The Weeknd Forced to Postpone Concert After Nationwide Wireless Outage in Canada

MM MM July 10, 2022

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The Weeknd. CREDIT: Rich Fury/Getty Images

The Weeknd was forced to postpone his concert Friday in Toronto following a nationwide wireless outage.

The singer said he was ready to kick off his After Hours til Dawn tour at Rogers Centre in his hometown, but the nation’s dominant telecom sector, Rogers Wireless, went down, setting off a panic as millions of Canadians suddenly found themselves without internet and the services it supports, such as banking and transportation.

I’m crushed & heartbroken. Been at the venue all day but it’s out of my hands because of the Rogers outage,” he said in a statement on his Instagram Story. “Operations and safety are compromised and I tried my absolute best.”

Added The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye): “This one hurts the most, and we will make this show happen, but unfortunately not tonight. I know how long you’ve been waiting and how hard a lot of you worked to make it to the show and experience this special moment with me. I can’t wait to see you all.”

Live Nation said via a statement on Twitter that the “Blinding Lights” singer was “onsite and ready to play” but had to postpone the concert because of the outage “as the venue’s operations & infrastructure are not possible until full service is back.”

According to Reuters, the nationwide wireless outage lasted a whopping 19 hours. The outage forced banks, transportation services and government access to shut down for millions. According to authorities, some residents couldn’t even reach emergency services via 911 calls.