Fresh off the release of his new single “Over Now” with Calvin Harris, the Weeknd performed his massive After Hours hit “Blinding Lights” during the virtual 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.
From Hudson Yards’ gravity-defying sky deck the Edge, a battered and bruised Weeknd embodied his cinematic, red-suit sporting After Hours character to perform his Number One single. He danced around the Edge for the thrilling performance as fireworks exploded behind him.
The VMA appearance marked the Weeknd’s first Video Music Awards performance since 2015 when he delivered a show-stopping “Can’t Feel My Face.” Abel Tesfaye was also among the announced performers for the 2017 VMAs, but he was a last-minute no-show at that event.
Abel Tesfaye is up for six Moonmen at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards: Artist of the Year and, for “Blinding Lights,” Video of the Year, Best R&B Song, Best Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
The Weeknd released his fourth studio album After Hours in March. Led by “Blinding Lights,” After Hours ruled the first half of 2020 by topping Alpha Data’s mid-year ranking with 1.3 million album units.
Recently, the singer put on an augmented reality performance through TikTok, dropped a bunch of Kiss Land rarities and provided an animated look at his prolific career in the video for “Snowchild.” The Weeknd also reissued his 2018 stopgap My Dear Melancholy as part of Record Store Day 2020 on Saturday.
From Rolling Stone US
