The Weeknd Nixes Arena Tour, Announces Global Stadium Trek

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images – Stadium Sized
The Weeknd, pictured performing at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa, Florida, announced a 2022 stadium tour on Monday.

When The Weeknd announced his rescheduled, expanded arena tour for 2022 in February,  it was one of the first major tour announcements after almost a year of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. 

Now, the pop star has nixed the 104-date trek – and announced a stadium tour of unspecified proportions.

“The tour dates are moving and will commence in the summer of 2022,” The Weeknd wrote on social media. “Due to constraints of arenas and the demand for more shows I want to do something bigger and special for you which requires stadiums.”

The Weeknd’s announcement promised forthcoming new dates and assured current ticket holders that they will be refunded automatically and receive priority for purchasing tickets for the artist’s upcoming stadium dates.

Though The Weeknd did not detail the number or precise timing of stadium dates he has in the works, a promotional poster for the “After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour” listed North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.

The Weeknd’s original 2022 tour, a 104-date trek that added 39 dates to his postponed 2020 run, would have started on Jan. 14, 2022, with two concerts at Vancouver’s Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena. The announcement came during a busy month for the artist, where he headlined the Super Bowl halftime show and signed with CAA in all areas worldwide.

After Hours, The Weeknd’s fourth album, arrived in March 2020, and featured the record-setting single “Blinding Lights,” which became the longest-running song on Billboard‘s Hot 100 when it logged its 88th week on the chart in mid-August.

While The Weeknd has never headlined an outdoor stadium, he logged two-night stands at several arenas on his 2017 tour, including Southern California’s Forum, where he netted $3.2 million, and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where he brought in $2.9 million. The Weeknd is also a seasoned festival headliner, having topped the bills at festivals including Coachella, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Bonnaroo, Firefly and Life Is Beautiful.