The Weeknd performs 40 songs for 54,000 people on first day of return to Korea after 8 years

Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd visited Korea for the first time in 8 years and held a concert at the Goyang Stadium main stadium. On the first day of "Hyundai Card Super Concert 28 The Weeknd," held on the afternoon of the 7th, approximately 54,000 people entered. The concert was organized as part of The Weeknd's stadium tour "After Hours til Dawn Tour" and continues for two days until the 8th. A total of 108,000 seats over the two days were completely sold out.

After his first performance in Korea at the Gocheok Sky Dome in 2018, The Weeknd met Korean audiences again after 8 years. From the first song "Baptized in Fear" to representative hits such as "Blinding Lights" and "Starboy," and even conversations with fans, he presented 40 songs over approximately 2 hours. A large sculpture in the center of the stage, a cross-shaped protruding stage, fireworks, and laser lighting were also utilized in the performance. The scale of the audience, duration, and number of songs for the first day's performance are as follows.

Return to Korea after 8 years, all seats sold out for two-day performance

The performance on the 7th was held at the Goyang Stadium main stadium in Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si. After meeting Korean audiences for the first time at the Gocheok Sky Dome in 2018, The Weeknd conducted his second performance in Korea this time. The concert was planned as one of the "After Hours til Dawn Tour" stadium tour, and the Goyang performance is held twice on the 7th and 8th. On the first day, approximately 54,000 people visited the venue, and all 108,000 seats for the two days were sold. It was a weekday evening performance, and according to the source, only audiences who completed adult verification could enter.

The maximum number of simultaneous users during the reservation process was recorded at 1.3 million. According to Hyundai Card, "Hyundai Card Super Concert" was held again after 3 years, and The Weeknd met the audience again with this performance after visiting Korea in 2018 for the Hyundai Card Culture Project.

The Weeknd's tour was introduced as a performance that mobilized more than 7.5 million spectators worldwide. According to reference articles, the tour began in July 2022 and has been held 153 times until recently, and it was recorded as the tour that earned the highest revenue among male solo artist tours. The source reported that this tour also ranked 3rd in the all-time tour revenue rankings. The Korean performance was held over two days at Goyang Stadium as part of this tour schedule.

A stage modeled after Toronto and a golden sculpture

At the venue, a structure in the shape of destroyed buildings, inspired by The Weeknd's hometown of Toronto, Canada, was installed on the main stage. A cross-shaped protruding stage crossed the center of the stadium, and The Weeknd continued the performance on the stage extending toward the audience seats. In the center of the protruding stage, a 12m tall golden female robot statue was placed. This sculpture was introduced as a structure symbolizing the tour stage and sat at the center of the stage production during the performance.

The Weeknd appeared on stage singing the first song "Baptized in Fear." He wore a mask that paid homage to the late MF DOOM, and dancers wearing red robes performed group dances together. Fireworks effects and laser lighting continued around the stage. According to reference articles, green lasers crossed the venue, and green light also came from the eye part of the mask worn by The Weeknd. The wristbands of the audience at the venue lit up in sync with central control.

The Weeknd sang "Open Hearts," "Wake Me Up," "After Hours," "Starboy," "Heartless," "FACE," and "Cry for Me" in order. After presenting the first seven songs in a row, he took off the mask and greeted the audience. As the performance passed the midpoint, lighting and fireworks effects continued, and The Weeknd moved back and forth on the cross-shaped protruding stage, singing toward various directions of the audience seats. The stage composition, lighting, and movements of the dancers were used together throughout several songs of the performance.

40 hit songs, songs exchanged with the audience

The Weeknd sang a total of 40 songs for approximately 2 hours. "Sacrifice," "How Do I Make You Love Me?," "Can't Feel My Face," "Kiss Land," "Die for You," and "Save Your Tears" were included in the setlist. "Blinding Lights," "I Feel It Coming," and "One of the Girls" were also presented at the performance. The songs were arranged so that the flow between songs continued, and the audience responded with cheers and sing-alongs whenever representative songs were played.

During the songs, The Weeknd also sang by inserting "Korea" or "Goyang" into the lyrics. To breathe closely with the audience, he went down from the stage, handed the microphone to a fan to sing together, and shared high-fives and hugs. When singing "Out of Time," he went down to the audience seats and handed the microphone to one audience member to sing a verse. Behind the "One of the Girls" stage, he asked the audience how much they loved him and made a heart with his arms.

The Weeknd spoke about his relationship with Korean fans, mentioning his first visit to Korea in 2018. According to the source, he said, "(Korean fans) have a special relationship with me," and "2018 was my first stadium performance in Korea, and they showed a really good response then." He continued at the end of the performance, stating, "I promise, I will definitely return to Korea soon," and "It is so sad to leave, I want to meet you for longer." This was a message of gratitude and regret to the audience met in Goyang after mentioning the Gocheok Sky Dome performance during his first visit to Korea.

Tour results and The Weeknd's musical history

The Weeknd officially debuted in 2013 with his first studio album "Kiss Land." He became known worldwide by releasing "Blinding Lights," "Starboy," "The Hills," "Save Your Tears," "Die for You," and others. According to reference articles, he has presented music that combines hip-hop and electronic based on R&B. He won the Best Urban Contemporary Album category at the Grammy Awards with "Beauty Behind the Madness," and has won a total of four times at the Grammy Awards.

The "Blinding Lights" released in 2019 is a song featuring synthesizer sounds. This song took 1st place on the Billboard "All-Time Hot 100" chart in 2021, and the reference article reported that it entered the Guinness World Records after surpassing 5 billion streams on Spotify last August. The Weeknd sang several representative songs, including this song, at the Goyang performance. Sing-alongs from the audience continued during "Can't Feel My Face," "Starboy," and "I Feel It Coming."

This "After Hours til Dawn Tour" was introduced as a performance that mobilized more than 7.5 million spectators and earned the highest revenue among male solo artist tours. The tour has been ongoing since July 2022 and has reached 153 performances according to the reference article. The Weeknd sang 40 songs in a row for about 120 minutes on the Goyang stage, and during the performance, he took off his mask to talk with the audience and met fans while moving between the protruding stage and the audience seats. The first day's performance was one of the Korean stages of the tour, which is being conducted over two days, marking his return to Korea after 8 years.

"Hyundai Card Super Concert 28 The Weeknd" held in Goyang will continue on the 8th following the first day's performance on the 7th. A total of 108,000 seats over the two days were completely sold out, and The Weeknd's performance was arranged as a two-day schedule. On the first day's stage, The Weeknd said he would return to Korea soon, but he did not reveal a specific return schedule.

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