Wild theory why The Weeknd has cancelled Australia and New Zealand tour

The Weeknd left fans devastated on Friday when it was announced that the Australian and New Zealand leg of his After Hours til Dawn Tour has been postponed until next year due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Since the news was shared, several wild theories have begun circulating online from disappointed fans and industry insiders desperately searching for answers.

Last minute decision

Yahoo Lifestyle understands that the news didn't just shock fans but also people within his team and label at Universal Music Australia, who had been promoting the tour for months.

The Weeknd's tour photographer Hyghly posted his excitement about Australia earlier this week, as did Tommy Rush, a music producer who also tours with the Canadian-born star.

Yet on Thursday fans noticed the Blinding Lights hitmaker had removed “currently on tour” from his Instagram bio, starting speculation an announcement cancelling the dates was imminent.

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A music industry insider who has been involved with the tour tells Yahoo Lifestyle: “Some venues heard rumours earlier this week the announcement may be coming, but everybody was hoping the situation would resolve and the shows would still go ahead – there have been over 600,000 tickets sold.

“Postponing with this short notice is a logistical nightmare. Nobody knows what's up, Abel and his team are keeping quiet about the reasoning.”

The singer is 'burnt out'

Since starting his After Hours til Dawn Tour in July 2022, The Weeknd has performed to over three million fans across 23 different countries.

In an interview with W Magazine earlier this year, the singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, said he'd rather “die” than let his fans down.

“As The Weeknd, I've never skipped a concert. I've performed with the flu. I'll die on that stage,” he told the publication, with fans believing this means his reason for postponing must be serious.

“I feel like he’s out of energy and just generally drained, maybe even his voice is strained from touring and he decided to take a break, which I highly welcome. I’m sure he’s alright, just needs a lil break,” one fan wrote on social media on Friday.

“His energy was a bit drained during the Latin America leg [in October], he utilised more lower notes in the high notes. I hope he gets all the rest,” another commented

Making fans even more convinced the star is “burnt out” is the fact that the singer hasn't posted anything to social media for three weeks now, which is out of character.

Something 'strange' is happening in Australia

A conspiracy theory is currently spreading on Reddit that the reason why the dates have been postponed is because of an unknown issue with the live music industry in Australia right now.

Just a few hours after The Weeknd's tour was postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances” on Friday, hip-hop music festival Rolling Loud announced it would also be cancelling their Australian dates “due to circumstances out of our control”.

Days before this, American singer David Kushner cancelled his Australian tour citing “unforeseen circumstances”. Meanwhile, Olivia Rodrigo cancelled her promotional trip Down Under in September “due to unforeseen circumstances”.

“What the hell is going on in Australia,” one person questioned on Reddit after connecting all of the cancellations, with another adding: “I'm curious too… something strange is happening.”

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The 2023 Billboard Music Awards

Lastly, many fans are speculating the tour has been postponed due to the fact it clashes with The 2023 Billboard Music Awards in America, where the singer is nominated for 13 awards.

The ceremony is set to take place on November 19, which is the day before The Weeknd's Australian tour was due to start in Brisbane.

On Twitter, thousands of people are now convinced this means The Weeknd will do a surprise performance alongside Ariana Grande, as their track Die For You (Remix) is nominated for five awards alone.

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