KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — It’s been three days since the last show of The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour (AHTD) in Kuala Lumpur which also marked the end of his epic world tour.
Videos and photos from his final two shows at the TM National Stadium in Bukit Jalil continue to make the rounds on social media, while his songs continue to be heard on local radio stations such as HITZ, Fly FM and ERA FM.
Some fans travelled thousands of miles to be part of the experience, while others just had to take a train or car ride from their homes to the two shows here.
One artist, seven shows, three countries and two continents
Layla Hackner, 22, from Austria was among the 130,000 fans in KL who sang and danced their hearts out to The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye.
She went to all three of his Munich shows in Germany last June as well as both nights of The Weeknd’s Ireland stop in Dublin in August. The two-night finale in KL marked her seventh AHTD show.
“After travelling all the way from Austria, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. Kuala Lumpur definitely made it worth it!,” she said.
Layla Hackner (far left) attended seven shows on The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’, including both nights of the Kuala Lumpur finale. — Picture courtesy of Layla Hackner
Hackner said she initially planned to go to just that one show in Munich but somewhere along the way, she was motivated to experience more of the tour which became the perfect opportunity for her to explore the world.
“I honestly never planned for any of this to happen. Most of the additional trips were quite impulsive decisions.”
Despite that, going to seven shows across two continents does come with its own set of challenges and the biggest one for Hackner was securing the presale tickets for the Asia leg where she had to wake up around 3am (Central European time) to secure her tickets back in May.
“I think one of the things I appreciate most about Abel as an artist is that he’s a storyteller. You can see that in his music, but you can also feel it throughout his live performances.”
Layla Hackner and her friend at The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’ concert at TM National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. — Picture courtesy of Layla Hackner
A new benchmark for concerts in Malaysia?
For 28-year-old Juhan Shameerul Shaharuzaman, years of listening to The Weeknd finally culminated in a fan moment where he got to touch the singer’s hand.
“I was at the end of the barricade and it was like a full hand touch (from The Weeknd).
“It felt like a blessing. I kissed my hand at least three times after that,” Juhan told Malay Mail.
He first discovered the singer’s music through his brother in 2015, Juhan gradually developed an appreciation for his discography, eventually introducing his songs to friends and university mates.
Shameerul Shaharuzaman (back row, centre) and Muzafar Rais Marwazi (far left) at the first night of The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’ finale in Kuala Lumpur. — Picture courtesy of Muzafar Rais Marwazi
Meanwhile, marketing executive Muzafar Rais Marwazi is still wrapping his head around the fact that The Weeknd has chosen KL as his closing AHTD tour stop.
“It’s crazy how he chose to end his era or his tour of four years in our country. I mean, what made us so special? He could’ve ended it in Thailand or Indonesia but no, he chose us,” said the 34-year-old.
For these three fans, the show(s) may be over but the music definitely plays on.