KUALA LUMPUR, November 3 — Despite merchandise sales for The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour in KL opening at 2pm, eager fans began lining up as early as 10am, hoping to secure official concert gear.
Held at Car Park C of the TM National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, today’s merchandise pre-sale drew crowds of eager fans, personal shoppers, and supportive parents, all braving the sweltering afternoon heat.
Fortunately for fans, organiser Livenation Malaysia has prepared several water stations around the area as well as a medic team on standby to accommodate queuing fans.
And not just that, several fans also came prepared with umbrellas, snacks, handheld fans and some even brought along foldable chairs to get through the day.
Personal shopper Ammarcs is one of the earliest in line for the merchandise. — Picture by Arif Zikri
One of the first in line was Ammarcs, a 23-year-old personal shopper from Kepong who has been waiting in line since 10am.
“I was afraid the line would be massive by the time I got here, but luckily the crowd wasn’t too big yet.
“If I came late, my main concern was missing out on the exact sizes my customers asked for,” Ammarcs told Malay Mail.
Ammarcs who is also a student, said that he has been a personal shopper for around two years now and for today’s session, he decided to open up 20 slots where he would charge RM10 per item.
He pointed out that he could get more customers however he decided to cap his customer list at 20 people only to not stress himself out.
Armed with just an umbrella, a powerbank and a luggage bag, Ammarcs said that these are amongst the essential items he needs whenever he is on the job.
“A mobile phone is a must, followed by a power bank and, of course, a luggage bag—which actually has several other bags packed inside it.
“I also brought a lot of IKEA bags as backups to put all the stuff in along with a pen and notebook just in case my phone freezes, so I still have all the order details written down,” he said.
He added that personal shopping is just a part-time gig for him as it is a great way for him to secure some extra income especially with him still studying at the moment.
Nina Ibrahim and her family waiting for her daughter who was in queue for the merchandise. — Picture by Raymond Manuel.
Meanwhile, 47-year-old Nina Ibrahim and her husband have been taking shelter under a tree since 12pm while waiting for their 20-year-old daughter who was in queue for the merchandise.
Nina and her family are from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and they are currently in town to visit their relatives here.
“We came to visit relatives, and the concert timing just happened to align.
“My daughter is a big fan of The Weeknd, and since we traveled a long way, I was worried about safety if she queued alone.
“That’s why we decided to join her here today,” Nina said.
Aside from that, 26-year-old Shaqeel from Sri Lanka who was also in the queuing line wished that he came more prepared.
“I really wished I’ve brought an umbrella, a fan and a bottle of water with me because I didnt expect it would be this hot.
“I didnt come prepared at all.
“But I’m wearing shorts so at least I have that going for me and I got my powerbank with me to keep my phone alive, so that’s good enough,” he said.
Shaqeel who has been a fan of The Weeknd since 2013 said that he came all the way from Sri Lanka just to catch The Weeknd live in person and he has been enjoying the Malaysia experience so far.
“I just flew in from Sri Lanka a day before yesterday and although I came here alone, but I am meeting up with a few friends who are living here.
“My experience has been great so far, I’m staying nearby Pavillion in Bukit Bintang and I have to say the food here are great.
“I will be staying here for until Monday and I might be visiting other places such as Melaka and also Genting Highlands while I’m here,” he said.
19 years old Mohd Arfat Abdul Rashid has been saving up for The Weeknd in Malaysia. — Picture by Raymond Manuel.
As the merchandise pre-sale booth opens sharply at 2pm, it only took 20 minutes for 19-year-old Mohd Arfat Abdul Rashid to secure his merchandise.
Arfat who was in queue since 11am initially wanted to buy just a hoodie for himself however ended up buying another jersey because the quality is too good for him to resist.
“It was better than I expected, I really thought the jersey was just going to be a normal jersey but then I found out its a thick layer kind of jersey.
“I’m like wow, the thing is, I wasn’t even planning to buy the jersey but it was actually nice, I just had to buy it,” he said.
Arfat is a student who is also working a part time job and he said that he had to make excuses to his boss in order for him to line up for the merchandise.
“I’m so excited for the show tomorrow, and I’m really proud of myself for making it here.
“I’ve been wanting to see him live for so long, so I saved up for months—it took me eight months to afford the ticket and this jersey.
“Even though I couldn’t get VIP passes, just being able to attend is more than good enough for me,” Arfat said.
The Weeknd will be performing in Malaysia on November 4 and 5 at the TM National Stadium in Bukit Jalil in part of his After Hours Till Dawn Tour.
This will also mark his final stop for the tour which has been ongoing since 2022.