3 days 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.'
