The Weeknd surpasses Michael Jackson for highest-grossing tour by a Black artist
The Toronto star's After Hours Til Dawn tour has made more than $350 million
The Weeknd has set a new world record, this time surpassing Michael Jackson to hold the title of highest-grossing tour in history by a Black artist.
The Toronto R&B star has been on his After Hours Till Dawn tour since summer 2022, and is currently on the European leg of the tour performing in countries including Germany, France and Spain. The Weeknd's tour, in support of his two pandemic releases After Hours and Dawn FM, is scheduled to wrap in Mexico this October. The tour has already made more than $350 million in revenue. Until now, Michael Jackson held this touring record with his 1987 Bad tour, which grossed $311 million after adjusting for inflation (as calculated by Hot New Hip Hop).
Today, the Weeknd indirectly acknowledged this new record by posting a video of himself covering Jackson's 1988 song "Dirty Diana" at his concert in Belgium. "my king. then, now and forever. rest easy," he wrote in the caption.
Jackson has been a longtime influence on the Weeknd's music. Back in 2016, he told the Los Angeles Times: "Michael, man, that guy was the star. He invented the star. There will never be another Michael. I want to make it very clear that I'm not trying to be Michael. He's everything to me, so you're going to hear it in my music."
In addition to this latest record, the Weeknd's HBO concert special, Live at Sofi Stadium, earned two Emmy Award nominations today, for lighting design/direction and technical direction/camerawork.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
