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After initially including Brisbane in the now-cancelled Australian leg of his world tour, RnB megastar The Weeknd has reneged on the Queensland capital in announcing a new series of shows down under.
Brisbane was due for two sold-out Suncorp Stadium shows for the After Hours Til Dawn tour in late 2023, before the Canadian singer’s visit to Australia was postponed indefinitely and subsequently cancelled.
On Monday, The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, announced shows at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on October 5 and 6 and Accor Stadium in Sydney on October 22 and 23.
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“AUSTRALIA, I didn’t forget about you 🖤 See you in October,” he said on his social media accounts.
He said in a statement: “I feel a strong pull to perform in Australia before moving on to the next chapter and want to make sure you all know I hadn’t forgotten about you. When I return now, it will be the right time, and I promise it will be such a special experience. I can’t wait to see you all.”
It’s a poor result for the host city of the 2032 Olympics, after pop sensation Taylor Swift also excluded Brisbane in her The Eras tour in February.
“OK ain’t no way I bought tickets last year, waited for the show to be rescheduled, got a refund when the show was cancelled, but now you come back and aren’t doing a show in Brisbane. Crazy,” one person commented on The Weeknd’s Instagram post.
Another wrote: “’Australia I didn’t forget about you’. Clearly forgot about f****** Brisbane. Actual bull****.”
One possible reason Brisbane was excluded is its lack of world-class stadiums, due to a failure of governments to invest in sporting and entertainment infrastructure.
The city’s two biggest stadiums Suncorp Stadium and the Gabba endure high use during the October period with cricket and soccer, after bearing the brunt of NRL, Super Rugby and AFL seasons.
Tour organiser Live Nation has been contacted for comment.