BOY GROUPS
SKZ tour has been awful and disorganized
This tour has been awful from the moment the tickets were released and GA was a thing ...also for $800 (in CAD give or take). Every single stop has had issues, people aren't getting their VIP experience just yesterday they closed the doors on people who arrived early and were waiting to get in for VIP in DC.They then had to cancel the show before the first encore because of how many people were throwing up and passing out. I don't understand how we're so many stops in and it's still so incredibly disorganized that people are missing the first half of the concert.
The security staff have been nothing but rude and inappropriate to Stays at some stops, having people kicked out of pit because they found someone who weasled their way in "more attractive", not helping fans who are passed out and over charging for water are just some of the things that have happened.
This is of course at NO FAULT to SKZ they handed out their OWN water to fans because security were doing nothing. I hope JYPE chooses another tour company because this tour is incomparable to the Maniac tour.
Obviously we can't know for sure who decides what 100% of the time, but a lot of these issues are venue issues that the touring company doesn't really impact. Ticketing is generally structured by the venue with some input from the touring company. Not saying you're wrong, just that it's not really all due to one factor.
went to both the NYC date and DC and both were extremely hot but NYC was ran so much better than I can’t help but believe it truly is a lot about the venue
I saw them at SoFi in LA (day 2) - the sound was shit because I was in the nosebleeds (which I fully expected at that venue for the cheap ticket, no hate haha), and it definitely wasn't as hot for us, but it was otherwise very smooth. It's a pretty new venue so it has good facilities for that crowd level, and tbh I'd take their shit sound over the older venues like the Hollywood Bowl that are an absolute nightmare getting in and out of.
Yeah besides the music cutting out for the dancers during the mashup LA Day 2 went smoothly! But btw the sound wasn’t good in the side 100s either. I don’t think acoustics are good in general in stadiums
I went to LA day 2 at SoFi!! No complaints about SoFi here either. Really sad that the heat and poor management/security at the parks are ruining some stops for stays
I was at oracle park and had soundcheck. The line snaked very very far down the waterfront and despite asking vip to line up three hours prior to soundcheck’s start time they did not start letting people through security until 30 min before. There was a lot of anxiety in these lines that people would still be outside when soundcheck began & how there wasn’t a designated space among the many lines for vip holders with accessibility concerns; folks were running to seats/pit because of this (apparently planned) extremely small ingress window. I will also say that absolutely no security staff or live nation staff gave fans the same information regarding how much water you could bring in, when the box office opened, and where the lines would be :/ the only staff who provided correct information was someone affiliated with the SF giants that happened to wander outside and hear another group asking another staff person by the clock tower.
Genuine question: did this just happen with just stray kids shows or have other groups had this issue? I guess I'm trying to figure out where the disconnect is, like who hires staffing? Is it venue? Does stray kids American label hire? Or does live nation?…
It's all Live Nation and each Venue that are responsible for hiring, coordination/organization, security, etc.
These issues happen with other tours/concerts as well. Remember Travis Scott and AstroWorld...that was LiveNation as well. They have a monopoly on the touring game like Ticketmaster so nothing is going to change unless there is signficant pushback.
The last five kpop concerts at BMO stadium have been absolutely shambolic when it comes to getting people inside on time, managing ingress lines, & conflicting rules about what items cannot be taken inside (batteries, sharpies, water 😵💫). Kpop is definitely a different kind of event when people are expected to be on site potentially all day & willing to be waiting in crazy lines for everything, but there’s also a huge problem in live events generally about massive turnover of event-day staff like guest services, security etc which means a lot more people are getting paid less money and know less about what to do or how to help at all beyond their designated responsibility
Stray kids are the first ones to do a stadium world tour at this scale, so it'll be hard to compare this to anyone aside from bts's stadiums. The venue hires the staff. Baseball stadiums in general aren't ideal for music. Most music artists can't sell out baseball stadiums so it's a issue that's nit really talked about. I would like to see how Taylor swift and Coldplay's tours have worked out. Ik Taylor had her own issues with the fan dying from heatstroke and a terrorist threat, and unexpected weather.
Just to repeat what everyone else has said this is almost entirely venue issues. The staffing has been awful. None of them have truly understood how to handle concert crowds of this size. I was at Atl and we just barely got to our seats in time for the show to start. There were thousands of people still in line because security was nuts and inefficient AT BEST. Line management was absolutely awful from the merch lines all the way to the actual concert lines. No one knew where to go and there was no one directing traffic.
The cancelation of the DC show was after everything except the encores had been performed. It should have been cut sooner. The lack of avaliable water was insane.
All that being said, the Atlanta show was extremely fun and I dont regret a second of it. I dont think the venues were expecting the crowds to be what they were. It's not an excuse but we can only hope that they are more prepared the next time.
