Latest news with #SoFi
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bold Prediction: 2 Bank Stocks That Will Be Worth More Than JPMorgan Chase 20 Years From Now
JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank by market capitalization in the United States. Capital One has grown impressively, and has superior margins and some big potential catalysts. SoFi has massive potential to grow and monetize its customer base. 10 stocks we like better than Capital One Financial › JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) is a massive financial institution with more assets than any other U.S. bank and an $804 billion market cap. To be perfectly clear, it is a remarkable business with fantastic leadership. Having said that, while I think JPMorgan Chase will continue to grow over the coming years, I don't necessarily think it will be on top of the industry forever. While there's no way to know what the banking industry or U.S. economy will look like in a couple of decades, there are some companies that have massive opportunities and the potential to grow rapidly. I realize this is a bold prediction. There's a lot that needs to go right for any other bank stock to get close to JPMorgan Chase's market cap. But if we're looking at a time frame of 20 years, these two have a better chance than many experts think. As of this writing, Capital One (NYSE: COF) has a $135 billion market cap, so it would have to outpace JPMorgan Chase by about 500% to overtake it. But in a 20-year period, that's certainly within the realm of possibilities. For one thing, Capital One doesn't necessarily need to grow its business to the size of JPMorgan Chase. Because of its credit card and auto lending focus, Capital One has far better net-interest margins. The bank has done an excellent job of innovating and is the third-largest player in the credit card industry with about $850 billion in credit card purchase volume last year. But after its recent acquisition of Discover, it has the number one share in credit card loans. Over the past decade alone, Capital One's credit card spending volume has more than tripled, so there's excellent growth momentum here. Furthermore, Capital One has about $470 billion in total deposits, about one-fourth of what JPMorgan Chase has today. Capital One has done an excellent job of not only modernizing the branch-based banking experience but has also been the first major bank to offer high-yield deposit products to branch customers. I could see its deposit growth outpacing its big-bank competitors over the coming years. Finally, one factor that could help catapult Capital One to the next level is that it is now the only large U.S. consumer-facing bank to have its own payment network. At first, this will be mostly useful to avoid paying companies like Visa and Mastercard interchange fees on its own card products, but over time there could be interesting possibilities to build out the Discover network as a truly competitive alternative to the payment-processing giants. The Capital One prediction is certainly bold, but there's a clear path to get there, especially if the Discover network truly gains traction as a globally competitive payment network. But this next one is admittedly a bit of a stretch. SoFi (NASDAQ: SOFI) has a market cap of about $18.4 billion today, which means that JPMorgan Chase is roughly 44 times as valuable. But if SoFi can keep its momentum going, grow its brand recognition, and continue to build out its ecosystem, it could be a massive long-term winner. Management has said that the goal is to become a top 10 financial institution, which would require it to grow more than 10X from its current asset size, so the bank's leadership team is certainly aiming high. While other personal finance apps aim to do one or two things better than traditional banks, such as offering high-yield savings accounts or a stock-trading platform, SoFi is building a true bank replacement. The ultimate goal is for SoFi to be able to do everything your current bank, brokerage, insurance agent, and other financial services businesses do -- all in one app and better than the legacy providers. The company's growth momentum has been impressive to say the least. Its membership base has tripled over the past three years, and SoFi (which only received a banking charter in 2022) has grown its deposit base from zero to $27 billion. There are several major catalysts that could take SoFi to the next level. The third-party loan platform is one big example that is growing fast. It's where SoFi originates loans on behalf of third-party partners and makes applicant referrals, generating a low-risk stream of fee income from the massive personal loan industry. SoFi's home loan business is another example. Even in a terribly slow real estate market with elevated interest rates, SoFi originated nearly six times the home loan volume in the first quarter than it did two years ago. With Americans sitting on more equity ($35 trillion) and pent-up home-buying demand than ever, this could be a massive opportunity. Cryptocurrency is a recent development