I Couldn’t Save My Tears for The Weeknd
Welcome back readers, to my oh-so-obvious obsession with The Weeknd. A full circle moment after my Dawn FM album review! Attending the After Hours Til Dawn tour was mandatory on my part. About a month later, I still think about the concert and tear up (she's emotional). It was an amazing experience due to the energy from his fanbase in the stadium and knowing that everyone in attendance was there because of a united appreciation for The Weeknd. After all, he has sold out every stadium he has performed in.
If you know The Weeknd's vibe, you won't find it surprising that most people there were wearing some form of lingerie along with their outfits. Everyone donned black clothing and lace was a constant.
As the Hard Rock Stadium slowly filled up, 2 Grammy award-winning acts came out before Abel Tesfaye made his way to the stage. First was producer Mike Dean, who has worked with Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, and of course, The Weeknd. He performed instrumentals that matched the After Hours and Dawn FM vibe. His hypnotic synths helped build up the energy of the crowd. When he played his song remixed with The Weeknd featuring his vocals, fans were letting out scattered screams of excitement to see their idol.
After Dean had set the mood, DJ Kaytranada made his presence known in the stadium with his groovy beats. He is known for working with artists like Anderson Paak, Kali Uchis, and Pharell Williams. He played some of his classics such as 'Intimidated' featuring H.E.R. and 'YOU'RE THE ONE' featuring Syd. His experimental records had us dancing in our seats and having a great time long before the main act made his way out onto the stage.
The time finally came when the opening notes of 'Alone Again' started playing. At this point, tears flooded my eyes. Guess I couldn't 'Save My Tears' ;) as The Weeknd appeared on stage, sporting an all-black outfit with a bullet-proof vest and trench coat.
He began with one of the opening lines saying, "Together, we're alone / In Miami, I feel so at home." His setlist bounced between classic hits and more popular songs within his two most recent albums. The 29-song (with no breaks!) setlist included 'Alone Again,' 'Gasoline,' 'Sacrifice,' 'How Do I Make You Love Me?,’ 'Can't Feel My Face,’ ‘Take My Breath,’ 'Hurricane,' 'The Hills,' 'Often,' 'Crew Love,' 'Starboy,' 'Heartless,' 'Low Life,' 'Or Nah,' 'Kiss Land,' 'Party Monster,' 'Faith,' 'After Hours,' 'Out of Time,' 'I Feel It Coming,' 'Die For You,' 'Is There Someone Else?,' 'I Was Never There,' 'Wicked Games,' 'Call Out My Name,' 'The Morning,' 'Save Your Tears,' 'Less Than Zero,' and finally, ‘Blinding Lights.’
For each song, Abel showed off his dance moves confidently at the front of the stage, which resembled a run-down city with several notable buildings in the background. The most popular are the C.N. Tower, from his hometown of Toronto, and the Empire State Building. Behind the set was a screen that glowed different colors, giving the illusion of destruction. His veiled vixens draped in red clothing danced around the singer in a circle, almost in a culty way. On the other side of the stage is a huge inflatable moon, similar to the one Ariana Grande used in the Sweetener Tour.
To refrain from boring you with every detail, I’m going to touch on some key points that many of you may or may not have seen on TikTok. His hit song, 'Die For You,' has been trending on the app for a while, which gave Abel the perfect opportunity to perform it despite the song being on an older album. For 'Or Nah,' he generously showed us his impressive tongue-flicking. 'The Hills' was fire (quite literally) as fire shot out around him whenever the beat dropped in the song. 'Wicked Games,' 'KissLand,' and 'The Morning' were some O.G. X.O. songs for those who've been fans since his big break. Seeing him perform 'Less Than Zero' was the best, in my opinion, as the whole crowd was hype and sang along.
With 'Blinding Lights' being his closing song, he gave quite the show that night. And by the end of the song, his girlfriend Simi Khadra was seen happily skipping her way over backstage with her friends. As he paraded off stage, I'd never felt so content. The Weeknd delivered as a performer (as he usually does) and did not disappoint. Just know you'll catch me at his next concert.
Strike Out,
Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret
Boca Raton
Emily Fiorini-Casamayouret is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to sad music, doing some retail therapy, and eating pasta. You can reach her at emily.fiorini710@gmail.com
