Tonight is the Weeknd’s final performance at the Rogers Centre as part of the Toronto leg of his sold-out “After Hours Til Dawn” tour. While the Scarborough-born R&B singer is one of the most-streamed artists in the world, he hasn’t forgotten his Toronto roots.
According to a recent CBC report, The Weeknd, aka Abel Tesfaye, invited youth from the Boys and Girls Club of West Scarborough (BGC West Scarborough) to join him for one of his recent shows, and of course, the kids were ecstatic.
“All I see is just him walking towards me, and I was just saying, ‘hi, hi, hi’ and I see him put his arms out and he’s coming to hug me, and I’m just like, oh my goodness,” Soliana Derhanu raved.
“For him to come and hug us and stuff, it’s a really cool experience getting to know him. He really is just like a regular person that just really made it out and he was putting on for us,” James Nnabuogor added.
“He grew up in this area, Teasdale,” Jeremiah Rivaldo said, referencing a street in the Scarborough area. “It’s just insane to see like one of our people go up and go famous.”
According to Bridgette Rivaldo, Divisional Manager at BGC West Scarborough, for these youth, the concert was everything they could have ever hoped for.
“…it was the concert, it was the meet-and-greet, it was everything that came with it as a package deal,” she told the CBC, adding that some of the youth were in tears when they found out they’d meet the singer. “Even without this meet-and-greet, a lot of our youth come from low-income families, and they come from newcomer families. They would never even dream of having the opportunity to meet him, let alone being four seats up from the floor. It was surreal…”
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In advance of his Toronto concerts, Mayor Olivia Chow honoured the singer with the Key to the City last month, officially proclaiming July 26–27, 2025, as “Weeknd Weekend” in Toronto.
“I’m deeply hono[u]red to receive the Key to the City. It feels good to be home. Toronto is where I found my voice, and I’m committed to helping the next generation find theirs,” The Weeknd said in a statement at the time. “That’s why I’m proud to support the Boys & Girls Club of West Scarborough and my former high school, Birchmount Park, providing youth with the means to unlock their full potential.”
The Weeknd will perform with Kaytranada And Mike Dean at the Rogers Centre tonight at 7:00 pm.
