Five things to expect at The Weeknd’s upcoming Vancouver date
The Weeknd is a big star and he’s into concept albums. How does this work?
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The Weeknd – After Hours Til Dawn Tour
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when: Aug 23, 6:30 p.m
Where: BC place
Maps/Info: ticketmaster.ca
To illustrate how big The Weeknd has become, consider that he plays BC Place.
Since Toronto-born artist Abel Makkonen Tesfaye first rose to prominence by posting music on YouTube in 2009, he has carved out a distinguished place in the artist world, attracting over 50,000 fans to a show. Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and the Rolling Stones can do it. Toronto celebrity Drake hasn’t got it yet.
It didn’t happen overnight.
The alternative R&B/pop hybrid that The Weeknd inhabits first gained widespread attention with 2012’s Republic Records compilation album Trilogy. This release featured material found on the acclaimed 2011 indie mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence. People immediately noticed the high quality of this material and word got around that this was an artist working on his own territory. Kiss Land dropped a year later and debuted at #2 on the US Billboard Top 200 chart. The word was out.
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The Grammy-winning song “Earned It,” featured on the soundtrack of the movie “Fifty Shades of Gray,” sparked huge fan excitement. It was an uphill climb from there, all the way to an amazing halftime set for Super Bowl 2021.
Each subsequent album not only showcased a different side of this multifaceted artist, but also spawned such outstanding and memorable singles as “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Starboy” and the record-breaking “Blinding Lights.” This addictive electropop smash exists in a time warp where it could have been from the late 80’s to today. In other words, the man can create some timeless tunes.
Here are five things you should know about his upcoming date in Vancouver:
1. Very warming up actions: With opening sets from acclaimed producer and artist Mike Dean and Montreal Polaris Prize-winning electronic act Kaytranada, the warm-up acts resemble more standalone headliners from smaller acts. That’s a good reason to get to the venue early, as is the fact that it’s never exactly a smooth ride in and out of BC Place when anyone is playing there. Come for the convenience. Stay for the sound quality.
2. The Redcoats: Looking back at the tour’s opening night in Philadelphia — originally slated for his hometown of Toronto but postponed due to COVID — Variety reported fans turned up with the looks of red jackets and bandaged noses worn by The Weeknd for After Hours. Given how battered he looks in the Blinding Lights video, it could make for sticky seating if fans do all the cosplay.
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3. Large production: A catwalk stage, dancers, plenty of pyro and more is to be expected from an act that has a penchant for production values. His Starboy tour date at Rogers Arena was set off with a barrage of smoke and lasers. From there it just kept building. This time it’s all presented in a hyper-stylized, slightly apocalyptic cityscape that borrows heavily from their two most recent releases, highlighting their somewhat loosely knit dark-to-light concept album approach.
4. Extensive set list: Gasoline by Dawn FM opens the evening. From then on, the setlist averages a whopping 29 songs. Despite all his own hits, The Weeknd finds room to add tracks like Drake’s Crew Love, Ty Dolla $ign’s Or Nah and Kanye West’s Hurricane. Of course, such early hits as Can’t Feel My Face and The Hills also appear, and here multiple stages are involved, typical of mega-venue performances.
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5. Saving the best for last?: Shows of this size rarely shift the setlist too much, so a lot of planning goes into blocking every light signal, explosion and dance interlude. Given that, the overview of setlists throughout the tour makes it clear that if you want to hear him play Blinding Lights, stay to the end. There are no encores because this hit seems to be the perfect end to the evening.
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