Review: The Weeknd delivers an amazing pop spectacle for the ages

The Weeknd was most definitely up to the challenge.

In fact, he made it look almost easy.

The R&B-pop superstar looked as natural and as comfortable playing a big football stadium as the Rolling Stones or U2 — which is pretty much the opposite of what you’d expect from someone who has just made the leap up from arenas and embarked on his first stadium tour.

From the moment the lights went down, the multiplatinum-selling Canadian vocalist — whose real name is Abel Tesfaye — was able to captivate the 51,896 fans in attendance with a combination of hit songs, sheer personality and charisma, vocal ability and one of the most elaborate stage productions this critic has ever witnessed.

The massive main stage set was modeled after the city of Toronto — the star’s hometown — offering up a multi-story depiction of the city’s skyline, complete with the landmark CN Tower. On the opposite side of the football field was a secondary stage erected under a giant moon. The two stages were connected by a long elevated walkway that ran, like 49er Deebo Samuel on a big pass play, pretty much across the entire course of the field.

The Weeknd is supporting two albums — 2020’s “After Hours” and this year’s “Dawn FM” — which is how you end up with the combo After Hours til Dawn Tour name. Of course, it wasn’t supposed to be this way. The singer was originally supposed to launch an arena tour in 2020, back before “Dawn FM” probably wasn’t much more than a gleam in his eye.