rp 10M |
| Tokyo | ¥7,000 – ¥25,000 | ¥15,000 – ¥80,000 |
As seen above, the resale prices were often 3-5x times (and sometimes even 10x) the original ticket prices. Such inflated rates did not deter die-hard Stray Kids fans from paying astronomical amounts for a chance to see their favorite group.
Revenue Records
Stray Kids reportedly grossed over $100 million in touring revenue from the 24 concerts. Some of the highlights:
- The 2-day stint in Seoul grossed around $10 million, becoming the highest for a K-pop concert in South Korea.
- In North America, the 6 concerts grossed over $30 million in total revenue.
- The Madison Square Garden concert alone earned $7.9 million with ticket prices averaging at $300.
- In Japan, their Tokyo Dome and Kyocera Dome dates grossed $17 million across 3 concerts.
- The European leg grossed around $25 million from 6 concerts, with Paris bringing in $6.2 million.
These massive numbers underline just how popular Stray Kids have become worldwide and how ready fans were to spend top dollar to watch them live.
Impact on Stray Kids
The immense success of the tour has been a major career milestone for the Stray Kids members. Some of the key impacts on them:
Career Validation
The tour provided validation to Stray Kids about their soaring popularity and success as K-pop idols. Selling out arenas worldwide is a major achievement early in their careers.
Rising Confidence
Performing live successfully in front of thousands of cheering fans has likely given a big boost to the members’ confidence levels.
Stronger Fan Connection
seeing their loyal fanbase turn up in huge numbers across continents strengthened the connection between Stray Kids and STAYs.
Memorable Experiences
The tour provided once-in-a-lifetime experiences for the boys to explore new countries and build unforgettable on-stage moments.
Chart Success
Arena tours boost an artist’s popularity and visibility. Shortly after it ended, Stray Kids earned their first ever #1 on Billboard’s Artist 100 chart.
Conclusion
In summary, Stray Kids’ most recent world tour was an enormous success with multiple sold out shows and record revenues. The instant sellouts highlight their immense popularity and devoted fanbase. The tour provided career validation for the members and strengthened their connection with fans. Its success establishes Stray Kids as a top-tier K-pop group who can headline arenas worldwide. As their popularity keeps rising, future tours are likely to be even bigger spectacles with higher production values and elaborated setlists catering to their expanding fanbase.