that could bring more customers into SoFi's ecosystem. The bank recently announced that not only will it be bringing crypto trading back to its app by the end of the year but will use blockchain technology to facilitate cross-border money transfers quicker and more cost effectively than peers, and this is a $93 billion market. As a final thought, keep in mind that these are meant to be two bold predictions. There's a lot that would need to go well for either of these companies to overtake JPMorgan Chase's position as the most valuable U.S. bank. It's possible, but it's not especially likely. However, even if JPMorgan Chase remains the largest U.S. bank in two decades, that's OK. These are two well-run banks with massive market opportunities, and I'm quite confident that they'll deliver strong returns for investors over the long term. I own both in my personal stock portfolio and can't wait to watch their next chapters unfold. Before you buy stock in Capital One Financial, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Capital One Financial wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $704,676!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $950,198!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,048% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 175% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025 JPMorgan Chase is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Matt Frankel has positions in Capital One Financial and SoFi Technologies. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends JPMorgan Chase. The Motley Fool recommends Capital One Financial. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Bold Prediction: 2 Bank Stocks That Will Be Worth More Than JPMorgan Chase 20 Years From Now was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Looking for Fintech Growth? Here's How Affirm and SoFi Stack Up
Affirm Holdings, Inc. AFRM and SoFi Technologies, Inc. SOFI are two standout names in the fast-evolving fintech sector. Both cater to Gen Z and millennial consumers, as well as older consumers, through technology-driven financial solutions that blend lending, digital banking and personal finance. While Affirm primarily focuses on point-of-sale financing through its buy now, pay later ('BNPL') model, SoFi operates a broader platform, encompassing lending, investing, banking and tech infrastructure. With digital financial services becoming more competitive and investors seeking scalable profitability, it is the perfect time to examine these two disruptive players side by side. Let us take a closer look at their fundamentals, execution strategies, and market positioning to see which one currently holds stronger growth potential. The Case for Affirm Affirm is witnessing rapid growth. In its third-quarter fiscal 2025 results, the company posted $783.1 million in revenues, up 36% year over year, and recorded an adjusted EPS of a penny, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a wide margin. Affirm had long operated at a loss, but since the second quarter of fiscal 2025, it has demonstrated that scale and disciplined growth can translate into bottom-line results. Management also raised full-year guidance; revenues are now anticipated to be in the range of $3.163-$3.193 billion, higher than the prior outlook of $3.13-$3.19 billion. Affirm's success is rooted in its expanding merchant partnerships, ranging from Shopify and Apple Pay to Amazon and FIS, and its growing international presence, including Canada, the U.K. and Western Europe. The company's technology platform, which seamlessly integrates into e-commerce checkouts, is helping Affirm capture greater market share in the increasingly competitive BNPL space. Its adjusted operating margin for fiscal 2025 is expected to be 23-23.6%. Affirm's focus on unit economics, expanding partnerships, and disciplined cost structure makes it an increasingly attractive fintech growth story. The company is delivering on what investors want to see in 2025: profitable growth. Affirm is increasingly leveraging AI to boost employee productivity, including the use of a large language model-powered chatbot that manages a high volume of daily customer interactions with speed and accuracy. The company also plans to launch advanced tools aimed at helping merchants optimize customer acquisition, creating value on both sides of the transaction. With a strong track record in risk management, Affirm continues to expand its long-term funding relationships to support rising loan originations. It has already completed 24 asset-backed securitizations totaling $12.25 billion, backed by more than 150 diverse capital partners, underscoring the depth and resilience of its funding network. The Case for SoFi SoFi Technologies, too, has had an impressive run. In first-quarter 2025, it delivered record revenue of $770.7 million, growing 33% from a year ago, with net income jumping more than 200% to $71.5 million. Membership growth remains strong, with the platform adding more than 800,000 new users in the quarter, bringing the total to a whopping 10.9 million. SoFi's