INGLEWOOD, Cali. (AP) — The Weeknd made a triumphant return to SoFi Stadium just outside of Los Angeles on Wednesday night, his first of a four-night run.
“I came back with a vengeance, man,” the four-time Grammy Award winning singer said on stage. “And that’s because of you.”
For those in the know, it was like something straight out of a movie. That’s because a previous performance on that stage became the catalyst for The Weeknd’s first leading role in a feature film, which he also co-wrote, “Hurry Up Tomorrow.”
The Weeknd performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd, center, performs with backup dancers on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Backup dancers at left perform with The Weeknd on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd, right, performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd, right, performs with backup dancers on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd, center, performs with backup dancers on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd, left, performs underneath a video screen during his concert on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd, left, performs underneath a video screen during his concert on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
The Weeknd performs on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
On the last night of his 2022 tour, the bestselling artist born Abel Tesfaye emerged onstage at the famed SoFi Stadium and the unthinkable happened. His voice cracked, and then it was gone. He had to cancel the show shortly after it began.
A few makeup concerts were scheduled, and he was fine — but it was a story attendees and The Weeknd fans had only committed to memory. That is, until earlier this year, when he chronicled the journey in an album and the fictionalized film, both titled “Hurry Up Tomorrow.”
Wednesday night was a reclamation of the moment he froze in 2022, and a turning point for his life and career.
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AP Music Writer Maria Sherman reported from New York.
