The “Starboy” has returned to his city and gave fans exactly what they wanted: a non-stop party with all his bangers.
Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, performed to a sold out crowd at his first of four Toronto shows Sunday night, and reminded everyone why he’s a hometown treasure and a global star.
Ahead of his After Hours Til Dawn Tour stop at the Rogers Centre, the Grammy Award winner was honoured with a key to the city that he was born and raised in by Mayor Olivia Chow. The mayor also proclaimed this past weekend “The Weeknd Weekend,” in honour of the accomplished R&B singer’s worldwide success and philanthropic contributions.
After starting his Canadian leg of the tour in Vancouver, Edmonton and Montreal, The Weeknd came ready to give Torontonians a visually eye-catching performance along with smooth vocals for a knockout, two-hour performance.
Joined by fellow Canadian DJ Kaytanada and producer Mike Dean as his openers, concert-goers were ready for a night of pure vibes, and got just that.
Read More
Upon entering the dome, fans were greeted by a dystopian, purgatory-inspired stage with big, gold buildings scattered and collapsed throughout. As fans eagerly waited for the Scarborough native to hit the stage, the dome started opening roughly 30 minutes before the show started, revealing the dusk and brightly lit CN Tower, and already setting the premise for an exciting spectacle to unfold.
At 9 p.m., the lights went dark prompting the crowd of roughly 55,000 to erupt in cheering as an ominous ensemble of dancers in red capes and gold, metallic masks appeared on stage. Then the instantly recognizable piano beginning of “The Abyss” from his latest album Hurry Up Tomorrow started echoing throughout the dome leaving fans hysterical in anticipation. Then, The Weeknd himself slowly emerged to the forefront, donning an all-black outfit with a sequenced black cape and shiny, gold mask with brightly lit eyes, matching the mysteriousness of his entourage behind him.
After diving into the verse, The Weeknd’s vocals were smooth and striking, giving his fans the familiarity they know from his countless number one hits, and leaving them mesmerized and hanging on to his every word. Keeping in line with his post-apolytic theme, the singer transitioned in “After Hours” and his 2016 banger “Starboy,” keeping the crowd singing along and dancing on their feet.
Meanwhile, behind the singer were sinister visuals, fitting for his “end of an era” theme, including a veiny eyeball, him slowly falling into a red sea and him ultimately laying on what appeared to be piles of decay and corpses. His menacing dancers added to the dystopian feel with their methodical movements that somehow complemented the up-beat tempo of the Weeknd’s melodies. And more of their presence might have even elevated some moments of the show where The Weeknd was solo on stage.
Fifteen minutes into the show, The Weeknd then took a moment to take in the applause from his adoring fans, who were giving the Torontonian a big welcome back after three years since his last show in the Rogers Centre. The singer then teased the crowd by slowly sliding his mask off and eventually revealed his face to an eruption of cheers and fans yelling, “Abel, Abel, Abel.” In turn, he was visibly filled with emotion and praised the crowd for their adoration.
“Well, that’s a warm welcome home, isn’t that? Toronto you look so beautiful tonight man,” he said, before proceeding to his 2022 hit, “Take My Breath.”
His next segment of songs were non-stop bangers, from “Can’t Feel My Face” to “Lost in the Fire.”’ He never missed a beat, sounding as good as his records and adding in some new runs and high notes to keep the crowd on their toes.
The ambiance of the dome also added to the dark yet euphoric atmosphere with strobe lights accenting the music and blinking lights coming from the audience’s hands, as they were given LED wristbands to wear upon entering the venue. But when the first notes of his 2015 hit “The Hills” blasted through the dome, it was pure nostalgia and a feeling that something more was going to happen. As The Weeknd sang the chorus, bursts of flames then exploded from various spots in the venue, ramping up the excitement in the dome, plus adding a big rush of heat to an already hot crowd, as the city remains under a heat warning. But that didn’t stop the audience from embracing every moment of the electrifying show.
Courtesy: Esteban Lombana
The Juno Award winner then took another quick break to graciously talk to the crowd, reminiscing on his time coming to the “SkyDome” when he was a child to watch the Blue Jays.
“Look at this, look how beautiful the city looks. Look how beautiful the CN Tower looks, everyone,” he said, as he pointed to the city’s landmark that was illuminated in a blue hue at the moment.
For the second half of his concert, which was flying by, The Weeknd headed to the floor to interact with fans and even let one lucky fan take the mic to sing along to “Out of Time,” as the singer approvingly sang along. It was an enjoyable moment for the crowd to witness and made for an interactive transition from one side of the stage to the other. He then proceeded to sing the crowd favourites “ I Feel It Coming” and “Die for You,” with fans singing and dancing along in unison.
For the end of his show, the singer capped it off with his pop hits “Save Your Tears,” his most streamed song “Blinding Lights” and “Without a Warning.” But it wasn’t just any ending to a concert, the singer marked the conclusion with a grand finale full of fireworks cascading from the top of the dome and more bursts of flames making for a memorable goodbye, while he thanked fans for coming to “the best night of his motherf**king life.”
Whether you’re a long-time fan or only know his radio hits, The Weeknd did not disappoint with his sin-inspired theme, light-lyric tenor and countless bangers. He left fans reminiscing and singing on their way home, and making them proud of Scarborough’s very own.
The Weeknd’s next Toronto show is tonight, followed by his last two stops in the city on Aug. 7 and 8.