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The Weeknd review – superstar showman wows on a monumental scale
Performing to over 70,000 fans, the mystique merchant put on a 27-song set showcasing new music as well as favourites
What came soon after was a riveting infomercial from the Canadian R&B-pop singer and mystique merchant – real name Abel Tesfaye – that held the more than 70,000 fans that packed into the 64-year-old home of São Paulo FC in his thrall and served as a proof of concept for the tour that’s surely to follow. The 34-year-old Toronto native managed to cram 27 songs into an hour-and-a-half-long set that featured a least a half-dozen new cuts, not confirmed but almost certainly from the upcoming record, roaming the huge stage that spanned the length of the pitch and clad in a black robe with gold trim, like a boxer making the lonely walk to the squared circle. Another crowd-pleasing debut track, São Paulo, took in a pair of songs by funk singer Tati Quebra Barraco (Abre as Pernas, Mete a Língua and Kabo Kaki) and featured a surprise appearance by Brazilian pop megastar Anitta, who’d taken the stage disguised as a backup dancer, that prompted deafening roars from the capacity audience.
Or read this on The Guardian
