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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
The Weeknd brings ‘After Hours Til Dawn' back to Soldier Field, closing a chapter on the bad boy you can dance to
Three years ago, Abel Tesfaye — better known as The Weeknd — first brought his 'After Hours Til Dawn Tour' to Soldier Field. An acclaimed spectacle, the tour that started on such a high eventually brought the artist to his lowest low. In September 2022, during a show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles near the end of his tour's North American leg, The Weeknd abruptly lost his voice while performing 'Can't Feel My Face.' The incident, brought on by 'self-imposed pressure' and stress, he said, left the artist reckoning with the realities of the world he'd built since breaking out of his underground, internet anonymity into global superstardom. It inspired a complete overhaul of his latest album, 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' (released Jan. 31), as well as a companion film of the same title, with actors Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan co-starring alongside Tesfaye in what's been widely regarded as a hyper-stylized, hollow vanity project. Upon the album and film's releases, Tesfaye announced he'd be leaving his famed moniker behind. He felt he had 'said everything he could say' under the Weeknd name and was looking to explore different creative avenues musically. Despite the critical reception for his ventures outside of music, fans showed up in droves Friday night for the first of two nights of the 'After Hours Til Dawn Tour' (part deux), and to say goodbye (sort of). After opening sets from Mike Dean and Playboi Carti, the lights went down and a deep, crimson haze eclipsed the stage. Brooding and slightly ominous, it was a similar production to what graced the lakefront stadium in the summer of 2022, with a mainstage rising from a city of ruins, multiple runways and a towering, chrome Stargirl replacing what had been the moon. Tesfaye wasted no time getting right into the thick of it. Flanked by nearly three dozen shrouded and masked dancers, one of R&B's most enigmatic figures appeared as a glam Darth Vader or space-age Phantom of the Opera — ready to lead his followers through a celebration of excess, contradiction and dissociation like no one else can. Lyrically, The Weeknd's signature is oscillating between yearning lover boy and the worst guy you'd meet at the afters, set to a breakbeat pace. His career, both on the mic and on film ('Uncut Gems,' 'The Idol'), is built upon various layers and dynamics of who is ultimately the same person: himself. A hedonist hustler never satisfied. The predator and the prey. Secure in his insecurities and wreaking havoc because of it. As one concertgoer shared in passing, 'His music does remind you of a bad boyfriend, but when they make you like them again.' Is it survival mode? Maybe. For over the past decade, it has worked — making Tesfaye a cultural force. Adeptly walking the ever-thinning line between sexy and sleazy, he's undeniably one of modern pop music's most influential hitmakers and collaborators. For Stephanie Escobedo, longtime fan and owner of Through the Body Dance & Fitness Studio in West Town, the artist's latest album and film project heightened the anticipation ahead of this weekend's shows. 'It's visually beautiful, like a giant music video,' Escobedo said of the movie. 'I liked the imagery and how he played himself because he can't act for (expletive). I thought it was a cool omission of how awful of a person he was and how he used the two characters of Jenna and Barry to portray sides of himself. 'From what I understand,' she continued, 'he's going to step away from The Weeknd persona and just go by Abel. I'm interested to hear how Abel sounds, as opposed to this version of him I've loved since 2011.' For just over two hours, there were no breaks in the concert. Tesfaye delivered wall-to-wall vocals, showcasing a strength, clarity, and control over an instrument you'd never think once escaped him. 'It's been a long time since I've been in Chicago,' he recounted during the show. 'Last time I was here, I said I'd play two nights — and look what you did!' Telling his audience that Soldier Field would have to drag him off the stage, he promised to go all night. With a 40-song setlist that included Playboi Carti joining him for 'Timeless' and Carti's own 'Rather Lie,' deep hits 'Wicked Games,' 'The Morning,' and the title track from his debut project 'House of Balloons' (2011), as well as now-expected classics such as 'The Hills,' 'I Feel It Coming,' 'Die For You,' and 'Save Your Tears,' Tesfaye basked in the glory of soundtracking a generation of situation-ships and manipulative love-bombing-you-can-dance-to. But really, you cannot help but dance to it. Try not to be physically moved by the pulsating rush of the synths driving 'Blinding Lights' or throbbing bass behind 'São Paulo.' And sure, the 'ballad' portions of the evening piled on the slightly indulgent vocal runs and pleas from Tesfaye to hear someone say they love him (so committed, you do genuinely believe he needs to hear it) were eye roll-inducing, but expect nothing less from a man who set up the stage visual for 'Call Out My Name' to ultimately look like a sacrificial sermon. If you're not here for a little bit of artistic narcissism from The Weeknd, what are you even doing? Alesa Vera, who was invited last minute by her cousin, said she appreciated that the artist ran straight through his set without any intermissions, costume changes, or exaggerated encore, giving everyone the most for their money. 