multi-pronged model, which spans banking, lending, investing, and even fintech infrastructure (through Galileo), has created a diversified business capable of capturing value across multiple verticals. In addition, SoFi's adjusted EBITDA rose to $210.3 million in the first quarter, reflecting a healthy 27% margin, and the company raised guidance for the full year. Its expanding suite of products and cross-selling ability positions SoFi as a well-rounded player in the digital finance space. However, the company's broad scope also introduces greater complexity. Executing across so many business lines simultaneously requires exceptional coordination. SoFi's heavy reliance on unsecured personal loans, which make up nearly 70% of its lending portfolio, raises concerns about the sustainability of its growth in the face of potential economic stress. This concentration exposes the company to elevated credit risk, especially given that the borrower-level delinquency rate for unsecured personal loans was 3.49% in the first quarter of 2025, per reports. SoFi's liquidity appears strained, with $27.9 billion in current liabilities, just $2.7 billion in cash as of March 31, 2025, and a current ratio of 0.8, which is below the industry average. This suggests limited flexibility to meet near-term obligations. In contrast, Affirm's robust current ratio of 11.5 highlights significantly stronger short-term financial health. How Do Zacks Estimates Compare for AFRM & SOFI? Zacks estimates show Affirm on a sharp upward trajectory. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AFRM's fiscal 2025 sales and EPS implies a year-over-year improvement of 37% and 101.8%, respectively. The EPS estimates have been trending northward over the past 60 days. (See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.) Image Source: Zacks Investment Research In contrast, SoFi is also expected to grow earnings, but the momentum is with AFRM. The consensus estimate for SoFi's 2025 sales and EPS implies a year-over-year rise of 26.2% and 80%, respectively. The EPS estimates have been trending northward over the past 60 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Price Performance Comparison Over the year-to-date period, AFRM shares gained 9.8% while SOFI witnessed an 8.9% growth. During this time, the S&P 500 Index grew 2.9%. Affirm also shows stronger short-term momentum, with a 1-month gain of 32% compared to SoFi's 25.9%. Overall, Affirm's superior performance so far this year, driven by better earnings visibility and market sentiment, gives it a modest edge over SoFi. Price Performance – AFRM, SOFI & S&P 500 Valuation: AFRM vs. SOFI AFRM is currently trading at 5.49X forward 12-month P/S, higher than SOFI's 5.15X. Although SoFi appears cheaper, it is important to consider context: Affirm is rapidly scaling and has entered profitability, giving investors confidence in its underlying economics and growth potential. SoFi, by comparison, has a broader but more complex business model, one that the market is valuing relatively conservatively, perhaps reflecting its operational diversification and execution risks. Last Words Both Affirm and SoFi are standout fintech innovators with strong growth narratives, but Affirm currently has more room to run. It is 18.9% below its 52-week high of $82.53, while SOFI is 9% away from its 52-week high of $18.42. AFRM has demonstrated a decisive pivot to profitability, posted robust revenue growth, and continues to expand its merchant ecosystem with disciplined execution. Its AI integration, risk-managed lending and deep capital partner network support its long-term scalability. In contrast, SoFi's broad platform comes with greater complexity and credit concentration risk, especially in unsecured personal loans. Liquidity pressures and a lower current ratio add further caution. With stronger earnings momentum, better short-term liquidity, and a focused business model gaining traction, Affirm stands out as the fintech stock with more attractive upside potential, even though the companies currently carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) each. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Zacks' Research Chief Picks Stock Most Likely to "At Least Double" Our experts have revealed their Top 5 recommendations with money-doubling potential – and Director of Research Sheraz Mian believes one is superior to the others. Of course, all our picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier recommendations like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%. See Our Top Stock to Double (Plus 4 Runners Up) >> Affirm Holdings, Inc. (AFRM): Free Stock Analysis Report
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I Came Back With a Vengeance': 7 Best Moments From Launch of The Weeknd's Sold-Out Run at L.A.'s SoFi Stadium
