Latest news with #OliviaChow
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Abel Tesfaye returns to Toronto to kill The Weeknd
Social Sharing Unlike Taylor Swift's meteorite-like crash landing in the sweaty city of Toronto, there were no friendship bead-wearing police horses at The Weeknd's first showing in the Six. Instead, a more subdued air surrounded Rogers Centre as fans funnelled in: Low-key Starboy tracks warbling into the 30 C drippingly-wet air blanketing the stadium in the heart of The Weeknd's hometown. But that doesn't mean a lack of excitement, despite the weather. "God damn, it's hot," Canadian producer and DJ Kaytranada even exclaimed, towelling himself off onstage during a well-done if not earth-shattering opening. That was as sweltering fans at the first of four sold-out nights in the 50,000-seat venue braved the heat in requisitely dark clothes to match the R&B superstar infamously dark music. Just a day before, Mayor Olivia Chow dubbed the preceding days "The Weeknd weekend." That was because, she said, "Abel (The Weeknd) Tesfaye represents the best of our city." The Scarborough-raised artist also received a key to the city. And it was all just before audience members, eager to experience what is often still described as a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience, were uncharacteristically chatty with journalists — throwing themselves into on-camera interviews instead of waiting for the insistent coaxing of harried producers. "Everyone here, we are The Weeknd," a fan named Perry told CBC News. "He represents Canada." But as Tesfaye took the stage, the seemingly incongruous mix of emotions instantly made sense. Decked in a black robe encrusted with glittering gold rhinestones and a golden half-mask, you could see he embodied that caustic mix of the charismatic and subdued that, for anyone else, would not fit in the same person at the same time. As he has proven since releasing anonymous and unsettling dance-themed mixtapes in the 2010s all the way to this seemingly last tour under The Weeknd moniker, this is the space where Tesfaye thrives. While not retiring from music, he plans to no longer perform under the name he has become famous for. A return home Quickly barrelling through classic tracks The Abyss to Wake Me Up to After Hours, he was flanked by similarly masked, enrobed backup dancers — moving in unison around a slowly spinning golden statue of a giant, nude woman (imagine a female Oscars statuette, but with visible nipples). They stood beneath large gold rings, in front of a mocked up golden skyline of a crumbling city. Even Tesfaye's microphone was gold, a particularly heavy-handed metaphor that, early on, he stumbled chaotically toward. While roughly 30 women walked in sync around the statue and then behind to him, and as jets of fire shot up 20 feet into the air, Tesfaye held his hands up to the mic as if in prayer. None of them had to dance or even move much to earn the deafening applause that came next, as Tesfaye revealed the tiniest bit of his face, slightly peaking over the top of the mask. "Well that's a warm welcome home, isn't it?" he asked to another roar. It wasn't the last call out to his hometown. Later, he remarked the stadium is where he used to come to watch Blue Jays games "as a little baby," let out a long and extended "Toronto" in the middle of his track Sacrifice and managed to sneak both CN Tower and Rogers Centre references into São Paulo. But the focus was the gold, the ceremony and the performative reverence of it. The effect is impressive if eerie. A consummate musical professional with four Grammys under his belt and more Junos than anyone but Anne Murray, Tesfaye knows how to set a scene. He also knows how to sing, and — more than that — perform. He never failed to lead the tens of thousands of cheering attendants in song or just rapturous applause. It all gives the impression of some club-themed religious ceremony: A gigantic and enormously budgeted cultic worship service, except here the god is hedonism, sex and all the more outrageous scenes of Wolf of Wall Street. Of course, this is by design — both why The Weeknd can define himself as a generational sex symbol without gyrating or even revealing a sliver of his body under baggy robes and ostensibly why he's choosing to leave the schtick behind after this tour. In his shows and music, he's playing a club kid, fame-obsessed semi-satirical character invented way back in his debut mixtape House of Balloons days — itself a mask, Tesfaye explained in a 2013 Reddit AMA, he chose in order to hide his name and, by extension, himself. Vanity and nihilism In person, it all comes together like a magic trick. At a Weeknd concert, we're both sick of materialism, and sick of being sick of it. We're letting go of every inhibition, forgetting love, revelling in sex and giving up on self-control. It's all a statement about nihilism, you see. Or maybe, it's not. "It seems exorbitant when it all ends. A pointless, uncomfortable exercise from an artist who believes vanity means no stone of excess can be left unturned," music journalist Hanif Abdurraqib wrote of a 2013 Weeknd show in his book They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us. "The Weeknd tells the same tale: It's never about love, but then again, how can it be about anything but love, even if the love is just the love you have for your own ravenous desires." How much the separate entity of The Weeknd exists for Tesfaye to explore and mock his most self-destructive tendencies — instead of just revelling in them — isn't exactly clear. You would've been hard pressed to find any hints of displeasure from the seemingly ecstatic Tesfaye on Sunday. He hit hits old and new out of the park, and was grinning ear-to-ear as he held the microphone to nearly fainting fans, screaming out the ad libs of Out of Time. Still, it's perhaps a strange message to brand, as Chow did, the best of the city — and a strange one to have drawn as many barely five-foot middle-schoolers as Sunday's all-ages show did. At the same time, it's a theme that has offered diminishing returns. There was the 2022 Los Angeles concert in which Tesfaye infamously lost his voice due to stress. Then the ill-fated series The Idol, a Tesfaye-fronted series about the relentless pursuit of fame that was widely panned by critics and even The Weeknd himself. And then there was Hurry Up Tomorrow, the absurdly, incomprehensibly stupid filmic tie-in of his most recent album. Intended to further explore his falling-out-of-love with The Weeknd after the L.A. show, instead it only managed to compete with Megalopolis as the most offensively boring movie to premiere in the last 12 months. But perhaps these failures were because Tesfaye was performing to the wrong crowd, on the wrong stage. His messy, introspective and vague metaphors work better in song lyrics than dialogue; better sung in front of a stunning pyrotechnic flame and fireworks show than on a film screen. If Sunday's show proved anything, it was that. And even if on the inside he's done with The Weeknd, it proved he can certainly still fake it.