'He really has so many hits. He sounded fantastic,' she shared after the show. 'That's hard to do. You forget how much you love certain songs. I was engaged the entire time.' As flames, fireworks, and synchronized, light-up bracelets decorated Soldier Field, The Weeknd wrapped his triumphant return by introducing himself as Abel Tesfaye. Whether a death or a rebirth, his performance was proof that no matter the perceived 'failures' he's endured — the music, the talent speaks for itself. For attendees Dre Holland and Amari White, however, The Weeknd will always be The Weeknd. 'The songs, he can't separate himself from those. People will always want to hear The Weeknd' Holland said while leaving Museum Campus. 'How much of his style can really change? I don't think he'll do it, but we'll see.' 'The fans are with him no matter what,' White added. 'He's captured something with his music and lyrics that only he does. I mean, look at all these people here.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Hurry Up Tomorrow' Review: The Weeknd's Emotionally Threadbare Vanity Project Is All Skips, No Repeats
A man of many faces, from the digital mask of anonymity on his mixtape breakout 'House of Balloons' to the plastic surgery prosthetics circa 'After Hours,' Abel Tesfaye has announced he'll soon retire the one that made him famous, with his latest album 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' his last under The Weeknd moniker. The lyrics situate him at a clear turning point, professionally and personally; the title track, with the usual synths traded for singer/songwriter piano and the plainly stated confession that 'I want to change, I want the pain,' signals a transformation for an artist who's struggled against himself from the jump. The Weeknd discography plays like one big party with noxious vibes, thrown by a hedonist less interested in a good time than numbing the torment of an existence comprising coke-and-sizzurp binges, emotionless supermodel threeways, and morning-afters of bleak reflection. Tesfaye is now 35, an age at which a lot of people decide it's high time to get their shit together, and 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' (the song, that is) makes a resolution for lasting, meaningful growth through penance and redemption. To presume that this heralds a newfound maturity for the man who not so long ago pulled a 'triggered much??' on Rolling Stone would be a mistake, however. More from IndieWire Ari Aster's 'Eddington' Sharply Divides Cannes: Star Pedro Pascal Defends a Western About 'Our Worst Fears' Amid Lockdown 'Nouvelle Vague' Teaser: Richard Linklater Brings the French New Wave Back to Life The non-album plank of this grander creative project, a feature film also titled 'Hurry Up Tomorrow,' reiterates this career narrative by mapping it onto autofiction at greater length and with bludgeoning obviousness. A viewer may find themselves appreciating how the non-visual element of music allows figurative language to retain some wisp of mystery, whereas onscreen it's made to wear its significance in blatant, artless ways. A tortured genius wrestling with their demons, breaking themselves down to nothing, and building themselves back up in a nobler image — these are fine building blocks for drama. 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' (again, the song) works well enough along these lines. But when we're made to watch Tesfaye sing it in its entirety in an unbroken close-up while crying at the beauty of his own music, the introspection turns to simple self-involvement. It would appear he's trading drugs and alcohol for a form of indulgence less materially harmful to himself, but more so to us. Tesfaye has found a felicitous collaborator in director Trey Edward Shults, 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' (the movie, from here on out) being largely a composite of their past work: the furtive ingesting and narcotized intensity of Shults' debut 'Krisha,' the rage-to-contrition arc and whirling cinematography of his polarizing 'Waves,' the volatile maestro/muse dynamic of Tesfaye's even-more-polarizing HBO series 'The Idol.' The threadbare plot is set in motion when Tesfaye's screen-self (henceforth referred to as Abel) loses his voice while touring, a real-life incident forced here into heavy-handed metaphor as an existential ailment symptomatic of his deeper issues with himself and women. (Tellingly, Riley Keough plays both his absent mother and the ex-girlfriend he keeps screaming at on the phone.) Just as his deteriorating health and pressure from his pal-turned-manager (Barry Keoghan) push him to the verge of collapse, he finds hope of salvation in the same place as many misogynists, with a woman who has not yet started to annoy