The night sky over Nashville lit up like fireworks as The Weeknd—born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye—returned for his first Music City performance in nearly a decade. Bringing his After Hours Til Dawn Tour to a sold-out Nissan Stadium, he transformed the 69,000-person venue into a post-apocalyptic dreamscape, complete with cloaked figures, golden arches framing a cross-shaped catwalk, and a towering “Sexy Robot” sculpture by Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama.

From the opening notes of “The Abyss” and “Wake Me Up,” the show was a cinematic journey. Backed by openers Playboi Carti and Mike Dean, The Weeknd launched into a 41-song marathon that spanned his entire album trilogy—After Hours (2020), Dawn FM (2022), and his most recent release, Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025). Each track was brought to life with meticulous staging and a voice that rang clear and rich across the night air.

The set flowed effortlessly: “After Hours,” “Starboy,” and “Heartless” bled into “Faith” and “Take My Breath” (in a pulsating Swedish House Mafia remix), before the crowd erupted for “How Do I Make You Love Me?” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” He wove in deep cuts like “Kiss Land,” “Often,” and “Given Up on Me” alongside fan favorites “I Was Never There” and “The Hills,” which was punctuated by bursts of fire erupting from the catwalk.

New tracks from Hurry Up Tomorrow—including “Baptized in Fear,” “Open Hearts,” “Cry for Me,” “São Paulo,” “Timeless,” and “Rather Lie”—were met with the same roar as chart-toppers. Covers and collaborations like “Creepin’” (Metro Boomin), “Niagara Falls,” “One of the Girls,” and “Moth to a Flame” kept the energy high. By the time he reached the soaring “Stargirl Interlude,” “Out of Time,” “I Feel It Coming,” “Die for You,” “Is There Someone Else?” and “Wicked Games,” the stadium had become one collective voice.

The encore stretch was pure euphoria: “Call Out My Name,” “The Morning,” “Save Your Tears,” “Less Than Zero,” “Blinding Lights,” “High for This,” and “House of Balloons” before closing with “Moth to a Flame.”

But amid the spectacle, it was the intimacy that stood out. At one point, The Weeknd fought back tears as he told the crowd this was one of the warmest welcomes he had ever received. He even pulled one lucky fan in the audience to sing along, a gesture that drew deafening cheers and showed the heart behind the superstar persona.

Coined as his final tour, the night carried a bittersweet edge. Fans—spanning generations—poured their devotion into every lyric, knowing they might never see this level of production again. As the lights dimmed and the last note lingered in the summer air, Nashville was left not just with memories of a show, but with the lasting imprint of an artist who gave them everything he had.

Setlist:
The Abyss • Wake Me Up • After Hours • Starboy • Heartless • Faith • Take My Breath • Sacrifice (Swedish House Mafia remix) • How Do I Make You Love Me? • Can’t Feel My Face • Lost in the Fire (Gesaffelstein & The Weeknd song) • Kiss Land • Often • Given Up on Me • I Was Never There • The Hills • Baptized in Fear • Open Hearts • Cry for Me • São Paulo • Timeless • Rather Lie • Creepin’ (Metro Boomin cover) • Niagara Falls • One of the Girls • Stargirl Interlude • Out of Time • I Feel It Coming • Die for You • Is There Someone Else? • Wicked Games • Call Out My Name • The Morning • Save Your Tears • Less Than Zero • Blinding Lights • Without a Warning • Reflections Laughing • High for This • House of Balloons • Moth to a Flame (Swedish House Mafia & The Weeknd song)

Share.

Comments are closed.

Exit mobile version