The Weeknd’s Abu Dhabi Gig Shut Down Following Reports Of ‘Inappropriate Fan Behavior’

Yikes! Sounds like things got a little rough before The Weeknd‘s Abu Dhabi gig, which got shut down after reports of “inappropriate behavior” by fans, according to Time Out Abu Dhabi. Although it sounds like, in the end, thousands of fans still got to enjoy the second concert by the “Starboy” singer in a series there this past weekend.

The chaos occurred on Friday, Nov. 23, at the Abu Dhabi Formula One after-race concert at the Du Arena on Yas Island. After some fans were reportedly locked out of the venue, they apparently grew frustrated, and FLASH Entertainment, the promoters behind the Yasalam post-race concerts, explained in a statement that the gates were closed for safety reasons.

The statement from FLASH explained the reasoning behind the move as follows: “Health and safety is our number one concern. Du Arena can easily accommodate 35,000 people. A large number of fans arrived simultaneously to The Weeknd concert and gates were closed for safety. We understand this is disappointing and frustrating. It is disappointing to hear there were instances of inappropriate fan behavior. The necessary teams are working to ensure a smooth and safe entry ahead of the following concert.”

Those “instances” of bad behavior by fans allegedly included fans storming the gates to try to get into the gig, Radar Online reported. The National reported that the mayhem occurred after hundreds of waiting fans tried to push through metal doors at one gate, after some had allegedly waited for up to an hour to get in.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqiEFU7hm1e/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=lxun41vo8b9z

But it’s not all bad news out of Abu Dhabi for fans of The Weeknd – check out the cute video above of Abel Tesfaye giving Bella Hadid a kiss before he took the stage there. He was clearly excited to put on a show for the crowd – at least, for the crowd that was able to make it into the venue for the event.