The Weeknd’s post-apocalyptic tour breakdown – how the Starboy is bringing Gotham vibes to London
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Earlier this summer, The Weeknd played two headline shows at the London Stadium, breaking an all-time attendance record for the Stratford venue in the process.
Over the two nights of the London leg of ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ stadium tour, The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) played to a huge 160,000 people, breaking the attendance record for both a two-night stand and a single-night event at the stadium.
In a four-star review of the tour, NME called it a summer “blockbuster smash” as The Weeknd comfortably became a stadium star. Ahead of a return to London later this month, we’ve taken a deep dive into why The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ tour is such a hit.
The Fashion
Most pop stars know the importance of serving looks while onstage but The Weeknd confidently blends slick outfits with a real sense of fantasy. From monochromatic bodyvests and villainous capes to a glitzy mask to honour the late, great MF DOOM, Tesfaye’s worldbuilding is threaded throughout the mammoth show. The first leg of the run took inspiration from ‘After Hours’ while this year’s second leg pulls from ‘Dawn FM’. With The Weeknd already talking about a third chapter in the series, perhaps there are some clues to be found in his fit.
The Idol
There’s no such thing as bad press, right? This year saw Tesfaye’s The Idol finally air on HBO to mixed reviews. The original idea for the show came about when The Weeknd realised he could start a cult if he wanted to, with The Idol set to explore “what happens when a pop star falls for the wrong guy and no one speaks up”. However the series, created by Tesfaye, Reza Fahim and Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, underwent an overhaul in April 2022 after a rough-cut was completed.
In a report on Rolling Stone earlier this year, various anonymous sources alleged that Levinson’s rewrites and reshoots added more nudity and disturbing sexual content which changed the show’s message. The Idol went on to receive an 18 per cent score on Rotten Tomato, but it’s been impossible to exist on social media with the show being discussed.
With the show revolving around popstar Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), it makes perfect sense that the culmination of the five-episode series was actually filmed during The Weeknd’s two headline shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium.
The epic scenography
Every element of the ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ tour is ambitious, with the staging hand crafted from scratch to emulate a dark, dilapidated, post-apocalyptic city. Adding to those Gotham City, Blade Runner vibes are futuristic lasers and plenty of pyrotechnics. Created alongside TAIT, who also designed The Weeknd’s 2021 Super Bowl half time show, the huge staging features seventeen different buildings in various stages of destruction. It’s one of those things that needs to be seen to be believed.
The music
The original plan for The Weeknd’s tour was an arena run in support of 2020’s ‘After Hours’. Obviously that didn’t happen thanks to COVID and by the time he was able to head out on the road, he’d also released 2022’s ‘Dawn FM’. The tour quickly shifted into a supersized stadium tour, featuring mega smashes ‘Blinding Lights’, ‘Save your Tears’, ‘Sacrifice’ and ‘Is There Someone Else’. Add in classic hits like ‘Starboy’ and ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ alongside high-profile collabs like the Swedish House Mafia-featuring ‘Moth To A Flame’ and Drake’s ‘Crew Love’. Hits don’t get much bigger than that.
The support
As well as legendary record producer Mike Dean, The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Till Dawn’ tour features Kaytranada as the opening act. Over the past few years, the Haitian-Canadian record producer, rapper and DJ has evolved from Soundcloud star to global phenomenon. He smashed an appearance at Coachella earlier this year shortly before releasing ‘Kaytraminé’, a collab album with American rapper Aminé. There’s been team-ups with Pharrell, H.E.R., Freddie Gibbs and Snoop Dogg to go alongside a string of Grammy awards and high-profile remixes. No wonder fans are packing out these shows.
The Weeknd plays:
August
18 – London, Wembley Stadium
Tickets for The Weeknd have sold for as low as 21 GBP on viagogo, and fans from over 70 different countries have bought tickets on the platform to see The Weeknd’s final show in London, marking the end of the tour’s European leg.
Fans can buy and sell tickets for The Weeknd at global marketplace, viagogo here.
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Ali Shutler
NME
