The Weeknd has usurped one of his idols, Michael Jackson, as the highest-grossing tour by a black artist.
The Toronto-born R&B star, also known as Abel Tesfaye, paid tribute to Jackson by posting a video to Twitter of him covering "Dirty Diana" with the caption "my king. then, now and forever. rest easy."
According to Hot New Hip Hop, the After Hours Till Dawn tour has grossed more than $350 million in revenue since it launched in July 2022. MJ's Bad tour made approximately $311 million over a stretch that ran from September 1987 to January 1989 (amount adjusted for inflation).
One of those performances that resulted in his HBO concert special, Live at Sofi Stadium, just earned the Weeknd a couple of Emmy Award nominations: lighting design/direction and technical direction/camerawork.
The After Hours Till Dawn tour wraps up in Guadalajara, Mexico on October 25.
my king. then, now and forever. ✨ rest easy pic.twitter.com/7y6tEyAyBB
— Abel Tesfaye (@theweeknd) July 12, 2023