Several days ago, I hopped on the Red Line and made my way to Lincoln Hall, a concert venue fittingly located in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. After about an hour’s wait, I was greeted by the delicious voice that is The Weeknd. At 22 years old, The Weeknd (stage name of Toronto-born Abel Tesfaye) has been alluring listeners with his work since the release of his first mix tape, House of Balloons. His high range combined with the haunting beats of his tunes have captured the adoration of critics and listeners alike.
Despite hearing some negative reviews on his live performances, I was extremely excited to see The Weeknd perform at his sold-out show. Upon entering, I was first shocked by the smallness of the venue which appeared to be about the same size as my elementary school auditorium. The intimate setting did have its advantage in that everyone in the audience had a clear view of The Weeknd and his band. Hearing him, however, was a whole different story. For many of the songs, I was unable to hear Abel’s actual voice and instead, listened to renditions belted by the intoxicated girls behind me. While I understand that singing along expresses your support and love for the artist and can be fun in itself, it becomes pretty agitating when the concert develops into a painful karaoke session. Another peeve was the man directly in front of me who decided to hold his phone in the air for the duration of the concert to record the concert. Once again, I recognize why someone would want to do this. But that doesn’t stop it from being irritating.
Yet not even these nuisances could dispute the fact that The Weeknd is an incredible talent who has the ability to seduce listeners in a manner that is rarely matched by other artists. He was dubbed the “songbird of our generation” by MTV, Pitchfork, BET, and Rolling Stone, and for good reason. With a performance at Coachella under his belt and another one at Lollapalooza happening in August, The Weeknd is sure to gain even more popularity in the coming months. To get a taste of his work, listen to these songs:
Wicked Games
House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls
The Morning
So whatever day it may be, find a couple minutes of escape in The Weeknd.