The Weeknd returned to Poland after six years. I can boldly say that since his last performance in the country on the Vistula, we are already living in a different era, and he himself is a breakthrough figure of this moment. In November 2019, no one expected what would happen in the world in a few months. Meanwhile, on a Tuesday afternoon, the latest single of the Canadian – “Blinding Lights” sounded in the “Tony z concrete” broadcast on Radio Three.
A few months later, the song became a huge hit. I would even say that it is the biggest global hit of 2020. And it is also, in my opinion, a song of the end of the era. When she left, we were still living in a different world – going to a club with friends where we could hear this number was something completely normal. Then something happened that changed our lives dramatically and each of us waited for better times. And Abel’s music triumphed at that time and his greatest period of prosperity was precisely this moment – 2020, when he released the album “After Hours”.
Ending this lengthy introduction – many of us couldn’t wait for The Weeknd to play in Poland. In 2017, when he performed at Open’er, he was already a recognizable star (“starboy”), but the craze for his music was not that big then. I started listening to him much more passionately in 2020 and thanks to that I decided to discover his first albums, which I remember very fondly. However, I regret to write that despite the fact that Wednesday’s concert was a perfect show at the highest level, I came back from it very dissatisfied.
The watch warns: “100 dB sound level. This may cause hearing loss”
I’ve been to many concerts in my life and visited a lot of clubs with loud music. But I never felt that I might have hearing problems later on. This changed on August 9, 2023 during a concert that I listened to from a special zone on the album quite close to the stage. When Abel started playing the first track “Take My Breath”, my ears started to “bleed”. And not because of his poor vocal abilities. The acoustics at PGE Narodowy were hopeless. His vocals floated around the stadium with an unbearable reverberation, and the bad impression was compounded by the bass that drowned out his singing.
I realize that the sound quality in stadiums is not the best, but I have never experienced something so terrible. After a few songs, I noticed that some of the concertgoers were starting to put on muting headphones. At first it seemed irrational to me, because we are at a concert, but after a while I decided to give it a try. And then I decided that I would also admire The Weeknd’s performance in such conditions. The sound became much more tolerable, but I was still inconsolable that I had to spend the concert I was looking forward to in such a way.
During the event, my smartwatch warned me several times that prolonged exposure to such a loud environment could cause temporary hearing loss. The message also added that the measurement takes into account the sound reduction caused by my headphones. It was a bit stressful, and I didn’t feel like having fun with the people in the back or in the stands. They seemed to be having a great time, and after talking to some friends who were there, they said the sound wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t painful.
At the end of the concert, however, I managed to talk to a woman who works in a company cooperating in the organization of the entire concert tour “After Hours Til Dawn Tour”. It turned out that she had already participated in many concerts from this tour and indicated that in no other city the sound was so terrible. And here the question arises – does it really make sense to organize such great music events in a place that is completely unsuitable for it?
The Weeknd’s concert at PGE Narodowy. View from a special zone on the slab. Gazeta.pl/Bartłomiej Marcinkowski
I understand that a star like The Weeknd needs to perform in a place that can accommodate many people, but jokes about concerts at PGE Narodowy come back on every major occasion. You really can find a place where everyone will be able to take part in the event, and the acoustic conditions will be much better. I attended the concert as an accredited journalist, and if I had to pay for the ticket out of my own pocket, I would be furious that I spent a lot of money on a concert of a beloved artist, where I couldn’t stop thinking about how tragic the sound is.
A Break From Complaining: It Was A Spectacular One Man Show
However, so that it is not that I did not experience anything positive in this concert, I will now describe the things that impressed me. First of all, it’s the graphic design of the concert, which was phenomenal. On the stage, we saw a model of a post-apocalyptic city, and a huge moon hung in front of it, which changed color depending on the song being performed. In addition, each of the concert participants received a band whose lights shimmered in synchronization with the colors of the moon.
The very idea of the concert was a bit boring, however, because the stage soon turned out to be only a backdrop, and its potential was only realized towards the end, when The Weeknd jumped on one of the pedestals to sing his latest numbers from there. Previously, the artist only walked around the entire stage in the company of masked figures. This also ceased to impress after some time, but certainly people who were standing closer to the stage, their hearts began to beat faster when the vocalist walked right next to them.
The whole show lacked any dance choreography or long chats with the audience, but in this case it should be noted that Abel sang all 36 songs back to back without any pause. Hearing him sing “I Was Never There” gave me goosebumps at how powerful his voice is. Of course, I also had muting headphones on at the time, but thanks to this, the annoying reverberation was significantly reduced and I could enjoy the artist’s vocals at least a little.
The Weeknd’s concert at PGE Narodowy. View of the back of the decoration. Gazeta.pl/Bartłomiej Marcinkowski
As I finish writing this, I still have a headache from yesterday’s “impressions”, but I believe that this experience has enriched me for the future. Since the people sitting in the stands had the best time, next time I decide to attend a concert at PGE Narodowy, I will also reserve such a place. However, I still think that music events in this place are not a good idea and the organizers should keep this in mind when arranging the details of concert tours. I hope that in the future I will never have to wear muting headphones during a concert, which has not happened in the past, even at rock shows.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