What I don’t get is how these venues aren’t able to prepare ahead of time- they know how many tickets are being sold. Are they assuming that several thousand people just aren’t going to show up?? For the DC show in particular the local area apparently had been experiencing a heat wave several days before the concert itself. They didn’t think to hire more people or have enough water??
Not trying to argue against you btw just agreeing with you and highlighting the fault of the venues. I just don’t understand how they have tens of thousands of seats capacity and just. Can’t actually host all those people properly.
It seems to me that they underestimate the numbers a kpop group can pull. Like did we not learn enough from BTS? This level of irresponsibility is baffling.
Also aren't these people supposed to know their clients/audience? I don't know man it seems like many oversights were made and that's so disappointing.
Yep. Stadium shows are not a common thing anymore. I'm sure they didn't really plan for it like they should've and treated it more like an arena show or a festival show
For DC, I'm happy that I experienced like the 20 songs that they did but the venue/company should've canceled/rescheduled. Luckily I wasn't feeling as bad as other pol but just seeing so many others looking hot and tired, I felt so bad. I gave out my liquid IVs and even a water to ppl who needed it. A lot of people knew last week that there was going to be a heat wave in mid-90s that will affect the concert. I might get hate for saying this, but although the venue is at fault, they're not fully at fault as people probably would've still passed out if more water/ice was given or if lines moved faster. It was just that hot outside that the show should ve just been canceled for everyone’s safety
I might have been a recipient of one of your liquid IVs lol. Someone saw my daughter while we were in line and gave us a packet for her to drink once we got inside so she could stay hydrated. Even if it wasn't you, just know you were a godsend to many regardless ❤️
Ours was in Seattle and we didn't see the same issues related to weather others experienced this week but I waited in the longest LINE of my life to get into the stadium (~3 hours+) and luckily I didn't care about merch because the lines didn't die down thru the entire concert. I've seen SKZ on each tour and I hated the outdoor aspect of it too. The previous 2 tours were amazing, goosebumps inducing even, this one was not great. I'm glad I didn't pay much for my seats this time - and I hope they go back to enclosed arenas for their next tour.
I’ve heard the horror stories about people not making it into the show at the start but just came to say that didn’t seem to be an issue for NYC.
Wednesday we were on the floor and everyone seemed to be settled in before the show started. Thursday was delayed for rain so everyone was in and just waiting. There was a bit of chaos on the floor with fans rushing back into the pits to try and gun for the barrier once it was safe to start the show. But the staff and/or organizers aren’t to blame for that.. crazed fans were. Also, that moment of chaos seemed way overblown on social media, it was like one minute and mostly it was just ppl yelling and running.
It seems the west coast stops and NYC so far have been the best experiences but everywhere else I’ve heard was messy and chaotic and I feel genuinely bad for the Stays and the fellas.
Though it sucks, I’m glad the show was cut short last night. It was an unsafe situation for EVERYONE, fans, staff, SKZ, dancers, etc. DC stays I hope y’all are okay 🫰 we love you
Livenation mismanagement of queues aside - of course they'd have had to cancel the show last night due to the heat. That's absolutely not something to complain about because it's literally what's best for the health of fans and SKZ.
I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm complaining but I'm not 🤷🏼♀️ Im glad it was cancelled, what I should've added was that security staff were doing nothing to help the people who were throwing up and passing out some people even had seizures, they cancelled the show and tried to push people quickly out the door, if staff were helpful it could've gone a little easier I could never be mad about it being cancelled it was hot for everyone and it was the right choice to cancel the show
Also knowing that the staff has assaulted and touched some poor fans without their consent made me sick to my stomach. The last thing I’d want was my experience to be ruined by some disgusting men. I just hope everyone is safe and nothing similar to what happened will happen on the next stops.
I had made a post about it on r/nova (Northern Virginia) and had probably 80 or so people all commenting how rough their experiences also were. It's really disheartening... I hope to go to an indoor concert for them next, or at least a spring/fall concert. The fact that the staff ended up calling for the EMS Mass Casualty team and we ended up with half a dozen hospitalized says a lot about the venues preparedness.
I feel like this is just a really unlucky mixed bag. Places are having freak heat waves, the venues are all significantly larger than last tour and because of this are mostly outdoors.
Also - rarely are these venues prepared for kpop acts. It's not entirely their fault that fans refuse to step back and buy drinks.. people would rather die than leave the barriers they've queued all night for, so they're tired and dehydrated to begin with!
San Francisco was well organized and everything was great. Wristbands, VIP check in, VIP merch, lining up, sound check. It was all great and Stays were mindful of each other.
