Dhe world is in ruins: a skyline of destroyed landmarks such as New York’s Empire State Building or the CN Tower in Toronto towers into the orange Frankfurt evening sky. A man cloaked in white steps out of this dark setting. He has a wide hood pulled low over his face and his head bowed. A rumble penetrates Deutsche Bank Park, making every fiber of the body vibrate. Meanwhile, in the center of the arena, figures dressed in white robes, with only the eyes showing, move in circles around an oversized futuristic statue of a woman. Others conjure up a huge full moon at the other end of the stadium oval, which probably blocks the view of the stage for some stadium visitors.
The man cloaked in white strides slowly toward the statue of the woman, holding a jagged, chromed scepter in his hands and raising it in triumph. A chromed death mask peeks out from under his hood. What happens there on stage is like a sect ritual – creepy, mysterious and fascinating at the same time. Who is the man? He agrees to the first few words of “Take My Breath” and the crowd recognizes: It’s The Weeknd. Boundless cheering mixes with the man’s singing until finally the crowd sings along as if with one voice.
On his “After Hours Til Dawn” tour, the 33-year-old Canadian R&B singer is stopping in Germany for four concerts. The fans had to wait a long time because the tour was postponed twice due to the corona pandemic. But the wait was worth it, since The Weeknd has released two albums in the meantime and can now draw on an even larger repertoire. He offers more than 30 songs during his performance in the packed stadium, including hits like “Die For You”, “Starboy” and “I Feel It Coming”.
Sometimes he does not sing the songs to the end, but lets them merge into one another. He is constantly on the move and uses the entire stage that runs lengthwise through the arena. So everyone can have a clear view of it, except maybe those sitting behind the full moon. Lights and spotlights flash to the beat again and again and also involve the concertgoers, since every guest received an LED bracelet before the show, which are all synchronized with the rest of the light show during the concert, turning the stadium into a huge, transform into a colorful sea of lights.
The singer goes full throttle for an hour until he stands in front of the skyline again and suddenly stops. He grabs the death mask, apparently unties the knot, and slowly and deliberately pulls the mask off his head. The crowd goes wild and cheers for him – finally they can see their idol’s face.
At that moment, the artist character The Weeknd becomes Abel Tesfaye, his real name. Under this he would like to release music in the future and leave his alter ego behind. In an interview with “W Magazine” he had indicated that he would like to reinvent himself musically. “I am on a purifying journey. It’s getting close to a point where it’s time to close The Weeknd,” said Tesfaye. He probably has to incorporate this change into his current stage show by removing the mask, since the act seems like a farewell to a phase of life in which he lets the concert-goers participate.
Abel Tesfaye is already impressed by his German fans. Germany is like a second home for him, he says. Maybe that’s why he keeps using the word “Frankfurt” in his lyrics. In the second half of the two-hour concert, Tesfaye is also more personal and adopts quieter tones, for example on the song “The Morning”. He sits down on a staircase and lets his eyes wander to the audience again and again.
Tesfaye saves his world hits like “Blinding Lights” and “Creepin'” for the finale. For “Moth To A Flame” he scales the skyline, sets it on fire one last time and finally slowly disappears into the rubble of the old world in an elevator to thunderous applause.
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