Third Shift Musings - You're Never Too Old for K-Pop!

What it was like seeing Stray Kids last week

Unless you truly do not listen to music, you’ve heard a K-pop song at one time or another. Whether it was BTS, BLACKPINK, or my current faves, Stray Kids, one of their songs made its way into your brain.

I didn’t start listening to K-pop until right before lockdown. One of my friends has a sister who is obsessed with BTS. Like, she BREATHES that group. I had heard of them before but never bothered to look them up or listen to any of their music. But my friend’s sister convinced me just by her sheer excitement when she talked about them.

I went on everyone’s favorite channel, YouTube, and watched BTS’ video titled “DNA” and I was mesmerized. The colors, the outfits, the DANCING. Some of those moves were so complicated there was no way in Hell I could attempt to replicate them (yes, I still try to do choreo and I’m not ashamed). I watched that video several times in a row and tried to learn the words each time. After that, I went down a BTS rabbit hole and I too became part of the Army. Then I found Stray Kids.

Stray Kids came onto my radar completely by accident. I was again on YouTube and the algorithm decided it to fill my feed with videos of straight men reacting to the song “God’s Menu.” I thought it was weird because why would I care want to watch that? I was nervous that the videos would be a bunch of homophobic reactions but I was pleasantly surprised for several reasons: 1) the song itself is fire; 2) the video is visually stunning and different from anything I’ve seen before; and 3) FELIX’S VOICE.

Felix (along with Bang Chan, I.N., Lee Know, Hyunjin, Seungmin, Changbin and my fave, HAN, all of them making up the group Stray Kids) has one of the deepest voices I’ve heard in a long time. What’s wild is he looks like a damn angel. His face is almost shocking because he’s that beautiful (that’s the only word I think is appropriate to describe him). You would never believe that he would sound like that.

I’ve been listening to Stray kids ever since and this year I decided to see them live. If you know me irl, you know I LOVE concerts. I’ve been going to shows since I was 12-years old and I’ll probably be going to them until I’m 120. So of course I bought a ticket after talking one of my friends into going (mind you, I was fully prepared to go alone). And let me tell you, going to a K-pop concert at my big age was FUN thanks mainly to the fans. They were AMAZING. I had forgotten what it was like to go crazy over a boy band. These fans screamed at a decibel I did not think was possible. And they knew every single song. I mean every song. And Stray Kids sing their songs in Korean and English. THESE FANS KNEW EVERY SINGLE WORD. And it was exhilarating. One young girl a couple of rows behind me literally screamed each song and it made me laugh so hard.

Being my age now, going to a K-pop concert is one of many things people love to say I am too old for. Me being me, I tell those naysayers to kiss my K-pop loving ass. Because I do not let others dictate what I do and never have. Had I listened to those haters, I would still be living in Maryland with a husband I hate and a bunch of kids. Thankfully, I have a supportive family and stubborn streak that have both molded me into the person I am. I do whatever I want and I do not care if I look foolish. I could have missed out on attending an incredible show worrying about whether I’m too old to be there. But honey, NO ONE CARED, including me. My friend and I danced, sang, talked to fans and just enjoyed the excitement all around us. I took pics and videos and had a smile on my face for the entire show. We left feeling energized and so happy that we got to see Stray Kids together. We created memories because we weren’t worried about being too old.

Next year, I plan to go to Coachella. I was supposed to go this year but life said not this time. But I have a credit and used it to book my VIP ticket for 2026. I want to add that experience to my memory bank, whether it’s good or bad. The world is going to Hell right now and I want to take in as much good as possible before I leave it one day.