The Weeknd began the second leg of the tour in support of his recent Billboard chart-topping album, Starboy, with a memorable performance on Wednesday night at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Toronto-born singer followed a star-studded opening lineup, as NAV and Gucci Mane opened the night.
NAV is fresh off the release of his mixtape Perfect Timing with Metro Boomin. The project helped NAV break into the mainstream, reaching number 13 on the Billboard charts.
The crowd came alive during “Did You See NAV”, bobbing their heads along to the electronic drums. His song “Minute” featuring Playboi Carti and Offset also had the audience amped up for the opening performer. The solid opening act finished with NAV performing his first breakout single “Myself.”
“Fresh out tha feds” and onto the stage after NAV was Gucci Mane. Following his May 2016 release from prison, Gucci dropped three well-received hip-hop projects, collaborating with the likes of Future and Metro Boomin. His most recent release, DropTopWop, featured other popular artists including the Migos and Rick Ross.
The most memorable part of Gucci’s performance was a toss up between the Atlanta-native’s verse on “Slippery,” a Migos track that he’s featured in, and “First Day Out,” which was Gucci’s first song released post-incarceration.
Gucci didn’t perform many songs from DropTopWop. Instead, he switched up his setlist with a blend of old and new, alternating between classics like “I Might Be” and new jams like “Helpless.” Although Gucci Mane is a standout rapper, he never really seemed to have the Bryce Jordan Center as wild as you’d expect for the Brick Squad-label artist.
The Weeknd began the second leg of his Starboy World Tour on Wednesday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Photo by Trevor Hayes/Onward State.
The Weeknd blew away the crowd when it was time for him to step onto the stage. Similar to the floating stage seen during last fall’s Kanye West concert, this show featured suspended LED boards above the stage that provided an amazing visual show. The shape of the boards closely imitated the cross logo used as a secondary design on the Starboy album.
The singer performed songs from many of his past works. From “Low Life” on Future’s EVOL album, to “Often” on the Weeknd’s own Beauty Behind The Madness, the Canadian had the crowd locked in from the beginning of the set. He continued to mix up his setlist, jumping from newer songs like “Sidewalks” to “Wicked Games” from the Trilogy album.
To end the night, The Weeknd finished by playing mega-hits “Can’t Feel My Face” and “I Feel It Coming.” As the last few notes of the Daft Punk collaboration rang out, he stood to a thunderous ovation from the crowd. The moment between audience and performer was similar to Kanye’s closing performance of “Ultralight Beam,” as he simply stood still to soak in the moment.
The trio of artists filled the Bryce Jordan Center and jammed out with their screaming fans in an outstanding first big performance of the Penn State’s fall semester. The concert sets the bar high for other shows coming to campus this academic year.
