The Weeknd
The Weeknd’s Saturday night concert at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles came to an abrupt end just after 9:30 p.m.
According to a Variety report, the singer, who was wrapping up a two-night run at the stadium, said he had lost his voice and didn’t feel he could provide the show that people paid for.
“I don’t know what just happened… but I just lost my voice,” he told the crowd from the stage. “This is killing me, I don’t want to stop the show but I can’t give you the concert I want to give you right now. I’m gonna make sure everybody’s good — you’ll get your money back — I’ll do a show real soon for you guys. But I wanted to come out and personally apologise.”
“You know how much this kills me, I’m sorry. I love you, thank you so much,” he said before exiting the stage.
Not long after, the house lights came on and audience members wandered amongst themselves unsure if they should begin to make their way to the exits or hope for the concert to restart.
The show, which was due to kick off at 9 p.m., was being filmed — in part for a scene from the upcoming HBO Max show “The Idol,” which stars Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye alongside Lily-Rose Depp. Wearing a white gown and with her hair in an updo, she took the stage to deliver key lines from one of the show’s penultimate moments. “I’ve had a tough year,” she says in character. “This world can be a cruel and unforgiving place and there were moments when I didn’t know if I was gonna make it.”
At around 9:17 p.m., the Weeknd made his entrance, but his voice cracked audibly when he welcomed the nearly 70,000 in attendance. The artist managed to get through four songs before he had to cut the show short.
Later, the singer posted a statement on his Instagram story, writing: “My voice went out during the first song and I’m devastated. Felt it go and my heart dropped. My deepest apologies to my fans here. I promise I’ll make it up to you with a new date.”
The show featured two opening acts, prolific producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Dean, as well as DJ Kaytranada.
The “After Hours” tour had mostly gone on without incident other than the trek’s kick-off in Toronto, which was cancelled due to an internet outage that affected all of Canada. That hometown show is rescheduled for September 22. No word yet on a makeup date for Los Angeles.