In the open air of BC Place, Canada’s biggest pop star elevated the 2022 edition of what is technically the same tour for two sold-out nights. Although for this After Hours Til Dawn era of the tour, his city backdrop now appeared in golden ruin, while the light shows, pyrotechnics and even the stage itself were bigger than ever. Stretching to every corner of the floor, The Weeknd often walked to the edge of each of the stage’s farthest points, delivering both radio-dominating pop tunes and emotive deep cuts while up close and personal with each section of fans. And for all of the jokes about his acting ability, he really sold some of his more emotional tracks. 

Those in attendance to hear his older material may have been disappointed by the truncated version of “Wicked Games,” but a singalong of “Call Out My Name” while the star appeared to be on the verge of tears gave all the same catharsis of the former. A comment was made by the headliner about turning up as the sun went down, and the crowd certainly followed suit, mostly because sunset heralded some of the high-octane disco mixes that coloured The Weeknd’s two latest albums. They factored heavily into an impressive 40-song setlist, certainly giving them all the help they needed – not to mention the saving until the end of the tracks built for big crowds, like “Less Than Zero,” “Save Your Tears” and, of course, “Blinding Lights,” complete with a cinematic build-up where each synth hit painted the walls of the arena in different beams of light. 

For all the talk about hanging up the “Weeknd” moniker, if this was a finale of sorts, it doesn’t get much better than a crowd fully willing to take the reins in an a cappella shout-along of any chorus spanning his 14-year career.