The Weeknd has shattered records to become the highest-grossing solo male touring artist in history, with his monumental ‘After Hours Til Dawn’ tour surpassing $1.3 billion (£1.02 billion) in total revenue.
The extraordinary financial milestone was officially confirmed by live music enterprise Live Nation following the tour’s grand finale in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. By eclipsing the landmark figure, the Canadian singer-songwriter—born Abel Tesfaye—surpassed the previous record held by Sir Elton John, whose multi-year ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour generated more than $939 million (£736 million).
Launched in July 2022, the ambitious global production spanned five continents, taking in 67 cities across 30 countries and comprising 176 shows in total. Over the course of its multi-year run, the tour attracted a staggering attendance of more than nine million fans worldwide.
The stadium trek experienced a particularly lucrative final stretch in 2026, generating upwards of $500 million (£392 million) in that year alone, with more than three million concertgoers attending the dates. The demand for tickets across Asia proved particularly overwhelming; whilst organizers initially planned 11 performances for the final leg, six additional dates were hastily added to satisfy fan appetite, bringing the Asian total to 17 sold-out concerts.
The historic receipts place Tesfaye third on the list of all-time highest-grossing concert tours, trailing only Taylor Swift’s industry-redefining ‘The Eras Tour’, which broke the $2 billion (£1.57 billion) barrier, and Coldplay’s stadium-filling ‘Music of the Spheres World Tour’, which sits in second place having amassed over $1.5 billion (£1.18 billion).
Conceived to support both his 2020 critically acclaimed album After Hours and his 2022 follow-up Dawn FM, the tour faced several initial setbacks, including pandemic-related postponements and a pivot from arenas to major athletic stadiums to accommodate intense ticket demand. The resulting stage production—characterised by post-apocalyptic set pieces, striking visual storytelling, and a giant glowing moon suspended above the audience—has set a new benchmark for modern stadium pop spectacles.
