The Weeknd performs at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Aug. 27, 2022. Steve Carlson/STAFF.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. —  Multiplatinum-selling, Grammy-winning superstar The Weeknd performed to a packed Levi’s Stadium Saturday, at one of two California shows on his After Hours til Dawn stadium tour.

Supporting both his fourth and fifth albums, After Hours and Dawn FM, the Canadian artist, born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is coming off headlining Coachella in April and, of course, that Super Bowl halftime show in 2021. His show at Levi’s was simply electrifying with a riveting vocal performance, staging and show production. The Weeknd charged through a stockpile of global hits from start to finish.

The stage set featured a backdrop of dystopian, post-apocalyptic cityscape, dressed in rusty copper-colored hues. A drum kit and various synths were in front of it, showing the scale of the backdrop was a little more than twice the size of the instruments. A catwalk jutted out from the stage, splitting the audience into two sides. It led to a circular stage at midfield.

The Weeknd performs at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Aug. 27, 2022.

There was a third, square stage next to it. An eerie electronic soundscape filled the stadium while fog effects and strategically placed lighting shrouded the stage in mystery.

A large moon inflated, suspended above the square stage. The show started with a dramatic flair as the cityscape was bathed in red light. A procession of anonymous shrouded figures marched onto the two larger stages. Suddenly, The Weeknd appeared atop one of the buildings within the city backdrop. The audience roared.

Clad in a trench coat, he also wore a mask—which resembled his face—and kicked off the show with the down-tempo “Alone Again,” from After Hours.

A rising sun capped off the opening scene with a dazzling display of light. As the red figures danced in a circle on the B-stage, those on the main stage walked across the catwalk toward their counterparts. The Weeknd transitioned to the uptempo “Gasoline” as the backdrop of the city transformed to emerald, and then to “Sacrifice” from Dawn FM. Leaving his audience no room for complacency, the stadium was once again swathed in red light as The Weeknd launched into “How Do I Make You Love Me,” an uptempo song from the same album. He made his way onto the catwalk.

The Weeknd performs at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Aug. 27, 2022.

The meat of the show included The Weeknd’s vast catalog of work, starting with “Can’t Feel My Face,” from 2015’s Beauty Behind The Madness. That same energy was carried over into “Take My Breath Away.” After a few Dawn FM songs, he sang his feature from Kanye West’s “Hurricane,” which led to “The Hills.”

This popular song had attendees loudly singing along, but the bangers didn’t stop there. The Weeknd was relentless. “Often” was followed by “Crew Love,” “Starboy,” “Heartless,” “Low Life,” “Nah,” “Kiss Land,” “Party Monster,” “Faith,” “After Hours,” “Out of Time,” Daft Punk collaboration “I Feel It Coming,” “Die for You,” “I Was Never There,” “Wicked Games” and “Call Out My Name.”

Returning to his 2011 debut mixtape House of Balloons, he performed “The Morning,” followed by “Save Your Tears” from After Hours and “Less Than Zero” from Dawn FM. He closed the show with “Blinding Lights.” Despite the massive production of the show, The Weeknd wasn’t overshadowed by it, playing ringleader the whole night.

Houston producer and musician Mike Dean, who’s been in the industry for more than a decade, opened the show. Dean played keys and a guitar, mixing improvisational pieces full of distortion, reverb and synths with songs from his albums 4:20, 4:22 and Smoke State 42222, as well as snippets of songs he crafted with some of the well-known artists he’s produced, such as The Weeknd, Kanye West, Beyonce and Travis Barker.

Swedish singer Snoh Aalegra also performed. She appeared in a white and silver two-piece ensemble with her dark hair swept back in a long ponytail while singing crowdpleasers like “I Want You Around,” “Neon Peach” and “Whoa.” Her version of Bobby Caldwell classic “Do 4 Love” added a more down-tempo and smooth, soulful twist to the vintage tune, with many in the crowd swaying and lifting their phone lights.

Follow Mel Bowman at Twitter.com/melmichel and Instagram.com/coco_michel_coco. Follow photographer Steve Carlson at Instagram.com/SteveCarlsonSF  and Twitter.com/SteveCarlsonSF.