Were proof needed that Canada is dominating pop music right now, confirmation arrived last night in a packed-to-the-ceiling Vancouver’s Rogers Arena, as Toronto native The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye to his Mom) delivered a concert that suggested that he’s perfectly poised to seize the vacant position of world’s biggest male pop star.
It all begins with the voice, which was pitch perfect for set opener “Real Life” and never faltered throughout a 90-minute show that wasn’t short on high notes in need of hitting.
Starting his set from behind a cage covered with projections, it took three entire songs for the cherry picker carrying The Weeknd to deposit him on top of his cell. Once there he delivered his first instruction of the night, pointing his mic at the crowd to sing the hook of unrepeatable sex jam “Often.” They generously obliged, having been in the palm of his hand from the moment he’d stepped on stage.
In Pictures: The Weeknd nails it in Vancouver
Unwilling to loosen his grip, the thrills kept coming; pyro eruptions filling in for Drake on “Crew Love” and the singer choreographing the night’s first outbreak of bouncing midway through “Or Nah.”
The Weeknd’s reputation as the hipster’s R&B singer of choice was best illustrated with the unveiling of a pair of the oldest tracks of his back catalogue. “House of Balloons” sampled Siouxsie and the Banshees’ “Happy House,” a tune released ten years before 90% of the crowd had been born. Segueing into the dark electric snarl of “Glass Table Girls,” the combination provided the weirdest five minutes of the entire night. Five of the best minutes too.
The Tinder generation’s greatest documenter of sex, drugs and rock’n’soul, tracks like “Tell Your Friends” and “Shameless” were filled with enough explicit references to make Marvin Gaye blush: a pair of searing shreds by guitarist Patrick Greenaway doing nothing to lessen their erotic potency. Demonstrating his versatility, The Weeknd proceeded to out-emote Sam Smith with “Angel” before channelling the ghost of Michael Jackson (including some fun but not exactly pristine dance moves) with the playful “In The Night.”
“This is the biggest party in the city,” he pointed out, moments before the opening bass note of “I Can’t Feel My Face” produced the loudest cheer of the night. What a great pop song.
A spectacular voice and show make for a fun night out, but the heart of what’s leading The Weeknd to legendary status is his song writing. An evening without a single duff track ended with the suitably carnal “The Hills” and an encore of “Wicked Games.” A wave and a “Vancouver, I love you!” and Canada’s newest superstar was gone.
It goes without saying that a full-to-bursting Rogers Arena was having a spectacular time. Don’t be surprised if the maternity wards of Vancouver are four times busier than normal in exactly nine months time.
