Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Coming off a particularly prolific stretch of three blockbuster albums in a mere five years, The Weeknd continued his gargantuan “After Hours Til Dawn” Tour with another pair of packed Soldier Field spectacles, both updated via a “Hurry Up Tomorrow” twist.

When it came to closing night, all of those R&B meets pop projects were amply showcased, alongside everything else that made the man born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye a global phenomenon since gradually emerging out of Canada circa the 2010s.

Now a diamond-certified superstar who has a Super Bowl halftime performance under his belt, The Weeknd eclipsing any previous productions throughout more than two riveting hours, featuring theatrical interpretations of each infectious track in a “cosmic cataclysm”-themed setting, connected by floor-spanning runways and centered around a gigantic gold statue.

Backed by a funky band stacked with the synthesizers of producer/opener Mike Dean, the headliner entered to the glow-in-the-dark delivery of “The Abyss,” went directly into the cage-rattling “Wake Me Up” and reinforced the fact that fans would certainly be up partying “After Hours.”

The masked “Starboy” leaned further into his club sensibilities during the glistening “Take My Breath” and the Swedish House Mafia remix of “Sacrifice,” then a little later, the throbbing “São Paulo” as everyone danced, jumped and found their wristbands, provided upon entry, magically flashing to the pulsations.

There were also surprisingly early inclusions of the colossal breakthroughs “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills,” plus the newer chilled-out ballad “Baptized In Fear,” a bit of the banger “Open Hearts” and the icy bass/synth bounce “Cry For Me.”

Additional apexes included the soulful standouts “I Feel It Coming” and “Save Your Tears,” in addition to the beat-centric anthem “Blinding Lights, which holds the unprecedented distinction of surpassing Chubby Checker’s 1960 smash “The Twist” as the top Billboard Hot 100 song ever.

By the time The Weeknd got to the ambitious, fireworks-adorned “Moth To A Flame,” he was well on the way to clinching such legendary status as well, and as far as this latest trilogy-themed stretch could attest, is already capable of thrilling essentially any stadium on earth.

For additional information on The Weeknd, visit TheWeeknd.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming shows at Soldier Field include Kendrick Lamar and SZA (Jun. 6); Blackpink (Jul. 18); Oasis (Aug. 28); My Chemical Romance (Aug. 29); The Lumineers (Aug. 30); System Of A Down and Avenged Sevenfold (Aug. 31-Sept. 1). For additional details, visit SoldierField.com.

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