The Weeknd Closes Coachella 2022 After Replacing Kanye West as Headliner: 'I Always Got Your Back'

During his Coachella 2022 headlining set, The Weeknd performed 17 songs, including his verse on Kanye West's "Hurricane"

INDIO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 17: The Weeknd performs onstage at the Coachella Stage during the 2022 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 17, 2022 in Indio, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for ABA)
The Weeknd. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty for ABA

The Weeknd gave good reason for Coachella 2022 attendees to save their tears for another day.

On Sunday, the singer, 32, closed out the annual music and arts festival in Indio, California, with a high-energy set that followed co-headliners Swedish House Mafia. The two acts were only announced as headliners two weeks before the show, after original headliner Kanye West pulled out of his performance.

Referencing the last-minute change during his 17-song set, The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) told the crowd, "Coachella, you know I always got your back when you need me."

The Weeknd at Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, California
The Weeknd. Kevin Mazur/Getty

As The Weeknd performed songs that spanned his career — including "The Hills" and "Blinding Lights" — he gave a nod to West by singing the verse he did on the rapper's Donda single "Hurricane."

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He also debuted songs from his latest album Dawn FM, including "Out of Time."

The Weeknd at Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, California
The Weeknd. Kevin Mazur/Getty

Prior to The Weeknd's set, Swedish House Mafia did a full-length set of their own. The Weeknd also joined them for a performance of their collaboration "Moth to a Flame" from their new album Paradise Again.

The performance marked The Weeknd's second time headlining the festival, as he also was on top of the bill in 2018. He will return for weekend two next Sunday.

The Weeknd at Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in Indio, California
The Weeknd. Kevin Mazur/Getty

The announcement that West, 44, had pulled out of Coachella came after a tumultuous few months that saw the rapper publicly air his grievances with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, 41, and her new boyfriend Pete Davidson, including harassing messages on Instagram.

West had also threatened to pull his performance from the music festival in February, when he demanded that Saturday night headliner Billie Eilish apologize to Travis Scott.

West claimed Eilish shaded Scott when she stopped her show to help a fan who was having trouble breathing and said onstage: "I wait for people to be okay before I keep going," only a few months after the Astroworld Festival tragedy where 10 concertgoers died and hundreds were injured in a crowd surge.

In addition to Eilish, The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia, Harry Styles headlined on Friday night.

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