It certainly was a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait. After much anticipation, the Weeknd finally marked an end to his North American tour in his hometown of Toronto last month.
If you recall from this post from the summer, the multiple-award-winning artist was slated to kick off his tour in July at the Rogers Center in Toronto, but the universe had other plans when a widespread outage quashed the big opening.
In hindsight, it was almost better to end the tour in Toronto – on a high note. A second show was even added the next day, making it that much sweeter for fans that may not have been able to get tickets in the first place.
For me, I was just glad to be back inside a stadium after 2+ years. lol And I’m sure the people that bought tickets to his show back in 2020 were feeling the same way!
The Weeknd really knows how to put on a show. Having seen him for the first time, I was in awe at the entire production. Even with seating up in the ‘nose-bleeds’ as they call them – the entire experience was spectacular.
The show’s production itself was so immersive that everyone got a unique feel of the show, no matter where they were sitting. This was literally the case during The Hills performance where we could actually feel the heat from the fire spewing up from the stage. Imagine what it was like for the folks on the floor! We also received a bracelet that collectively lit up during a song near the end making for a really cool visual across the entire crowd.
He opened the show with Gasoline and the remix to Sacrifice – two crowd favourites from his latest album, Dawn FM, which is a work of art. I’ve pretty much had it on repeat since it came out earlier this year.
He went on to perform almost 30 tracks spanning his current and previous albums, including Crew Love, Wicked Games, After Hours, Party Monster, and Out of Time, just to name a new. Every song took on a life of its own.
One thing I noticed was that the live band was hidden from view. It was through Instagram that I discovered the talents of Ricky Lewis, the Weeknd’s drummer who was showcasing his magic behind the stage with the rest of the band. Many people were commenting on why the live band was not front and center beside the star performer – I was too – but perhaps it was a safety thing with the setup and all the theatrics of the show. Maybe it just wouldn’t work to have the band visible onstage – who knows. But regardless, they did an amazing job.
Overall, it was a great show. The Weeknd continues to evolve his sound and deliver hit after hit. I look forward to what more he brings as he continues his climb to superstardom.
I leave you with Sacrifice, the remix. .
Sarah Warsi 