Overview
Australia, you will feel it coming after all: in what's been a chaotic time for fans keen to see Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye Down Under, the musician is finally bringing his After Hours Til Dawn tour this way. Come October 2024, the Canadian singer-songwriter and The Idol star will hit the country for four gigs, playing two in Melbourne, then another two in Sydney.
The details for your diary: The Weeknd will take to the stage at Marvel Stadium in the Victorian capital across Saturday, October 5–Sunday, October 6, then do the same at Accor Stadium in the New South Wales capital on Tuesday, October 22–Wednesday, October 23.
Missing from the rescheduled tour dates is a Brisbane stop, which is no longer happening "due to schedule and logistical constraints", tour promoter Live Nation has advised.
Hyghly Allene
It was this time last year that The Weeknd announced that his latest massive stadium tour was on its way to both Australia and New Zealand in November and December 2023 — even adding extra shows before general tickets went on sale — only for it to be postponed just two weeks out "due to unforeseen circumstances" without new dates being set. Then, in April 2024, the tour was cancelled for the time being, with ticketholders receiving refunds.
"The Weeknd After Hours Til Dawn Tour for Australia and New Zealand is still in process of being rescheduled," said a statement on the Ticketek website earlier in the year, leaving hope then that the tour might be announced again in the future.
"Whilst we continue to work through the rescheduling process with the artist, tickets for the existing 2023 tour will be cancelled. All purchased tickets will receive a full refund," the message continued.
Revealing the new Aussie shows now, The Weekend said that he feels "a strong pull to perform in Australia before moving on to the next chapter" and that he wanted "to make sure you all know I hadn't forgotten about you".
"When I return now, it will be the right time, and I promise it will be such a special experience. I can't wait to see you all!" his announcement about the new dates continued.
Mike Dean, Chxrry22 and Anna Lunoe will join The Weeknd Down Under. And if you've spotted that there's no New Zealand gigs this time around as well, his stop in Aotearoa is no longer on the schedule, just like Brisbane.
An arena spectacular, The Weeknd's global tour began in 2022, notching up soldout shows far and wide. In the UK, The Weekend saw 160,000 folks head to London Stadium across two nights, smashing the venue's attendance record. And in Milan, he became the first artist to sell out the Ippodromo La Maura for two nights.
Those feats are just the beginning. In Paris, the 'Starboy', 'I Feel It Coming', 'Can't Feel My Face', 'The Hills' and 'Blinding Lights' artist scored Stade de France's biggest sales this year — and in Nice, the 70,000 tickets sold across his two shows are the most in the city's history.
The reason for the whole tour, other than just because, is celebrate The Weeknd's 2020 record After Hours and its 2022 followup Dawn FM. Obviously, he has been playing tracks from 2013's Kiss Land, 2015's Beauty Behind the Madness and 2016's Starboy as well.
The Weeknd's 'After Hours Til Dawn' Tour 2024 Dates:
Saturday, October 5–Sunday, October 6 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
Tuesday, October 22–Wednesday, October 23 — Accor Stadium, Sydney
The Weeknd is touring Australia in October 2024 — and if you had tickets to his cancelled 2023 dates, you can nab new tickets via the past purchaser presale from 12pm in Melbourne and 1pm in Sydney on Wednesday, August 21. Other presales start from Thursday, August 22, with general sales from Monday, August 26. Head to the tour website for more information.
Top image: Rafael Deprost.