Many big names in the entertainment industry have been coming back strong with major tours featuring grand set designs making for incredible immersive experiences for fans. The Weeknd's After Hours til Dawn tour did just that with its incredible set including a large moon and massive cityscape in the night connected by a huge runway stretching the whole stadium. The incredible display took the audience away and into the mind of The Weeknd.
The multi-talented Canadian artist has been taking the industry by storm since his debut in 2009 with songs like "Blinding Lights", "Save Your Tears", and "Starboy" reaching Billboard #1 through the years with several other tracks reaching Billboard Top 10. With his major success in the music industry, fans have come to love the singer's dark lyricism exploring escapism and romance, with inspiration from several genres of music including soul, hip hop, and funk.
Since his debut, The Weeknd has released 5 studio albums and 7 tours. With a 4 year break due to the pandemic since his last tour in 2018 in Asia, 2022 marked a huge comeback for the artist. This year, he released his 5th album titled Dawn FM and the After Hours til Dawn tour that supported his 4th and 5th albums with a set list of about 29 songs.
Laser Technology
This incredible production was designed by no other than The Weeknd's childhood friend La Mar Taylor and featured many theatrical and conceptual elements. To go along with the already incredible set and music, lighting the scene with special effects would add an incredible addition to the show that would further expand the show into the audience.
For special effects, our friends at Pyrotecnico were brought on to the project to help bring the set to life. Pyrotecnico has become a staple in the industry as they've been "amplifying excitement since 1889" with their incredibly passionate and creative team to create unforgettable experiences and communities together. They have 125 years of experience and won several awards for their amazing display designs, and continue to amaze audiences and creatives in the industry.
This talented team brought with them a fleet of several high-powered lasers including KVANT 25watt laser, some including BeamBrush technology. This technology would allow Laser Programmer Tyler Barbone to replicate the look of a moving head and wash light effect to the classic tight laser beam in real-time, allowing more flexibility in the effects they can do. Most of the provided special effects were implemented into the city set and the crew painted rain covers for the lasers to further camouflage them into the cityscape.
The tour has been in front of several crowds and will continue for the next round of the tour starting summer of 2023, heading to Europe and South America to continue wowing fans globally.
Set Crew
Artist: The Weeknd
Creative Director: Lamar Taylor
Production Designer: Es Devlin
Scenic Design Producer: Jason Ardizzone-West
Lighting Designer: Jason Baeri
Assistant Lighting Designer / Programmer: Joe Bay
Video Designer: Polina Zakh
Screens Director / Producer: Loren Barton
Tour Manager: Matt Petroff
Production Manager: Rob DeCeglio
Scenic Shop Producers: Alex Serrano, Marisa Rinchiuso
SFX Crew Chief: Jacob Medeiros
Laser Programmer / Operator: Tyler Barbone
Laser Technicians: Carson Daniels, Charles Jongejans
SFX Programmer / Operator: RJ Pacella
SFX Technicians: Daniel Conrad, Seth Thomas
Lighting / Video: Solotech Inc
Scenic: Tait Towers
SFX: Pyrotecnico FX
Audio: Clair Global
Staging: Stage Co
Check out Pyrotecnico online
Check out the After Hours til Dawn Tour show here: