On October 16th, 2025, K-Pop girl group STAYC lit up the stage at The Theater at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland making it the 7th show out of their 10-stop United States tour, [STAY TUNED]. The show brought in an electric audience of the DMV’s biggest K-Pop fans who set the exciting atmosphere long before the show began. STAYC fans, a.k.a. SWITH, with the VIP benefits package got to experience an intimate soundcheck one hour prior to doors opening, enjoying an unstructured, intimate sing and dance-along with STAYC complete with an unforgettable meet and greet session with the members of the group, Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon, and J.
There was a slight delay to the show due to member, Seeun, not feeling well. In a pre-show announcement across the theater, there were promises to STAYC’s worried SWITH that Seeun will try her best to perform, despite feeling sick. Nonetheless, fans still showered the remaining members with support to keep the show going as planned while sending Seeun words of encouragement on social media app ‘X’, telling her to feel better and to spread the word to other SWITH to send love her way as she recovers.
Despite missing Seeun, STAYC brought performances that energized SWITH to happily sing and dance along with their top hits BEAUTIFUL MONSTER, Bubble, and ASAP. The setlist also included slower B-side songs like Beauty Bombfrom their most recent 2024 studio album METAMORPHIC. The members dedicated a portion of their show to their unit songs and solo performances offering a swift yet dimensional dynamic to the full concept of the show, which like the tour name [STAY TUNED] suggests, had SWITH engaged and “staying tuned” for the next song. During the various talking portions of the show, STAYC were eager to hear SWITH’s reactions to their setlist, asking what they thought of each song and encouraging them to make as much noise as they wanted. STAYC also expressed their love and gratitude towards SWITH by giving thanks to those who traveled to see them, to those watching the show with friends or alone, and most of all, to those who continue to love and support their music.
SWITH and other DMV K-Pop fans have expressed hope that the region can soon become a new hub for Korean entertainment much to that of New York City and Los Angeles because of their enthusiasm and eagerness to spread the enjoyment of K-Pop as a way to connect with others. This exact eagerness and excitement that transcends across DMV K-Pop fans offers an distinct testament to the rapid growth of the K-Pop movement. STAYC now joins The Theater at MGM National Harbor’s roster of K-Pop and other Korean musical acts that has been building throughout the years with P1Harmony, AESPA, and BIBI. With more and more K-Pop concerts entering the array of spaces across the DMV, the wave of Korean Hallyu continues to flow quickly, with STAYC now being a part of the tide.
photos + words: Kim E.