"See you again soon"… The Weeknd answers eight years of waiting with "art" [Star Scene] [Comprehensive Report]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Canadian pop star The Weeknd returned to Korea for the first time in eight years. As his journey moved from inner collapse toward a new beginning, Korean fans left their mark with "sing-alongs."

On the 7th, The Weeknd held "Hyundai Card Super Concert 28 The Weeknd" at the main stadium of Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. This performance marked his first visit to Korea since 2018 and was part of his stadium tour, "After Hours Til Dawn." All approximately 108,000 seats for the two-day event on the 7th and 8th were sold out.

On this day, The Weeknd took the stage wearing a metal mask, one of his signature items, and passionately performed the opening track, "Baptized in Fear."

Afterward, The Weeknd consecutively performed hit songs such as "Open Hearts," "Wake Me Up," "After Hours," "Starboy," "Heartless," "Faith," and "Cry for Me." Midway through the set, he added an ad-lib saying, "Korea, this is Goyang City," prompting cheers from the audience.

Removing his mask, The Weeknd smiled at the crowd and said, "I love you too. I really missed you. Beautiful Korea." As the audience cheered even louder, The Weeknd expressed his gratitude with a gesture of embracing himself.

He then referenced his first visit to Korea at Gocheok Sky Dome in 2018, stating, "You and I have a special relationship. Do you know that the first stadium show of my career was held in Korea? At that time, you gave me incredible love, and today here in Goyang, Korea, you are showing an amazing scene."

The Weeknd hyped up the atmosphere by shouting, "Goyang, are you ready? Korea, are you ready?" while the audience responded with sing-alongs to every song.

Known for putting his heart into performances, The Weeknd devoted significant effort to the stage design and direction of this visit. Massive fire pillars, fireworks, and diverse screen effects reminiscent of music videos fully conveyed the work he put into this show.

In addition to the main stage, a cross-shaped extension stage was also a highlight. By adding two more stages, he interacted with the audience as closely as possible. In particular, the extension stage featured "Sorayama Robot," a 12-meter-tall large silver robot sculpture designed by Japanese world-renowned contemporary artist Hajime Sorayama, providing an overwhelming visual spectacle. Furthermore, lighting effects focused on intense primary colors, lasers, and performances by dancers evoking priests blended with The Weeknd's music to complete a grand scene.

Additionally, the destroyed city and collapsed buildings installed on the main stage were not merely decorative; they were motivated by his hometown of Toronto, Canada, and New York, USA. These sculptures, which evoke dystopia or post-apocalypse, may look impressive on the surface but actually embody a collapsing human interior, carrying his unique narrative that everything must collapse in order to start anew.

Given his massive number of mega-hit songs, the setlist was packed more densely than any other performance. For about two hours, The Weeknd performed 40 globally loved hit songs without rest, including "Can't Feel My Face," "The Hills," "Timeless," "Out of Time," "I Feel It Coming," "Die for You," "Call Out My Name," "Save Your Tears," "Less Than Zero," and "Blinding Lights."

The fan service was also entertaining. From the start of the concert, The Weeknd altered the middle sections of several songs to include "Korea," showing his affection for Korean fans. He also asked fans radiating undying heat, "Can you understand how much I love you?" When the fans' cheers erupted, he expressed emotion and gratitude by drawing finger hearts or making a gesture of embracing himself.

He communicated more closely with the audience during the medley consisting of "Out of Time," "I Feel It Coming," and "Die for You." In particular, while singing "Out of Time," he went down to the floor below the stage and stayed for quite a long time, holding hands and hugging standing-section fans one by one. The highlight of The Weeknd's tour, where the audience sings instead of the chorus of "Out of Time," was also achieved pleasantly amidst enthusiastic response and laughter from the active audience.

Toward the end of the concert, The Weeknd promised to return to Korea soon, saying, "I promise I will definitely come back to Korea. Soon, I will be back soon," receiving massive cheers.

For the encore, "House of Balloons" and "Moth to a Flame," released by The Weeknd in 2011, were selected and echoed through the venue.

Meanwhile, The Weeknd's current "After Hours Til Dawn" tour has continued to achieve top-level success among male solo artists in history, recording 153 performances and a cumulative audience of approximately 7.5 million since July 2022.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original