The Weeknd’s record-setting “After Hours ’til Dawn” tour continued throughout the summer, with lighting and production designer Jason Baeri turning to Elation’s IP-rated PROTEUS HYBRID MAX and PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE L to complement the avant-garde conceptual production. The 2025 summer leg wrapped in early September after a four-month run playing some of the largest stadiums across North America.
Epic Spectacle
Initially launched in 2022, the tour has fully evolved into an epic spectacle with set extensions and expanded production elements, including an enhanced lighting rig. The show, an evolution of the last four years of the “After Hours” narrative with a futuristic skyline as its ever-changing visual, was both large-scale and immersive.
Drawing on themes of renewal and transformation, the staging was grand, featuring sweeping runways that allowed the artist to access the crowd from all sides—including a T-shaped central runway, auxiliary stages, and a massive 38 × 19-meter LED screen. A Sorayama-designed robot, dancers, lasers, pyrotechnics, and fireworks added to the sensory delight, all coming together to create a stunning, ever-evolving landscape.
Baeri, who has been a key member of The Weeknd’s creative team since 2015, worked collaboratively with a seasoned production crew to create a cohesive, poignant visual environment that complemented the tour’s cinematic scope. The designer’s approach this year leaned away from heavy beam-centric looks of previous tours and toward broader space accenting, emphasizing light as a narrative and atmospheric tool rather than a visual spectacle. Solotech served as the lighting and video vendor for the tour.
The Ultimate Stadium Spot
Baeri, who also used an extensive PROTEUS package on the artist’s 2022 “After Hours ‘til Dawn” tour, selected two Elation fixtures for his 2025 design, the PROTEUS HYBRID MAX and PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE L.
A total of 100 PROTEUS HYBRID MAX fixtures were deployed on audience platforms—IP66-rated, multi-functional beam/spot/wash lights that handled much of the heavy lifting, illuminating the bowl and stadium while creating striking aerial effects.
“The HYBRID MAX is the ultimate stadium spot,” Baeri stated. “They were in just about every song in some way, either washing the crowd or doing endless beam looks, cutting through all the stage elements. It’s just a cannon that shoots light hundreds of feet and is way quicker than any light of its class. I can run these things in full red, and they still show a beam at 400 feet! The feature set is as complete as I’d ever want and isn’t bogged down by gimmicks or extra crap. I don’t need a third gobo wheel and the optics and weight that come with it. It’s lean, powerful, and quick - just an amazing fixture to have.”
Dynamic Frame
Needing something bright to line the massive LED screen, the designer integrated 70 PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE L linear tilt FX bars, their strobe rails adding an extra layer of punch.
“The RAYZOR BLADE is a go-to for me for bar fixtures,” Baeri explained. “It’s so incredibly powerful but still able to do subtle dimming and effects, and the strobe punches higher than even the brightest of video walls.”
The LED-based PROTEUS RAYZOR BLADE with zoom can function as a wash, strobe, or FX light and powers out up to 11,000 lumens. Two high-intensity strobe lines add extra impact and 210° tilt rotation allows them to position dynamically during a show.
The RAYZORs were used not only as framing devices but also to echo the movement of the digital content. For instance, when visuals of descending water appeared on the screen, the lights ‘dripped’ down its sides to mirror the motion.
The “After Hours ‘til Dawn” tour ranks among the most popular concert tours of all time, with shows extending into 2026—a testament both to the Weeknd’s talents and to the creative team that turns each venue into a stunning visual and sensory spectacle.
Production/ Lighting Designer: Jason Baeri
Creative Director: La Mar Taylor
Art Director/Associate Production Designer: Jason Ardizzone-West
Programmer/Director: Manny Conde
Screens Director: Loren Barton
Content Designer: Alexander Wessely
Video Director: Richy Parkin
Tour Manager: Matt Petroff
Production Manager: Rob DeCeglio
Lighting/Video: Solotech (rep Rob Kennedy)
Staging: TAIT FX
Photo Credit: Steve Jennings
About Elation
At Elation, we collaborate with leading professionals in the lighting industry to help bring extraordinary experiences to life. As a designer and manufacturer of a wide range of high-performance entertainment lighting products, we’re proud to be a trusted partner to top lighting professionals and rental houses around the world. Our commitment to quality, innovation, and creative solutions has made us a go-to resource in the industry. We also offer an advanced line of lighting control products through Obsidian Control Systems, and a full range of dependable specialty effects called Magmatic. Elation serves clients worldwide through offices in Los Angeles, Mexico City, and the Netherlands. We invite you to take a closer look at elationlighting.com
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