The Weeknd Changed This Young Fan's Life After Toronto Show Cancellation

Entertainment

| LAST UPDATE 07/21/2022

By Mahlik Campbell
The Weeknd
Kevin Mazur via Getty Images

While The Weeknd is one of the most popular artists in the world right now, he still makes time to foster a special connection with fans. He even turned one kid into a real-life "Starboy" after he saw him crying.

The Weeknd was set to kick off his After Hours Til Dawn Tour in his home city of Toronto where over 40k fans were hoping to sing along to "Blinding Lights" and other hits. But things went awry when the Rogers Centre suffered a huge network outage, causing the entire show to be canceled.

Not only were people unable to access their tickets but the doors to the arena wouldn't even open!

As hella fans stood outside Rogers Centre sad and confused, one young man named Phoenix was seen shedding tears. His red "After Hours" jacket caught the attention of The Weeknd. "Can someone please find him for me?" he asked his 16.4 million Twitter followers.

Days later, Phoenix was gifted the experience of a lifetime before The Weeknd's concert in Philadelphia. He met The Weeknd himself and got his red jacket autographed, took a behind-the-scenes tour at Lincoln Financial Field, talked to the crew and backup dancers, and more.

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Phoenix's dad Blake wrote in a caption, "I wouldn't be able to put this last week into words if I tried. We are forever grateful for this moment. We are beyond thankful to Abel and his beautiful crew for the friendship, hospitality, generosity, and for spending the day with Phoenix and I today. He will cherish this experience forever."

Many other fans enjoyed a memorable night at the Philly concert, too. USA Today labeled it an "apocalyptic stadium rave," while Rolling Stone described the show as a "career-spanning extravaganza." The opening acts for the tour are Snoh Aalegra, Kaytranada and producer Mike Dean.

Like Abel says, "Save. Your. Tears for another day!"