Stray Kids Drives Fans Wild in Historic Rock in Rio Debut

It took a while for Brazil’s major festivals to give K-pop a space proportional to the strength the genre has already achieved worldwide.

On Friday (Sept.

11), Rock in Rio changed that scenario by dedicating a night of the Palco Mundo (World Stage) to the genre for the first time.

And it fell to Stray Kids to close out this historic chapter as headliner.

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From early on, STAYs took over the Cidade do Rock with custom lightsticks, group T-shirts, fans, and plenty of anticipation to see the eight members again in Brazil.

The response matched the hype.

Stray Kids closed out the Palco Mundo lineup with an explosive show, driven by intense choreography, hits from different eras of their career, and constant interaction with a crowd that barely stopped screaming.

This reunion was exactly what the members had been waiting for.

In an interview with Billboard Brasil before the festival, the group had already spoken about their eagerness to see Brazilian fans again.

At Rock in Rio, one only had to look at the crowd to see the feeling was mutual.

“We’ll make sure there’s a lot of passion,” they said.

“DOMINO” and “BOUNCE BACK” kicked off a sequence that had already raised the energy sky-high within the first few minutes.

“Thunderous” and “MANIAC” kept up the intensity, backed by precise choreography and the packed Cidade do Rock singing along.