HBO has dropped a trailer for its live recording of one of the Weeknd’s performances at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood last fall.
The Weeknd performed four-ish sold-out shows in September and November at the tail end of his After Hours Til Dawn Tour. Why the “ish”? The “Blinding Lights” singer lost his voice during the second gig, abruptly ending the show just three songs into his set. The third and fourth shows were makeup performances after his cancellation.
Though it’s unclear which of the performances is the focal point for the upcoming special, “The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium,” it’s safe to assume he had his voice intact while HBO’s cameras were rolling.
The trailer, set to the Swedish House Mafia remix of “Sacrifice,” gives viewers a peak into the spectacle of a performance, which according to Times music critic Mikael Wood included “a giant inflatable moon” and “digital imagery to approximate a dystopian cityscape” while “a phalanx of dancers in hooded red robes conjured a vaguely occult vibe as they moved in formation around the singer down a lengthy runway.”
We even get a glimpse of the singer’s “creepy mask that made him resemble a victim of some botched plastic-surgery procedure.”
During his first show at SoFi, HBO cameras were rolling for a different project altogether: The Grammy-winning chart-topper is also co-starring alongside Lily-Rose Depp in the upcoming HBO drama “The Idol.” Depp appeared onstage at the start of the Weeknd’s September show, delivering a dramatic speech about the “tough year” she had endured and thanking the audience for “your grace.”
“Tonight is incredibly special because I have the opportunity to introduce you to the love of my life — the man who pulled me through the darkest hours and into the light,” Depp said before the Weeknd joined her onstage. She called him “Tedros,” his character’s name on “The Idol.”
In the upcoming show, which was helmed by “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson and is expected this summer, the Weeknd plays a mysterious club owner while Depp is a troubled pop star.
The Weeknd’s performance special will stream on HBO Max starting Feb. 25.