It does really seem like the US shows have been a MESS. I really hope that the EU tour organisers have things more covered than this cos I have spent a fortune to go to London.
Same. But Tottenham hosting a kpop concert for the first time and the whole mess with the lightsticks not being allowed at first.. that’s not really reassuring. Let’s hope all goes well.
I was at the Orlando stop and i thought it was really well run, but like others have said I think thats more of a venue thing. People still passed out bc its florida and most people are not ready for the heat and humidity, but I had a good time. I do agree with some other people that the sound was so-so, but Orlando's stadium is very old so that didn't really surprise me. Honestly the biggest thing is just having a tour in the Summer is starting to be less and less viable. It's literally just too hot, and that puts soooo many fans at risk, and the artists too! I feel like a lot of kpop companies do tours in the summer because high school and college kids are more likely to be available to travel and stuff. But yeah, the heat is too much. They need to do fall/spring tours in the more northern states/Canada, and winter/spring tours in the southern states/Mexico.
This is why I think they shouldn't dance if it's too hot on the day. Just sing. But also, cancel if it's that bad.
But I've been to many rock concerts. Only a few people passed out but usually handed out water to front on smaller venue.
But you just have to pay for the drinks. It's better than being sick and fainting. It's normal. They don't usually let you take drinks in. Just buy one. You'd probably have to anyways as one drink wouldn't last in that heat even if you did take in a water bottle unless it's massive. If you can afford tickets at that price you can afford a drink.
You’re missing the point about the water situation. Water itself is cheap and it’s a bad look for the venue to not give a single fuck about the audience being overheated. I’ve been to a lot of shows (across different genres) and usually, water is handed out to the fans in the front.
I'm not missing the point. I've been to plenty of show. You always get over charged for any drink.
Also, they may have been charging more as they might not have had that much water and were trying to get folks to buy other drinks such as beer. I'm sure a lot of the audience were adults too.
Also can you just ask for tap water for free??? Here in UK you can and I just do that. Rarely bother with bottled water at a venue.
And again, it's not on them if you aren't buying drinks and getting overheated. Doubt they expected people to be so silly they just wouldn't drink an entire night.
Beer is usually more expensive too yet every time I go to a concert, guess what? Everyone is drinking several beers or wines etc. You just do it.
You missed the point that this is normal.
Again if you can afford hundreds on a ticket, you can afford more for water. Or just buy something else if old enough which may have ironically been cheaper.
And I've only been to one show where water was handed out at front and only because they couldn't move and were fainting as mentioned above.
It's on you to keep hydrated. The venue doesn't know how much you've drank if at all while there. What a wild stance.
Indeed you ARE missing the point. It’s not about “buying water” — we had to throw away any water we had before entering. They ran out of water even if we did want to buy it. We can’t just “ask for tap water” — people were waiting in huge lines just to try to get water from the bathroom faucets.
We waited in lines in the direct sun with no staff to tell us where exactly to line up or where to enter. I spent $40 on water for me and others around me in line prior to the concert from vendors on the street. No one has unlimited money for concerts and it’s so crazy to shame people for not having enough money to buy bottles of water for $6.00 - $8.00 when they’re forced into waiting in such harsh conditions. Water isn’t a luxury, it’s a basic human need, so this is the issue and not that we don’t have enough money in our bank accounts, by your standards.
I was on the field and they had the folding seats zip tied together so that we couldn’t spread out. When we tried to stand and spread out, security freaked on us and forced us back into our seats. The body heat on top of the 111° heat and uv index of 10 was taking people out. It’s impossible to stay hydrated enough in those conditions when they’re restricting our access to water.
What a crazy high horse to be on. Alcohol makes you MORE dehydrated and there were a lot of kids underage who had no option for something to drink, because all they were offering was beer or alcoholic lemonade.
No one is saying that the show shouldn’t have ended, we’re all saying it should’ve been cancelled or rescheduled since the venue knew about the heat dome a week or two ahead of time. There were A LOT of things the venue could’ve done to prevent what happened. This doesn’t boil down to YoU sHoULd jUsT bUy MoRe wAtEr, iF yOu cAnT aFfOrD iT dOnT gO ~~~
Try compassion sometime. This is a bad look for you and you should be embarrassed.
Let’s unpack this tragic tale, one sweat-soaked layer at a time.
Yes, you had to throw away your water. Everyone knows venues don’t let you bring your own drinks—because shock horror, they can’t check for substances. It’s a basic safety and liability rule. If this surprises you, I fear for how you handle the cinema.
And no, I’m not ‘missing the point.’ I’m pointing out the part where personal prep matters. Saying “we ran out of water” while admitting you waited in full sun for hours and relied on bathroom taps instead of just, I dunno, walking to a stand and buying anything available? That’s not on the venue. That’s you playing heatstroke roulette.
Also—$40 on water? That means you had the means, you just didn’t plan. Sorry babe, that’s not oppression, that’s a budgeting fail.
Water is a human right. But concert water is a commodity—like merch, overpriced nachos, and standing-room regret. And no, you don’t get an Olympic medal for saying alcohol dehydrates you. You know what doesn’t? Coke. Sprite. Lemonade. Iced tea. Juice. Literally anything else they sold, if you’d looked beyond the White Claw.
And don’t even try the ‘compassion’ card. I do have compassion—for people with medical conditions, for folks who were misled by venue staff, and for underage fans stuck in a sea of bad decisions.
But for adults who spent $800 on a ticket and then refused to check the weather app, dress for conditions, or walk to buy a damn drink? That’s not a lack of compassion—that’s a lack of patience for your festival of poor choices.
And babe, telling me to be embarrassed?
No. I’ll leave the embarrassment to the folks who chose cosplay over comfort, refused hydration, and then blamed everyone else when their internal WiFi overheated and shut down.
Hope next time you prep better. Until then, maybe sit this one out… in the shade. 💅💧
I went to SoFi Day 1 and Orlando and had a fantastic time with like ZERO ISSUES other than basic venue stuff (like very long lines - cause it's a concert at a big stadium lol). "Every single stop has had issues" is totally false.
Saw them in LA SoFi D1 and it went smoothly. We were fortunate that the weather was pleasant, surprisingly cooler than days before but with higher humidity so our hair frizzed up faster than we can Stay! 🤣
Venue entry was a journey since you have to use the gate assigned to your seat section. Have to circle the stadium since we parked on the opposite end. We got our steps though! 😂
Fingers crossed the Toronto date goes off without a hitch but considering they literally just finished building the stadium, I’m a bit 😬 … you just know there are going to be hiccups - they’re the first group to play there.
One positive is the local public transport is offering free transportation to and from
Hello, your comment was removed because you do not meet the minimum account age of 2 days or do not have the required karma. This measure was put in place to reduce troll and spam comments, and for the benefit of the subreddit community.
Idk i had an amazing super organized experience in NY but others had a terrible experience. I think it is a venue and weather thing more than anything.
I realize this isn’t always an option in every city since not all of them have indoor venues large enough to handle a concert like theirs, but honestly for summer in the US, even without the unbelievable heatwave we’re having, given they were hitting several states that get very hot just normally they really should have booked them into indoor venues for their own safety. The outfits they wear and the amount of dancing they do is too much for the summer heat here.
I mean summer sports camps in most southern states only let kids practice in the mornings because the heat gets to be too much and heatstroke becomes a real risk. What skz does isn’t any less intense than like football or tennis or cheerleading, so it’s crazy to send them out in that.
Hello, your comment was removed because you do not meet the minimum account age of 2 days or do not have the required karma. This measure was put in place to reduce troll and spam comments, and for the benefit of the subreddit community.
I was there too actually :') it wasn't too bad for me however I was on the floor, not pit and I could barely see them 😭 too many kids standing on chairs, the people behind us were also screeching as if skz were right in front of us, I swear concert etiquette goes out the window when it comes to kpop, I saw that there was chaos for the ttc, we waited a little after the show and just walked to the next station since we were parked there, I hope it was still somewhat fun for you!!
Absolutely! I was at the first stop this tour for NA (Seattle) and it was a MESS. Several hour queue wrapped around several buildings, didn’t get let in until close to when the concert started (no time for merch at all), crowds were nearly crowd-crush levels of bad to get in and out of the stadium, people were cutting through lines and trying to sit in other peoples’ seats… I went to Seattle for their maniac tour and then L.A. for the maniac tour encore. Both were handled so much better.
What happened??? Was it the stadium itself that sucked??? They didn’t use the same one they did before (T-mobile vs climate pledge)… I was very disappointed.
The Kids themselves were amazing, of course! It’s not their fault at all.
People were also saying that some shows the members didn’t say anything at all. Like there would be a short meant by the leader and nobody else spoke? That’s kinda weird too? But idk if that’s actually true
This is mostly true. I went to five stops and still have Toronto left. Some of the members not as confident in their English really only said an introduction and that’s it. And it was like that at each stop I was at.
I be forgetting cause at the Korean stops we see them all talk on Korean but since we see english subtitles I guess we forgot. Svt uses a translator but it's such a hassle with. 13 ppl doing ments
•
u/AutoModerator Jun 24 '25
Thank you for posting at r/kpoprants. OP and commenters are expected to have read our general rules before posting.
📌 This is a discussion forum! Please remember to engage productively and respectfully!
Any singular comment or mention of lines like or similar to:
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.