The Weeknd Unveils His ‘Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour’

Aryeh Harris-Shapiro

The Weeknd just turned in a strong show headlining the first night of New Orleans’ Voodoo Art + Music Experience. Now, the mournful R&B star announces phase one of his “Starboy: Legend of the Fall” 2017 world tour. The tour kicks off on Feb. 17 in Stockholm with a 14-date European leg before coming to North America, where the Toronto-born Abél Tesfaye will perform 25 shows across Canada and the U.S. in support of his upcoming third studio album “Starry,” out Nov. 25.

It may seem odd that an act specializing in mournful, downtempo R&B should be selling out arenas, but in many ways, this is the world that The Weeknd created (along with frequent collaborator Drake). His career really began to take off in 2011 with a series of ragged, eerie mixtapes that came to be known as the “Balloons Trilogy.” Each received critical acclaim, and “Trilogy,” Tesfaye’s 2012 compilation album, went double platinum. His 2013 studio debut “Kiss Land” was lower-key and he went on to join Drake on 2013’s “The Fall Tour,” which allowed him to expand his fanbase. His next album, 2015’s “Beauty Behind the Madness,” exploded, becoming the Weeknd’s first No. 1 album and his first triple platinum certification. The album also included a handful of massive singles including the inescapable hits “The Hills” and “I Can’t Feel My Face.” He followed that up with high-profile collaborations with star acts such as Kanye West, Beyoncé and Future, keeping himself in the public consciousness while prepping his third album, “Starboy” for its Nov. 25 release.

The “Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour” is both named after the Weeknd’s new album and the concept of “The Fall,” something he has referenced throughout his career. The phrase refers to failure, to crashing and burning. But with the album’s titular Daft Punk-produced single currently at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hot hip-hop acts Bryson Tiller and Lil Uzi Vert set to opening his tour’s European leg, it’s not likely Tesfaye will have to process failure anytime soon.

The Weeknd’s “Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour” tours the U.S. April 26 through Nov. 2 and comes to L.A.’s The Forum April 29-30 and Brooklyns’s Barclays Center June 6-7.