him. Brief eye contact and about a dozen words are all Abel and the enigmatic Anima (Jenna Ortega) need to establish a connection closer than garden-variety groupie-ism. Until, of course, the morning after, when she starts up with her talk about joining him on tour and inserting herself into his life. The ensuing conflict between them takes an abrupt turn into a hotel-room two-hander as Anima fastens Abel to a bed and coerces him into confronting his feelings by playing his own music to him and dispensing shallow insights about how his songs' upbeat melodies belie their cry-for-help content. While her wiggly dancing and superficial pop-crit commentary nod to 'American Psycho,' this final stretch reckoning with Abel's toxicity and death drives could be compared unfavorably to anything from early Almodóvar to 'Phantom Thread,' dulling the provocative edges on a long and august tradition of psychosexual pas de deux. Neither its methods nor conclusions feel subversive; the conceptual thinness of the specter-like Anima and the role she plays in Abel's evolution both amend his admission of guilt with the concession that women are indeed exacting, unreliable, and/or psychotic. If all this — or the brief dream sequence visited by an Inuit child, or the drug-fueled freakout in front of a projection of Lotte Reiniger's proto-animation landmark 'The Adventures of Prince Achmed' — piques curiosity on paper, that's only because reading a review of a film doesn't occupy nearly as much time as watching it. The minutes drag, and not just when Shults holds on interminable long takes giving actors in need of guardrails far too much room to fail. Tesfaye and Ortega model two opposing modes of imitative, hollow performance, like a bad actor's varying notions of good acting. A devout student of the European classics (she took this role in part for a 'Possession' homage sequence all but excised in the final cut), Ortega knows that great thespians are stoic and inexpressive, but doesn't understand how or why. Constantly pumping himself up with shadowboxing and yelling at women, Tesfaye is doing De Niro in 'Raging Bull,' just without the Method behind his mannerisms. Meanwhile, the avant-garde-101 padding makes lemons from the flights of expressionistic fancy in 'Lemonade,' while the musical sequences clarify that this is no mere album accessory by being repetitive, unimaginative, and scant. The thing about vanity projects this narcissistic is at the very least, even in calamity, they're supposed to be interesting. Tesfaye has the makings of a fascinating yet flawed figure, equal parts egotistical and insecure, self-aggrandizing and self-effacing, at once a mad king and wounded child. Since the days of sampling Cocteau Twins, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Beach House, he's been forthcoming about his eclectic, well-curated tastes. But for a personal statement uncompromised by commercial purpose, it's bland and indistinct, and for a howl from the depths of a soul in agony, there's very little at risk in its vague baring of sin or broad overtures to rebirth. One yearns for idiosyncrasy, a stroke of the unknowable, some transmission from a plane of inspiration inaccessible to ordinary mortals. If the unbearable weight of massive talent is really so crazy-making, that unwieldy creativity should be set free, however messy. Or, if I can just say what I mean: making audiences feel nostalgic about Kanye West? In this cultural economy? Lionsgate will release 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' in theaters on Friday, May 16. Want to stay up to date on IndieWire's film and critical thoughts? to our newly launched newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers. Best of IndieWire The 25 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked Every IndieWire TV Review from 2020, Ranked by Grade from Best to Worst
Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye's creative juice is coffee
Article content Tesfaye added 'coffee entrepreneur' to his CV in 2023 by starting the brand SAMRA ORIGINS, named after his mom, Samra. He was inspired by the Ethiopian coffee ritual, which is centred on community and bringing family and friends together. The collaboration between Samra Origins and Nespresso brings 'rich, bold flavours that take you beyond the cup.' Beyond the cup, Tefsaye is on his Hurry Up Tomorrow tour across Canada and the U.S. and just released a film of the same name (check out his Hurry Up Tomorrow album). The tour, not unlike the ethos of SAMRA ORIGINS, is about 'connecting between humans, conveying artistic self-discovery and healing alongside the chaos of it all,' says Tesfaye.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Barry Keoghan Says Working With The Weeknd Will Help Him Portray Ringo Starr in Beatles Biopic (Exclusive)
