Headlining Coachella performer The Weeknd wasn’t impressed with the crowd’s energy as he closed out the annual music festival this past Sunday, leading to the singer threatening to end his time on stage early.
The Weeknd was a late addition to the lineup along with Swedish House Mafia, who became headline performers following rapper Kanye West removing himself as the headliner.
More than a few individuals validated the singer’s sentiments on social media as they came to his defense over the lackluster crowd on the third night of the festival.
The Weeknd threatens to end Coachella set early in clip
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, was among the anticipated performers for Coachella 2022, as he was a late replacement to the concert lineup, added earlier this month. The announcement that he and Swedish House Mafia were the replacements for Kanye West arrived less than two weeks before the scheduled performance.
Based on reports, the singer impressed many people who were watching on the live stream with his set, but the crowd attending the show may have lacked the energy The Weeknd was hoping for as a headliner.
A four-second clip popped up on Twitter, in which the singer seems ready to end things early based on the lackluster crowd response.
“Are y’all trying to end the night right now?” Weeknd yelled on the mic as his song’s background track played.
The Weeknd performed at Coachella back in 2012 as part of his first international tour. However, he’s released plenty of hit albums and songs since then, including Dawn FM, earlier this year. The Weeknd also headlined Super Bowl LV in 2021.
Among the songs the singer performed during his 2022 Coachella set were his hits Can’t Feel My Face, Starboy, and Blinding Lights, per The Independent.
Fans call out ‘lame’ Coachella crowd on Twitter
Many individuals on Twitter came to the singer’s defense, saying they could totally understand where he was coming from.
“It’s really not that hard to understand wanting the audience to vibe (vocally/match the energy) with your music. Who wants to perform to a dead crowd? Usually the artist and the fans feed off of one another,” one Twitter user commented.
Another fan watching the performance live streaming from home or elsewhere seemed to enjoy the singer’s performance, calling the crowd at the show “lame.”
One individual agreed that the Coachella crowd looked “dead” but assured the singer he’ll get “so much love” when performing for his fans on tour.
According to Hollywood Life, The Weeknd was announced as one of the replacements for Kanye West on April 6. An official reason never arrived for why the rapper dropped out of the lineup. However, speculation was he removed himself from the lineup following his removal as a Grammys performer.
The rapper had been directing attacks toward his ex-wife Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend Pete Davidson on Instagram, as well as comedians D.L. Hughley and Trevor Noah. West used a slur towards Noah in one post, which resulted in the rapper receiving a 24-hour suspension from the platform.
Following that ban, West remained quiet on his social media and out of the public eye. While the rapper claimed two Grammy awards for his 2021 album Donda, he skipped this year’s ceremony. West is amongst the top nominees for the upcoming Billboard Music Awards, with The Weeknd leading all artists in terms of total nominations.