Canadian singer The Weeknd opened the Hong Kong leg of his "After Hours Til Dawn Tour" at Kai Tak Main Stadium on the evening of Oct. 24, with a full house. The biggest surprise of the night was that, without any prior announcement, he gave the world premiere of a new song, "Hong Kong," and sampled Faye Wong's Cantonese classic "Monsoon" within the song, instantly pushing the atmosphere to a climax, with clips quickly spreading widely online.
According to audience members, they saw The Weeknd come on stage wearing a diamond mask, with cyan lasers shooting from the eye positions, creating a stunning visual effect. He repeatedly shouted on stage that he loves Hong Kong, raising the mood of the whole audience. When the large screen displayed the words "Hong Kong" and the lighting turned to neon effects, deep synthesisers and psychedelic rhythms sounded on stage, and he immediately announced he would perform this new work created for Hong Kong.
The giant LED screen behind the stage simultaneously played the Hong Kong-exclusive MV for "Hong Kong." The melody of "Monsoon" emerged in the song's intro, as The Weeknd blended the ethereal vocal motif of Faye Wong into his dark R&B heavy bass and psychedelic beats, with screams from the audience unceasing. The MV was also set against a Hong Kong backdrop, with a style even more reminiscent of Wong Kar-wai, interweaving nostalgia and a psychedelic feel.
In addition, The Weeknd had previously revealed on his private Instagram that he is a fan of Faye Wong, and posted a story of himself listening to an old Faye Wong album. Before his Hong Kong concert, he also had dinner with Tony Leung and Carina Lau; when later sharing a photo of them together, he specifically chose "Dream Lover," the Faye Wong-sung theme song from the film "Chungking Express," as background music, showing a strong sense of ceremony.
Regarding this Hong Kong-exclusive surprise, fans discussed it enthusiastically online. Some described it thus: it is not uncommon for foreign singers to say they love Hong Kong on stage, but The Weeknd specially creating a new song for Hong Kong, sampling Faye Wong's work and shooting an MV felt more like a love letter to Hong Kong; others said they were deeply moved after watching the MV, believing that Hong Kong in his eyes is very beautiful and feeling his genuine love for this city.
(Video source: Instagram)
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