The Weeknd Lit LA on Fire

The Weeknd performing at SoFi Stadium, LA by Jacob Alvarez

SOLD OUT SHOW WITH SUPPORT FROM KAYTRANADA AND MIKE DEAN

I remember being at my desk when I received the email. “Hello, you are approved for two tickets and a photo pass to cover The Weeknd this Friday,” it read. I’ve done festivals, arenas, and just last month, I attended my first football stadium to cover the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And to top it all off, a few weeks ago while shooting Third Eye Blind at the YouTube Theater, I looked out at its neighboring stadium SoFi, home of the LA Rams, and said to myself that I would one day shoot there. I never expected it to come this soon, but it was one for the books, and to be covering arguably the biggest pop start in the world along with openers Kaytranada and Mike Dean, nothing but greatness.

I arrived during Mike Dean’s set which was tough to accept, but I had met him a few months prior and respect his work so I’m hoping the figure I made for him can act as a token of my appreciation. This time, being in front of a 70,000 capacity stadium, it wasn't as daunting as before. I had the Chili Peppers to thank for that. I was just in awe of getting to finally go inside and hearing the glorious synths of Dean. My girlfriend Paige went in to find her seat while I received my photo pass and awaited an escort to cover Kaytranada’s set which followed Dean’s.

The ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’ at SoFi Stadium, LA by Jacob Alvarez

Luckily, the great people at SoFi were helpful and one I had met before, who complimented me on my Cafe Du Monde shirt before leading me into the massive stadium. many seats were already filled and the nosebleeds were so high up, it looked as though they were tilted forward similar to a rollercoaster or something. About 12 photographers made their way to the photo pit where we waited until Kaytranada made his way to the stage. There was a long catwalk connected to the main stage and I noticed that each performer played their set in different areas. Mike Dean performed from the very top of the cat walk near the lifelike moon orb that floated about the stage and Kaytranada took to the middle of where Dean stood and the main stage. The lights dimmed although it wasn’t completely dark outside yet so the navy blue sky provided a nice backdrop to Kaytranada beginning his set, just him and his platform.

I was quite excited to capture another one of his performances because of how much fun I had with his set at This Ain’t No Picnic a week prior. He blazed through a similar set, utilizing the main stage LED walls for colorful visuals that contrasted with the shadows of the arena. He wore these interesting shades which is pretty much an iconic look for him now, and at one moment, he glanced over in the pit’s direction and I snapped what I like to believe is one of my best photos to date. From his latest collaboration with Anderson Paak. “Twin Flame” to “Meditation” and Rihanna’s “Kiss It Better,” Kaytranada was having a great time grooving and mostly singing along to the tracks. That’s what you want to see out of any performer, just them and the music playing out and dancing and whatnot. Mostly he transitioned between tracks fairly quickly so there wasn’t much room for praise but when he did pause for a brief moment, the crowd made sure to show him love.

Kaytranada performing at SoFi Stadium, LA by Jacob Alvarez

Once Kay’s set ended, he thanked LA and walked off while the photographers waited in the tunnels of the first floor for almost an hour. Then we heard shouting and cheers as we were escorted back toward the stage. Everyone was hyped to see a sneak peak of The Weeknd’s upcoming show for HBO Max called The Idol. Our press coordinator spoke to us and warned us that there would be some sort of filming taking place right before the performance, so we were not allowed to take our phones or cameras out to snap anything that would eventually end up on an episode once it was released. We were then allowed into the photo pit where actress and star of The Idol Lily-Rose Depp stepped out onto the stage dressed in a white gown, delivering a monologue referencing “the love of her life” which is The Weeknd’s character in the show. It was amazing to see a portion of the show being made before my eyes and I look forward to seeing it utilized once the show is on television. Even with the warnings, many brought out their phones and cameras but were quickly shut down while fans in their seats got footage.

The Weeknd performing at SoFi Stadium, LA by Jacob Alvarez

At this point, you have about a dozen photographers in the pit along with professional camera operators recording for either the show or the performance to broadcast the movements on the LED screens of the stage. Then around 10 people dressed in red and faceless garbs surrounded the stage as The Weeknd popped out on top of one of the buildings on stage. He wore this mask that blended Leatherface and The Phantom of the Opera while dressed in black, beginning with a portion of “Alone Again.” And while in the pit, it was very difficult to find a good place to shoot from as the camera operators walked back and forth asking to give them space while photographers were bumping into one another and The Weeknd moved to stage left for a good amount of time so it almost became impossible to get decent shots.

The Weeknd performing at SoFi Stadium, LA by Jacob Alvarez

I worked with this more mysterious look and darkness he was utilizing since After Hours and Uncut Gems so I believe the shadows and randomness of the photos work well. Once we were out, we made our way to level six of the stadium where we had to take elevator 11 only to drop our equipment then do the same thing to get back down to our seats. It took about five to six songs to do that entire process but it was fine because when I finally made it to section one on the floor, the bass was so loud I had to keep my earplugs in. Paige and I watched The Weeknd strut down the catwalk, sometimes staying near the moon to perform full songs and then coming back to the middle while flames bursted, heating up an already hot stadium. I don’t believe there was a bad seat in the house and I was happy to see The Weeknd show love to all sides of the room, plus everyone was given light up bands for certain songs like “I Feel It Coming.” He had high energy and sometimes went higher on certain notes, replacing cities in songs with Los Angeles which got the crowd insanely excited. I’m sure having 70,000 people yelling anything would be loud, but when Abel Tesfaye would play fan favorites like “Starboy” or “Call Out My Name,” it was something far greater. He ended the night with global favorite “Blinding Lights” which activated the light bands once more, and the tease at the beginning was fantastic. A near 30 song set was something I didn’t expect from someone who had a huge tour iternerary to look forward to, but he really played the show as it was his last. And sadly, his second show in LA was cancelled after five songs due to him losing his voice. Needless to say, The Weeknd’s only LA date now was special for multiple reasons, one being it marked one of MMC*’s largest shows to date. Check out the set list here!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!

PS: Check out our gallery of photos from the performance!