The Weeknd Gives His All in LA

Reviews

Last updated: 2 Jul 2025, 23:12:01
Published: 2 Jul 2025, 23:12:01
Written by: zoehowes
Photography by: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
Categories: Reviews Tagged: The Weeknd

It is a sea of bright red, black boots, and sunglasses in the nighttime surrounding me. Every corner of Sofi Stadium is packed with anxious fans waiting for the lights to dim. The Weeknd is ready to show LA what he’s made of.

On Thursday night (6/26), the R&B/Pop singer took the stage for night two of his Los Angeles stop for the After Hours Til Dawn tour. After walking through the intense security-lines, fans were greeted with an interactive, light up wristband. After Playboi Carti performed a five-song opening set, it was a rush to prepare for the main act. The once-plain black stage was changed to outfit an apocalyptic narrative, with destroyed buildings and graphics like a man falling from a red sky that hint a “rebirth” might be coming for the artist.

It is safe to say that The Weeknd is one of the best in the game. Since 2012, the artist has been touring around the world while gaining a strong fanbase. When The Weeknd began live performances in 2010, he played in small venues with an 11-track setlist, which in comparison to his 41-track set is unbelievable for the singer. In July 2011, he played that 11-track setlist featuring familiar hits such as “The Morning” and “Wicked Games” for fans at the Mod Club Theatre in Toronto. For the next three years the Weeknd would be touring his shows titled, The Kiss Land Fall Tour (2013), King of the Fall Tour (2014), The Madness Fall Tour. After a year-long hiatus in 2016, he embarked on two more tours -- Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour and The Weeknd Asia Tour. Throughout these runs, his setlist remained fairly consistent featuring tracks including “Wicked Games,” “House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls,” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” The After Hours Til Dawn tour is special as is a representative of the entirety of the singer's artistry featuring three of his albums, After Hours, Dawn FM, and Hurry Up Tomorrow, while surviving getting postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, making this one of his greatest acts.

At exactly 8:55p.m., the stadium darkened as slow beats began building the anticipation. The screams of the audience were almost deafening, peaking when The Weeknd started his strut onto the stage. Dressed in a long black robe and a crystalized face-mask, he walked to the middle of his set to face a golden-robotic statue custom made by Hajime Sorayama. A group of back up dancers were decked out in fiery red robes to match the singer. He opened the 41-track show with “The Abyss,” from Hurry Up Tomorrow. He continued on by singing “Wake Me Up,” “After Hours,” “Starboy,” and “Heartless.” Now it was time for the mask to come off, but slowly. He opened his arms as if he were trying to hug everyone from the closest row to the nosebleeds, gratitude danced along his features.

After playing “Faith,” “Take My Breath,” and “Sacrifice,” The Weekend brought back some of his classics like “How Do I Make You Love Me,” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” This section of the show was culminating in his older songs to appease his day one fans. He invoked nostalgia by singing his 2013 song, “Kiss Land,” followed by “Often.” To throw the eager listeners off the scent of what was to come next, he threw in his recent song, “Given Up On Me.” I felt the whiplash when he performed “The Hills” which transitioned into “Baptized in Fear” and “Open Hearts.”

The lights turned off. For a few seconds, audience members looked around in confusion. Then we heard a small, “Oh Oh.” The screens were turned back on to see the artist gazing into the crowd, holding his microphone for us to repeat each note back to him. His dedicated fans followed suit playing the game of repeat after me, which turned out to be the acapella version of his song, “Cry for Me.”

Almost halfway through the show, Playboi Carti came to redeem his short opening act by supporting The Weeknd on two of their hits. Carti began his surprise appearance by singing his songs “Timeless” and “Rather Lie.” The duo then shared an appreciative hug as the rapper left the stage. To finish out this act, The Weeknd covered Metro Boomin’s song “Creepin’” which the crowd enjoyed. During the first night of the LA shows, Playboi Carti warmed up the audience by bringing out fellow rapper Travis Scott as they performed Scott’s popular tracks, “goosebumps,” “CRUSH,” and “Fe!N.”

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The third part of the show created a sense of calm, as The Weeknd soothed the fans by singing "Niagara Falls” and “One of the Girls.” Sofi Stadium became a beautiful oasis when “Stargirl Interlude” was played as the graphics depicted an orange aurea burealis. The mood of slight serenity was continued throughout this act when “Out of Time” and “I Feel It Coming” was performed. During “Out of Time,” the singer-songwriter parted the sea of the audience serenading a lucky fan in the front row.

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The bring-it-home moment for many fans, including myself, had to be when he sang the well-known hit, “Die For You.” The second the downbeat hit, strangers became friends, especially as I was pulled up to the row behind me to sing-along with other fans. Even for those who might not have known the words, people were hugging and serenading the loved ones near them.

Ironically, after “Die For You,” the artist soulfully played the break-up hit, “Is There Someone Else?” which was followed by “Wicked Games,” “Call Out My Name,” “The Morning” and “Save Your Tears.” It was a rollercoaster from a love song to heartbreak, but the surrounding fans belted out each word.

Now, there were only 8-more songs left on the setlist. The Weeknd picked the energy back up through the songs, “Less Than Zero,” “Blinding Lights,” and “Without a Warning.” Elements of fire burst through the air exciting and (maybe) waking up those dozing off. He ended the show with, “Reflections Laughing,” “High for This,” and of course, “House of Balloons.” I jumped up from my seat when I heard the techno downbeat of the club hit, “Moth to a Flame” which was a collaboration with the DJ Swedish House Mafia. Nearly throwing out my vocal chords screaming the lyrics, “Does he know you call me when you sleep?” the concert was over. The stadium lights are more bright than ever, I see girls holding their heels in their hands, sweat beading along the foreheads of the fans, but most importantly, there is a feeling among us all that we just witnessed a legendary show.

After the success of his four sold-out shows in Los Angeles, the city of Inglewood declared the dates of June 25-29 an official, “Weeknd Week.” The singer will go down in Sofi Stadium history as the first male artist to sell-out the most shows for the venue. On the city’s Proclamation, they noted that while the start has many accolades and awards, this specific accomplishment was also a “cultural movement.”

Upcoming The Weeknd Tour Dates
July 5 - Las Vegas, Nevada - Allegiant Stadium

July 8 - Santa Clara, California - Levi’s Stadium

July 9 - Santa Clara, California - Levi’s Stadium

July 12 - Seattle, Washington - Lumen Field

July 15 - Vancouver, Canada - BC Place

July 16 - Vancouver, Canada - BC Place

July 19 - Edmonton, Canada - Commonwealth Stadium

July 24 - Montreal, Canada - Parc Jean-Drapeau

July 25 - Montreal, Canada - Parc Jean-Drapeau

July 27 - Toronto, Canada - Rogers Centre

July 28 - Toronto, Canada - Rogers Centre

July 30 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Lincoln Financial Field