BY TER STAFF

Chicago felt the madness tonight at the United Center. Kicking off the U.S. leg of The Madness Tour, after two sold out nights at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre earlier this week, The Weeknd performed for yet another sold out crowd, this time for the Windy City in the house that Michael Jordan built. He didn’t do it alone though, as the entire lineup was stacked and provided a great deal of variety. Fans who arrived on time were treated to great sets from ‘Beggin for Thread’ singer Banks, as well as G.O.O.D. Music‘s and Grand Hustle’s always energetic, rapper Travis Scott.

While the opening performances only consisted of a few songs each, both Banks and Scott set the tone for the night, both with completely different sounds and moods. Banks performed a handful of records from her latest LP, Goddess, including her big 2014 single, ‘Begin for Thread’. After her beautiful collection of songs, Travis Scott turned up the volume and energy to an entirely different level.

Instantly Scott made sure that everyone in the arena was ready to rage. He may have been playing the largest venue in Chicago, but the energy felt like a club performance. A few hundred feet separated the ‘Antidote’ rapper and the 300 level of the UC, but his energy reached the rafters. Travis choose to perform some of his most turned up records, including his Days Before Rodeo and Owl Pharaoh bangers like ‘Don’t Play’ and ‘Quintana’, and of course his tracks in support of his new and debut LP, Rodeo.

While Scott’s and even Bank’s fans showed up in numbers, the man behind the madness, and whose music is the reason the entire tour sold out even before it began, was set to headline the show. And to open his set, The Weeknd kicked things off with the same record that kicked off his latest LP, ‘Real Life’. After ‘Real Life’ and throughout the night, The Weeknd performed his entire Beauty Behind the Madness album.

Weeknd did not limit things to his latest and most successful album though, performing a number of records from his discography, including a variety of tracks from his critically acclaimed series, The Trilogy. But despite providing ample entertainment for his day one fan base, the crowd was most alive as The Weeknd performed his singles, like ‘The Hills’, ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ and ‘Often’, that have been dominating the airwaves and clubs in the past half year. The tour may have opened up in The Weeknd’s hometown, but it is hard to imagine an energy that could be matched when compared to tonight’s performance at the United Center.

Check out our photos of The Weeknd’s sold out show with Banks and Travis Scott below.

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