by Dan Garcia
The Weeknd has spent the past few years redefining what a stadium tour can look, feel, and sound like and this weekend in Chicago, he reminded us why he’s in a league of his own.
Taking over a packed Soldier Field for the first of two packed nights, The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour felt more like a dystopian sci-fi epic than a typical concert. With metallic towering structures, futuristic ruins, and years of hit songs, the Toronto artist delivered two hours of cinematic visuals, his signature falsetto, and crowd-shaking pyro that blurred the line between art installation and arena spectacle.
He emerged around 9:30 p.m. like a villain in a cyberpunk epic, cloaked in black with gold trim, a chrome face mask glowing with beams of light from within. Dozens of red-robed, masked figures marched down a massive cross-shaped catwalk before him, creating a visual that resembled a cult ritual more than a pop tour. The vibe? Blade Runner meets the House of Balloons.
For two straight hours, The Weeknd spoke few works, letting his catalog of genre-blurring hits do the talking. The stage design was no afterthought either. The massive catwalk allowed The Weeknd to move across the field with a priest-like presence, engaging with all sides of the stadium while the massive statue at midfield oversaw it all.
But fans got more than just visuals. Mid-set, the crowd erupted when Playboi Carti, the tour’s opener, stormed the stage for surprise performances of their collaborations “Timeless” and “RATHER LIE.” At one point, the duo even brought a young fan on stage, making for one of the night’s few personal, human moments in an otherwise chillingly beautiful production.
In a world where tours often blur together, The Weeknd continues to evolve his stagecraft and prove he’s operating on a completely different wavelength. Bigger than the visuals and louder than the flames was a reminder: when The Weeknd sets the bar, he raises it.
Check out more of our photos from Friday night’s performance below.
