“How come it’s not tomorrow?” The Weeknd closed with a song about heaven featuring that lyric Saturday night in São Paulo, Brazil, leaving fans awaiting new album Hurry Up Tomorrow asking the same. (How come they can’t get Hurry Up Tomorrow … tomorrow? Especially that one song about “dancing in the flames”?)
The one-night-only concert on Sept. 7, livestreamed on YouTube, featured several tidbits of new music from Abel Tesfaye and led to “Abel” trending on social media. Live debuts were teased in a non-stop party mix with past favorites. Fans got to hear tracks never before played live and chart toppers.
The Hurry Up Tomorrow tracklist has yet to be unveiled, and Tesfaye didn’t introduce songs by name at Saturday night’s event at Estádio MorumBIS. Based on what was heard during the show, though, a few presumed titles include “Dancing in the Flames,” “Run Away” and “In Heaven.”
Highlight “Dancing in the Flames,” previewed in São Paulo during a soundcheck earlier in the day and then performed in full about 30 minutes into the concert, has the hallmarks of a hit from first listen.
Tesfaye’s voice soars over an indelible synth line, singing of an odyssey where “We’re dancing in the flames/ It’s indescribable.” (Press play on the video below to stream the concert starting at the “Dancing in the Flames” timestamp.)
A special appearance from Brazilian superstar Anitta had the São Paulo crowd going wild. Playboi Carti also appeared on The Weeknd’s stage at Estádio MorumBIS, treating the audience to a performance of Travis Scott’s “FE!N,” plus an unreleased track that’s possibly called “Timeless.”
Hits like “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears” sparked massive crowd sing-alongs toward the end of the set. “I want you to scream so loud they can hear you in Rio,” Tesfaye encouraged from the stage.
The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow album cover was revealed just hours before the show, as well as a preorder link for the set, which is the third part of a trilogy preceded by After Hours and Dawn FM. Hurry Up Tomorrow‘s release date hasn’t been announced.
Watch a replay of Saturday’s entire concert here, courtesy of The Weeknd’s YouTube channel.