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
Toronto's 'Starboy', aka The Weeknd, receives a key to the city
Toronto's very own Starboy has been awarded a key to the city ahead of his highly-anticipated concerts at Rogers Centre. Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. the Weeknd, received the honour from Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow during a private ceremony on Saturday. "I'm deeply honored to receive the key to the city. It feels good to be home. Toronto is where I found my voice, and I'm committed to helping the next generation find theirs," he said in a statement. To mark the occasion, the singer and entertainment company Live Nation will be also partnering up to support the the Boys & Girls Club of West Scarborough and The Weeknd's alma mater of Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute "to create spaces for youth to connect, create and thrive," says a news release from the City of Toronto. Students from both institutions were present at the ceremony on Saturday. "Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye represents the best of our city. From Scarborough to the global stage, he has reshaped modern music while using his platform to support health and humanitarian causes at home and around the world," said Chow in a statement. "I am proud to honour one of our city's greatest artists with a key to the city to celebrate his contributions to music, society and our culture." Chow also proclaimed the weekend of July 26 and 27 as "The Weeknd Weekend" in Toronto. The Diamond-certified artist has smashed through global chart records with hit songs like Call Out My Name and Can't Feel My Face. Born and raised in West Scarborough, he made history as the first Canadian solo artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show in 2021.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Weeknd Honored with 'The Weeknd Weekend' by City of Toronto Ahead of Hometown Shows
The singer was awarded the Key to the City on July 26 The Weeknd is taking over Toronto. The music superstar — who was raised in the suburb of Scarborough — was awarded the Key to the City and honored with "The Weeknd Weekend" by the City of Toronto on Saturday, July 26. According to a release, the honors were presented at a private ceremony attended by the Mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow, youth from the Boys & Girls Club of West Scarborough and students from the singer's alma mater, Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute. "Born in Toronto, Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye represents the best of our city," said Chow in a statement. "From Scarborough to the global stage, he has reshaped modern R&B music as a multi-platinum, Diamond-certified artist while using his platform to create a lasting impact for Toronto and around the world." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The Weeknd — who's set to perform a string of upcoming shows in Toronto — has committed to revitalize the basketball court and build a mobile recording studio for the Boys & Girls Club, bring a dedicated dance and arts studio and a sensory room for students with development disabilities to the Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute and more. 'I'm deeply honored to receive the Key to the City. It feels good to be home. Toronto is where I found my voice, and I'm committed to helping the next generation find theirs," said the star — who's donated more than $10 million to humanitarian causes since 2020 — in a statement. Earlier this summer The Weeknd made history as the highest-grossing Black male artist to ever perform at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., according to Live Nation. While he's been open about his desire to retire his public persona, he underscored in a Variety cover story in January that he remained as committed as ever to music. "I don't think I can stop doing that," he told the outlet. "But everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, the Weeknd, whatever that is, it's been mastered." Read the original article on People
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
The Weeknd presented with Key to the City ahead of Toronto concerts
Mayor Olivia Chow poses with The Weeknd and his crew while holding the Key to the City. (City of Toronto handout) Grammy Award-winning musician The Weeknd has received the Key to the City ahead of his highly anticipated concerts at Rogers Centre. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow presented the honour to the Scarborough-born musician, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, at the downtown stadium on Saturday. In a statement, the mayor said The Blinding Lights singer represents the best of Toronto. 'From Scarborough to the global stage, he has reshaped modern music while using his platform to support health and humanitarian causes at home and around the world. I am proud to honour one of our city's greatest artists with a Key to the City to celebrate his contributions to music, society and our culture,' Chow said. The Weeknd is in Toronto for his 'After Hours til Dawn' tour in support of his album trilogy 'After Hours,' 'Dawn FM' and 'Hurry Up Tomorrow,' which was released earlier this year. The singer, who has 27 songs with over 1 billion streams each on Spotify, is set to perform in Toronto on Sunday and Monday and will return for additional shows on Aug. 7 and 8. The Often singer said he was honoured to receive the Key to the City. 'It feels good to be home,' he said. 'Toronto is where I found my voice, and I'm committed to helping the next generation find theirs.' In addition to his achievements in the music industry, the city said the awarding of the Key to the City is also in recognition of The Weeknd's contributions to the community, including raising and donating $500,000 to the Scarborough Health Network during the pandemic and co-founding HXOUSE, a not-for-profit innovation hub that empowers emerging creatives and entrepreneurs. The city added that The Weeknd, in honour of the recognition, is investing in the Boys & Girls Club of West Scarborough and his former high school, Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, to create spaces for youth. 'As a self-made global ambassador for Toronto's music and arts communities, The Weeknd serves as a role model for aspiring artists everywhere. His recognition today celebrates both his international impact and his dedication to Toronto's cultural identity,' the city said. The city has also proclaimed July 26 and 27 as 'The Weeknd Weekend.'
