Fans packed into the smoke-filled Orpheum Theatre on Oct. 11 to listen to The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) perform songs from his latest album, “Kiss Land.” The band positioned itself behind Tesfaye while he remained isolated on center stage, representative of the emotional solidarity he often sings about.
Upon entering the theater, listeners were greeted by people dressed as green, anime-style mascots ready to pose for pictures. The cover of the “Kiss Land” single features Japanese characters on it, so it appears that Tesfaye’s fascination with Japanese culture has carried over into his live shows.
Taking the stage at 9:30 p.m, Tesfaye immediately enchanted the audience with a crowd favorite, “Adaptation.” After the opening song, he joked with the audience that the fire marshal had already come to the building to determine where all the smoke had come from. The persistent smoke in the room didn’t come as a surprise to him, considering how much of his music focuses on drugs.
Throughout the night, Tesfaye stopped the concert several times to express his love and appreciation for his fans for making his a top-selling album. (“Kiss Land” hit number one on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop albums chart upon its release). The theater later erupted when he announced that it was time for some “motherf***ing classics,” referring to songs from his first three EPs, which were later compiled on the album “Trilogy.” He kicked off with “House of Balloons,” the namesake song of his first EP. The raw emotions of the song were palatable and haunting, entrancing the Orpheum as he sang, “This is a happy house. We’re happy here.”
Despite the lethargic tempo of his music, Tesfaye was a surprisingly energetic performer, jumping and clapping on stage. As he continued with popular songs that everyone sang along with, the sense of community in the theater was nearly overwhelming. Before returning to songs from “Kiss Land,” Tesfaye talked about “Pretty,” which is his favorite song to perform. During that song, he turned his back to the audience to face several cameras on stage that projected his face onto screens facing the audience. The performance was as unique as it was intimate, and it set Tesfaye apart from other R&B artists.
Another unique moment was in the performance of the new album’s title song, “Kiss Land,” during which the screens behind him filled with erotic and sexual images of Asian women, mimicking the song’s music video. Although this was unexpected, the audience was receptive to the imagery, as it is a common theme throughout his music. After he left the stage, the crowd chanted his name, seducing Tesfaye into coming back to perform one last song. He rocked an encore performance of the fan favorite, “Wicked Games.” The audience nearly drowned the singer’s voice out, showing how much love they have for him and his music.
Tesfaye lived up to expectations and then surpassed them, delivering a beautiful performance and showcasing his talents to an audience that couldn’t have loved him more. While the singer’s fall tour has wrapped up and he has yet to announce a follow-up project to “Kiss Land,” it’s safe to assume this is not the end of The Weeknd.
Ana Lopez can be reached at aelopez.umass.edu.
