The Weeknd served as musical guest for the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, with the singer performing a pair of tracks from his upcoming LP Starboy.
First, Abel Tesfaye delivered the album’s Daft Punk-featuring title track “Starboy.” Unfortunately, the French dance duo didn’t appear alongside the Weeknd on SNL for their collaboration; at least, they didn’t appear to be on the stage, which was coated in a thick fog for the performance.
For his second segment, the Weeknd amped things up with his pulse-racing new track “False Alarm” The singer raced around the Studio 8H stage for the cut, which signifies a new direction for Tesfaye ahead of the November 25th arrival of Starboy, the follow-up to 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness.
In addition to his live performances, the Weeknd also cameoed in his reoccurring riff on SNL‘s Weekend Update, dubbed The Weeknd Update. “I got a haircut,” the singer said of his newly shorn look.
The Weeknd Update #SNLPremiere @theweeknd https://t.co/zZYsizaHD7
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) October 2, 2016
However, the Weeknd’s SNL guest spot did come at a significant cost as the singer was forced to cancel his headlining set at the inaugural The Meadows Festival in nearby Queens due to scheduling conflicts.