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Sorry, speed cameras aren't the problem
A spectre is haunting Canadian roads: the real prospect of actually having to pay a fine for not respecting the speed limit. As speed cameras proliferate, particularly in Ontario, some drivers are showing their displeasure. Many of the cameras have been vandalized and one in Toronto cut down six times. It's time for a deep breath. Speed cameras shouldn't disappear, they should multiply. The cameras are effective and, because their penalty is so easily avoided, they are fair. In fact, a recent poll for CAA showed majority support among Ontarians for the cameras. Politicians who pander to the minority of drivers who hate them are gambling with public safety. Those politicians span the ideological spectrum, from Ontario's Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford to former Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca, now mayor of suburban Vaughan, and left-leaning Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow. So busy trying to placate drivers, these politicians ignore that speed cameras work. The hit in the wallet is sufficiently unpleasant that it convinces people to slow down. For evidence, consider that the number of tickets issued by any given camera typically goes down over time. That effect has been further demonstrated by research from a hospital and university in Toronto. According to their findings, referenced in a recent city staff report, the proportion of vehicles speeding went down 45 per cent after cameras were installed near schools and in high-collision areas. The cameras actually generate relatively little revenue, after administrative costs are deducted. Their effect on behaviour is more important than the money. Fines lead to slower driving, and less speeding equals fewer injured or dead people. That's because speed is dangerous. The brain has limits on how fast it can process information taken in from peripheral vision. So a driver going more quickly experiences a literal narrowing of their vision, making it harder to spot possible risks in time. And the distance needed to brake goes up dramatically with speed, doubling between 30 and 50 kilometres an hour. Both of those factors make a collision more likely. And if one does occur, speed will make it worse. A person hit by a vehicle travelling at 30 kilometres an hour has a 90-per-cent chance of surviving. Increase the speed to 40 kilometres an hour, though, and the survival rate drops to 60 per cent. A person hit at 50 kilometres an hour has only a 20-per-cent chance of living. Mr. Ford may commiserate with drivers 'getting dinged' for going '10 kilometres over,' but small increases in speed matter. So keep the cameras, even though there are aspects of the policy over which reasonable people can disagree. Cities tend to be cagey about how much over the limit a driver has to be going to be issued a ticket. There will be absolutists on either side – claiming that any violation is worth ticketing, or that everyone speeds and thus a big buffer is warranted – but the best solution is location-specific. Speed increases make a much bigger difference on a quiet residential street than on a highway. Another contentious point is the extent to which drivers should be warned about speed cameras. Ms. Chow called earlier this year for bigger and more visible warning signs, in order to be 'fairer' to drivers. On the face, this is a farcical idea. The speed limit sign is surely warning enough. Why add a sign that effectively says, 'We really mean it'? Still, if signs flagging the presence of speed cameras are the price that must be paid for their political acceptability, so be it. Because, in the end, it may not make any difference to the effectiveness of the cameras. Cities are typically littered with so many signs that they become background clutter for drivers. These will similarly fade from notice. People who rail against speed cameras because thousands or tens of thousands of tickets have been issued – framing this as unjust or evidence of government overreach – miss the point. The volume of infractions speaks to how common speeding has become. Police rarely take traffic laws seriously, so the chances of being caught by them are slim. Cameras are reviled because they change the risk calculus. Unhappy drivers should remember that choosing to exceed the speed limit is, in fact, illegal, and that there's an easy hack to avoid getting a ticket: lighten up on that right foot.