It's not every day that you get the chance to work with a legendary musician, and when the opportunity arises, you grab it. At least that's what Barry Keoghan, Jenna Ortega and director Trey Edward Shults thought when they were approached about working with The Weeknd (who is credited by his real name, Abel Tesfaye) on his upcoming music-forward film Hurry Up Tomorrow. The film, which hits theaters on May 16, is semi-autobiographical and features music from The Weeknd's latest album, also titled Hurry Up Tomorrow, but it's not exactly a visual album. "I knew this was going to be an experience and a unique movie," Keoghan tells Parade ahead of the movie's release. "I wanted to be part of Abel's vision, and I'm a massive fan of Trey and a massive fan of Jenna. It's a no-brainer when you see that on a page, and I'm up for this sort of challenge of it all." Hurry Up Tomorrow is certainly a singular project. Tesfaye plays a fictional musician who goes by Abel/The Weeknd as his fame drives him into madness, with Ortega playing a mysterious woman he crosses paths with and Keoghan as a calming force on Abel/The Weeknd's management team. It's not a biopic, not a music video, not a drama and not a documentary, but some melding of them all. Tesfaye and Shults cite a bevy of inspiration for the project, including musician-forward projects like Prince's Purple Rain and Pink Floyd's The Wall, as well as traditional films like Raging Bull, Persona and Jacob's Ladder. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 Interestingly enough, Tesfaye dreamt up the idea for Hurry Up Tomorrow, the movie, before putting together his album of the same name. He didn't even write most of the movie's/album's music until after filming had wrapped. "I was in a unique position where I was able to score to picture and write music to picture," he says about the process. "It was maybe two records that were actually complete [before filming], and then the final song, which I had to write the day before I performed it. So those were the only couple songs that were done. After that, I got to write lyrics that bring scenes out, and some scenes that didn't make the film, I got to turn into songs." Writing a song the night before you film an entire scene based around it certainly seems nerve-wracking. "I blacked out that week," Tesfaye says. "Definitely a lot of pressure, but look, writing and performing a song, it's a very vulnerable moment." Related: Tesfaye's decision to create Hurry Up Tomorrow makes a lot more sense after realizing that the Super Bowl Halftime performer is also quite the cinephile. In fact, he hand-selected his collaborators based on their previous work. "Abel wanted to meet," Shults says, beginning the story of how he joined the project. "Huge fan," Tesfaye interrupts. It was Shults' film Waves that inspired him to reach out. "I could tell he was a genuine huge fan, too," Shults remembers of their first meeting. "We basically connected over an idea, and honestly, I was in a little bit of a rut after Waves. I was kind of depressed and not excited about movies, and that's why it's been a minute. Then I started getting inspiration again, but the the first time I got the full light bulb, excited inspiration with writing and a project was this. After our meeting, we ran with that momentum. We met in October, I wrote the outline with Abel in November, there was a draft by December, and we were shooting in February." But Shults wasn't the only member of the team Tesfaye courted. "I was a huge fan of Sacred Deer," Tesfaye says regarding Keoghan's film The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Such a fan that Tesfaye went up to Keoghan at a party and introduced himself well before Hurry Up Tomorrow was in the works. "I always knew you were gonna play [the part] if you would accept the role." For Ortega, who was coming off the success of Wednesday, the atmosphere that Shults and Tesfaye fostered on the Hurry Up Tomorrow set appealed to her. "I was kind of unsure what to do," she says about selecting projects after Wednesday. "I swear my career was almost like night and day. It all just opened up. So I was taking meetings, and Trey and Abel are such incredibly kind, warm, just comfortable people to be around, and are such cinephiles and fans of movie themselves. It instantly was apparent to me that this was a team that I wanted to be associated just felt like a very collaborative space, so that's why I joined." Related: While one may think that working with someone as famous as The Weeknd, and someone without much acting experience to boot, could be difficult, Keoghan describes the shoot as "comfy." Ortega echoes that sentiment: "It felt very relaxed in the best way possible." Keoghan also compared working on Hurry Up Tomorrow to working on "student movies where everyone's just there to get it, and everyone's on the same page." Collaborating so closely with Tesfaye also gave Keoghan the opportunity to witness a massive superstar on an intimate level. Keoghan was recently cast to play Ringo Starr of The Beatles in an upcoming biopic, and when asked if he'll be channeling any of his experience with The Weeknd into his Ringo performance, he responded in the affirmative. "Yeah, I know Abel as Abel, and that's sort of a different thing. I can really separate the two. And for me, this movie even puts Abel in a different place that I think I've never seen Abel," says Keoghan of his time with Tesfaye. "It's sort of like we're seeing a new person. I'm always curious and observant, and I take in what I can." Hurry Up Tomorrow premieres in theaters on May 16.
