The Weeknd has shattered dozens of records throughout his career, and most recently added another to his list after he broke London Stadium’s record for highest attendance during a show.
The monumental event went down during the XO leader’s two-night stint at the venue this past weekend as part of his After Hours ‘Till Dawn Tour, which drew in 160,000 fans on Friday (July 7). At one point in the show, The Weeknd convinced 80,000 of those fans to sing along to his My Dear Melancholy, cut “Call Out My Name.”
“A duet with 80,000 people,” the Canadian singer wrote on Twitter.
a duet with 80,000 people ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/4qtnL70o7f
— Abel Tesfaye (@theweeknd) July 9, 2023
In a statement, Live Nation’s Touring President Omar Al-joulani told Variety he was incredibly impressed with the record-shattering moment.
“It’s incredible to see the Weeknd hit this milestone less than halfway through his massive sold-out European run,” Omar Al-joulani said. “This historic moment in London shows the global fanbase he has cultivated over the years.”
Darryl Eaton, CAA’s co-head of North American touring, added, “On the heels of an enormous, hugely successful U.S. tour, Abel continues to sell at an astounding level across Europe. Abel entertained 160,000 fans across two nights at London Stadium, with another show in London to come at Wembley in August. We couldn’t be more proud to work with him and his team on this incredible tour!”
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Per Live Nation, the tour has already sold more than 2 million tickets for its European and forthcoming South America and Mexico dates — and 200,000 for both England and France. The previous North American leg of the stadium tour in 2022 raked in more than $148 million dollars, making the global tour impact around $350 million dollars to date.
However, The Weeknd has started to become more enveloped in the TV world thanks to his controversial HBO show The Idol,and in turn recently hinted at retiring his stage name after his next project. He admitted that he wants to “kill” off his musical persona.
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“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” the Dawn FM hitmaker told W magazine last month. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”
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The After Hours Til Dawn Tour will continue this month as The Weeknd heads to Brussels, Barcelona, Milan, Paris and others — with more dates to be added. The “Crew Love” crooner will also embark on a Latin America leg this fall with shows in Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and others before wrapping up on October 25 at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico.
