What happened to The Weeknd is probably one of the worst nightmares any performer would ever want to go through. And being one of the biggest stars in the world only compounded the predicament he was in.
The Backstory
Why did The Weeknd end his concert? Picture this: You have a sold-out concert in a massive stadium, veering towards the last leg of your United States concert tour. People from all over the world flew in to watch you perform in Inglewood, California.
The first song is in and everything seems to be going great. You are performing one of your biggest hits, Can’t Feel My Face when you realize in utter horror that you are starting to lose your voice. Not long after, it’s gone. But the thing is, there are still over 20 plus songs you owe your audience. What do you do?
The Apology
Bella Hadid’s former flame walked off stage after the song but came out again as the next song was about to begin. The next thing that came out of his mouth blew up social media. He decided he wasn’t going to continue because he wasn’t going to be able to give his fans the concert they truly deserved. They were assured they were going to get their money back but this did little to nothing to appease the crowd.
He said, “I don’t know what just happened when I screamed. But I just lost my voice. This is killing me…I don’t wanna stop the show. But I can’t give you the concert that I wanna give you right now.”
The Weeknd also posted on Twitter, “My voice went out during the first song and I’m devastated. Felt it go and my heart dropped. My deepest apologies to my fans here. I promise I’ll make it up to you with my new date.”
The Backlash
Despite his apology, many fans were getting none of it. They are super upset, which is understandable. Even if they get a refund for their tickets, which some took weeks, even months to save up for, it’s not enough. Some flew in from other parts of the globe, which entails a lot of money. We’re talking plane fares, hotel accommodations, food, and other expenses while in California. So yes, it is a big deal.
How much rich is The Weeknd? A whopping $300 million. However, some people don’t realize that The Weeknd and his team are also losing a massive amount of money for this refund. He knows this, and he wouldn’t have done it unless it was necessary. So many fans don’t agree since other artists experienced far worse tragedies on stage and still decided the show must go on.
The Artists Who Continued No Matter What
Why is The Weeknd so popular? The same reasons other artists were embraced on the world stage. Born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, the Canadian singer, songwriter, as well as record producer, has dominated charts and created iconic characters. Smashing one hit after the other, he is famous for constantly changing and innovating his music. Not only has he broken records, and won five Grammys, but is also among those who have dominated Spotify as well.
This is probably why fans found it so disappointing and all the more reason why he should and could have continued anyway. If Zach de la Rocha and Dave Grohl who suffered far worse injuries made it, so should he. Let’s take a look back at what happened to these two.
Zach de la Rocha
Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha injured his leg during a concert but continued performing while seated. The accident took place an hour and a half into the concert at Chicago’s United Center. Crew members escorted Zach off the stage but returned shortly to perform while sitting down.
Dela Rocha wasn’t quite sure what happened and said, “I can crawl across this stage. We’re gonna play for you all tonight.” The musician attempted to get up from his makeshift seat but was not able to put on weight on his affected leg. Still, he saw it through to the end.
Dave Grohl
Meanwhile, Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl fell off the stage during the band’s concert in Gothenburg Sweden seven years ago. Fans applauded him for being a true rock titan because he still managed to finish the show even while sitting down.
According to reports, the band’s founder, singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter fell while performing Monkey Wrench and stayed on the ground for several minutes before he was taken backstage. He told the audience, “Hey, ladies and gentlemen, I love you, but I think I just broke my leg. I really broke my leg.”
The musician was tended to backstage while the rest of the Foo Fighters continued playing some covers sung by their beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins, who recently passed on March 25, 2022. Ultimately, Dave came back on stage with his injured leg wrapped and finished their concert while sitting down. He said, “I may not be able to walk or run but I can still play guitar and scream.”
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