Hindustan Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
The Weeknd makes his silver screen debut with Hurry Up Tomorrow, fans say its ‘one of the worst movies of the decade'
Abel Tesfaye, better known to the world as The Weeknd, has spent over a decade serenading listeners with hypnotic vocals and emotionally raw lyrics. But in 2025, he's stepped off the stage and onto the screen in Hurry Up Tomorrow, a psychological thriller that doubles as both a feature film and a companion to his newest album. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Trey Edward Shults, this moody, fragmented tale marks The Weeknd's official silver screen debut as the leading actor. The only problem? Hardly anyone is watching. Hurry Up Tomorrow follows a fictionalised version of The Weeknd, portrayed by Tesfaye himself, as he spirals into an internal descent of fame-induced exhaustion, surreal fan encounters, and personal disintegration. Barry Keoghan plays Lee, a confidante and hype man, while Jenna Ortega takes on the role of Anima, a dangerously devoted fan whose obsession may or may not be real. Shot with dreamlike visuals, synth-heavy soundscapes, and shadowy aesthetics, the film is less a traditional narrative and more a sensory experience. It's a dark, slow burn — dripping in style but seemingly light on substance. And that's where audiences and critics have taken issue. The online backlash has been swift and merciless. Social media platforms like X and Reddit are teeming with dismayed reactions, many criticising the film's lack of structure and Tesfaye's performance. '#HurryUpTomorrow - Easily one of the worst movies of the decade,' one user wrote. 'A movie that can't even be saved by a powerhouse of a performance by Jenna Ortega.' Another review echoed that sentiment: 'It felt like little more than a vanity project. It's all aesthetic—moody lighting, sultry music, lingering close-ups—but there's no real narrative to latch onto. Abel wants to be seen as this tortured artist, but it just feels self-indulgent and boring.' Even longtime fans of The Weeknd expressed disappointment saying, 'I'm a big fan of Abel, but this was god awful. It's not a movie—it's a visualizer with 15 minutes of actual story stretched into nearly two hours.' There are also growing concerns about Trey Edward Shults' career direction. Despite helming Waves, a cult favorite from 2019, Shults now finds himself under scrutiny for what some perceive as a massive misstep. 'Honestly, I fear for Trey Edward Shults' future,' one Reddit user noted. 'The Weeknd's ego won here. It's a mess.' From the outset, Hurry Up Tomorrow felt like a gamble — a blurring of lines between cinema and album, art and ego. What might have worked as an extended music video or conceptual short film struggles to hold up under the expectations of a full-length theatrical release. Tesfaye's performance, while earnest, lacks the emotional nuance needed to anchor such a complex role. Instead of revealing hidden depths, his acting often feels flat, especially when placed beside Ortega's intensity and Keoghan's charisma. The film's failure also exposes a larger trend: musicians trying to cross into film with mixed results. While some, like Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake, have successfully pivoted, others, especially when self-producing or co-writing their roles, risk becoming too insular, losing the audience in the process. With a ridiculously low rating on Rotten Tomatoes and only negative feedback from fans, Hurry Up Tomorrow seems poised to go down not as The Weeknd's cinematic breakthrough, but as a cautionary tale. It's a project born out of ambition and self-expression, but one that forgets the most essential part of filmmaking: the audience.
