A rain-soaked Tuesday at Mercedes Benz Stadium may have been the last time Abel Tesfaye will grace Atlanta as The Weeknd. With rumors of the stage name’s retirement, the “After Hours Till Dawn” tour is seemingly an homage to The Weeknd’s evolution, reviving fan-favorite tracks from past albums.
Beginning with a darker R&B sound, The Weeknd propelled to mainstream fame with his 2015 album “Beauty Behind the Madness,” featuring radio hits “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” Since then, Abel Tesfaye, monikered The Weeknd, has cemented himself as a global face of pop. His sound seems crafted for a late night drive, R&B darkened with thrumming bass and sultry lyrics. His 2025 album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is similar in sound, but with lyrics teetering on existentialism and self-awareness in its finality.
The set, too, mirrored this discarded paradise. Cracked gold buildings framed the stage’s edges, a desert of opulence. A chrome statue of a naked woman, poised for flight, was perched at the end of the long runway.
Finally at 9 p.m., a group of masked figures shrouded in red “Dune”-like costumes, glided onto stage. The opening piano of “The Abyss” echoed through the stadium, and the masked figures parted, revealing The Weeknd, masked in gold and blanketed by a black robe. Dystopian visuals flickered on the big screen: Tesfaye’s shadowy face flush against a red curtain, a blinking eye, a swirl of flames. “I’d rather leave somewhat of a legacy,” he sang earnestly.
It was the throwbacks that really sparked the crowd. The telltale opening static of “Starboy” off his 2016 album of the same name, led into the song with Tesfaye’s vocals being indiscernible from the recorded version. Although the repeated yelling of “Atlanta!” was a little trite, his stage presence was undeniable. The energy in the stadium buzzed like a livewire.
After “Heartless,” Tesfaye slowly and dramatically removed the gold mask, gesturing to the exhilarated crowd. During “The Hills,” Tesfaye walked down the aisle, through the arches encircling the stage. Bursts of fire warmed the stage, in time with the throbbing bass. “And it’s been controversial, you know, what is the craziest and loudest night on the entire tour,” Tesfaye remarked as the camera pans over the crowd. “But I think we know the answer.”
Opener Playboi Carti returned for an energized performance of “Timeless,” and “Rather Lie,” both performers’ stage presence taking over the stadium. However, the crowd’s excitement truly peaked with Future’s surprise guest appearance during “Low Life.” Future had appeared as a guest in an earlier concert in Miami, so as the unexpected opening notes of “Low Life” began, the audience knew what was coming next. “Atlanta, this is your anthem,” Tesfaye said as the crowd met the first word of Future’s verse with deafening intensity.
Although the entire performance was composed of a whopping 40 songs, there was never a dull moment. The songs flowed seamlessly from one to the next, as Tesfaye isolated his verses from fan-favorite collabs. A standout was “One of Your Girls,” a song written for Tesfaye’s 2023 show “The Idol,” which is probably the only decent thing to come out of his dip into acting. He gestured to the audience like a conductor, leading as the chorus of audience voices sang JENNIE’s part.
At the end of the concert, The Weeknd played two songs off his debut mixtape “House of Balloons.” The projector glowed with a flaming V, like a rebirth, as the final song “Moth To a Flame” brought the audience back down to earth. His vocals were smooth and otherworldly, and his stage presence captured the audience, who reacted to his every gesture. It was a sensational, deafening performance, one that will certainly leave the crowd’s ears ringing.
Although Tesfaye may be retiring The Weeknd, it’s unlikely his Atlanta fans will forget him anytime soon.