by Hailie Balding
I first saw STAYC in 2023 for their TEENFRESH tour. They were my favorite girl group then, and they still are today. When they announced their 2025 world tour STAY TUNED, I had zero hesitation in clearing my calendar.
Getting to see STAYC is always an absolute delight, but this year felt even more special than their previous show. STAY TUNED was their third show in the same venue. Rosemont Theater first saw STAYC for their performance at KCON Premiere, then for TEENFRESH, and now, STAY TUNED. I can’t speak for the audience at KCON, but between STAYC’s own shows, a lot had changed over two years, and the crowd was fairly different.
It was something I knew was going to be much different just from the ticketing process. 2023 felt like a fight to death trying to get tickets. It was competitive, and I left that ticketing queue relieved I was able to get tickets within my budget. This year’s ticketing felt shockingly casual. There were even still soundcheck VIP and standard tickets available for months afterward.
While the crowd may have been smaller, the energy was still flourishing among fans and the girls. It was a bit quieter just due to size, but you could tell that everyone who was there was truly excited, in the moment, and happy to see the group.
STAYC, still as sweet as ever, felt much chattier and more personable this year, too. They spent a lot of time talking to fans about how the tour had been so far and sharing on-stage stories like Yoon and pranking Sumin by running off stage at the end of their unit performance as a payback for when Sumin had done it to her.
STAYC were really focused on bringing the energy and keeping fans on their toes all night. The members even walked through the first-floor crowd toward the end of the show to interact with the audience more closely. This difference really made it feel like the first tour’s purpose was to show their global audience who they were and establish their performance talents, and this one was about deepening the connection with their fan base, SWITH.
During one of the talking sessions, member Sieun really connected with fans as she talked about the group’s fondness for Chicago. She talked about the food, getting to see the fans, and what they’d been up to in the city. While reflecting on all the group’s visits to Chicago over the past 3 years, she brought up a photobook they had produced in 2022 that’s composed of photos of them in Chicago during 2022’s KCON Premiere. Here, she revealed that KCON Premiere was actually the group’s very first overseas schedule.
Since they debuted in November of 2020, they didn’t start performing in front of live audiences until the tail end of 2021, and touring didn’t kick off again until early 2022. Sieun said it was one of the biggest things that always makes them excited to return to Chicago. It was nice to see an idol show such pure admiration and love for a city that I also hold close to my own heart.
The performances, just like during TEENFRESH, were to die for. This year’s set even featured one solo and two unit stages this year. Seeun, Sieun, & J performed “Find,” Yoon and Sumin performed “Fakin’,” and ISA performed her solo “Roses.” While a lot of newer songs made it onto the setlist, I felt that there were still a good number of songs that we’d heard on the previous tour. But I can easily attribute this to the sheer number of fan-favorites the group has from their early discography.
Songs like “SO BAD,” “ASAP,” “Stereotype,” and “RUN2U” were guaranteed to be on this set once again, but I was delighted with the inclusion of their Metamorphic title track, “Cheeky Icy Thang.”
Even with a smaller turnout, the STAYC members showed up and made an unforgettable night for SWITH. Everyone in the room was having fun, and it showed. This show was everything I looked forward to as the girls really gave it their all again. I’m excited for what they will bring on the next tour.