The Weeknd has a love-hate relationship with Los Angeles. He wanted to flee from the fast life on 'Escape From LA' from his 2020 blockbuster album After Hours. Five years later, he reflected on simpler, sun-soaked times on 'Take Me Back to LA' off of his latest album Hurry Up Tomorrow. But on Wednesday night (June 25), he seemed genuinely happy to be back in the city he's called home for years. More from Billboard White House Uses Usher's 'Hey Daddy' to Soundtrack Trump's NATO Return Kehlani Reflects on 'You Should Be Here' Mixtape 10 Years Later: 'I'm Grateful That It Changed My Life' Keke Palmer Dissects 'Just Keke' Visual Album and Why She's Found It 'So Hard Being a Person and a Product' 'It's been way too long, Los Angeles. It's been way too long. We have some memories on this stage right here, don't we?' he reminded the 70,000 fans at SoFi Stadium. The Weeknd and SoFi have quite the history. During his second of two sold-out shows at the Inglewood, Calif. stadium in September 2022, the Ethiopian-Canadian superstar lost his voice, an incident that made the pop star feel so defeated that he began debating taking a curtain call on the persona fans have come to know and love and inspired his first feature film Hurry Up Tomorrow that was released in theaters earlier this year. Even though he performed two make-up shows in November 2022, one might expect him to experience PTSD stepping back on that stage three years later. But for The Weeknd, how could he fear a venue he's now made history at? KTLA 5 reported that the 'Blinding Lights' hitmaker now holds the record for the most sold-out shows by a male artist at SoFi Stadium with a total of seven shows, three from the 2022 leg of the After Hours Til Dawn Tour and four from this current 2025 leg. Here are the seven best moments from The Weeknd's first SoFi Stadium stop of his After Hours Til Dawn Tour. While The Weeknd has been honoring his Ethiopian heritage by donning a black and gold kaba – a hand-embroidered Ethiopian robe historically worn by royals and traditionally worn at weddings – during his latest live performances, his fans honored him by wearing his old wardrobe. From the white T-shirt, vest and pants from the 2023 European leg of the After Hours Til Dawn Tour to the infamous After Hours era red suit jacket and black slacks with a bloody, bandaged nose, the XO fans paid homage to his different eras. Travis Scott brought out Playboi Carti to perform 'FE!N' during his historic headlining show at SoFi Stadium back in November 2023. Almost two years later, the King Vamp returned the favor by surprising his ravenous fanbase with his raging partner in crime. Scott stepped out to 'Goosebumps' before the two sent the audience into a frenzy with a delirious performance of 'Crush' from Carti's Billboard 200-topping album MUSIC, with Carti's guttural shrieks bouncing off the walls and rapidly flashing strobe lights bouncing off the crowd. They saved 'FE!N' for the high-octane finale of Carti's opening set. The Weeknd and his right-hand producer Mike Dean cooked up a number of remarkably seamless transitions for his 2023 co-headlining Coachella set and first legs of his After Hours Til Dawn Tour. But for this recent leg, and with the Hurry Up Tomorrow album now added to the setlist, the two had to go back into the lab and create a new experience. The final reverberating shrieks from 'Wake Me Up' blended right into the pulsating bassline from the second half of the After Hours title track. And a pitched-up version of the chorus from Metro Boomin's 'Creepin,' also featuring 21 Savage, led straight into the pitched-up sample of Jon B and Babyface's 1995 Hot 100 top 10 hit 'Someone to Love' that kicks off 'Niagara Falls.' After concluding 'Faith,' The Weeknd took off his gold-plated mask and came face-to-face with the crowd, who was in an uproar during the dramatic reveal. Right after revealing his face to fans, The Weeknd took a minute to bask in glory in the same spot he once felt defeated. 'I came back with a vengeance. Four nights, SoFi, back to back to back,' he exclaimed. 'And that's because of you. We gotta make sure night one is the best night out of four nights though, right?' He later commemorated the momentous occasion by tweaking the second verse on his and Anitta's 'São Paulo': 'Hit it from the back, she louder than four sold-out nights at SoFi.' Following his opening stint, Baby Boi hopped back on stage to perform their Hot 100 No. 3 hit 'Timeless' and 'Rather Lie' from MUSIC. Carti took a page out of The Weeknd's playbook by interspersing some (Auto-Tuned) melodic runs as well as his signature 'schyeah' ad-lib throughout both songs, and the joint performance reminded 00XO fans that outsiders can't handle the both of them at the top. When 'Rather Lie' debuted at No. 4 on the Hot 100 in March, The Weeknd earned his 20th top 10 hit and tied Mariah Carey and Prince's record for the most consecutive years with a top 10 hit (12) in history. That same week, Carti became the first rapper to notch more than 30 Hot 100 hits in a single week and the third artist ever, after Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift. The Weeknd coached one lucky girl through an intimate duet of the Dawn FM standout track 'Out of Time' on the floor of SoFi. He later handed the microphone to another fan right before the end of the chorus, who belted, '… make you mine, out of tiiime!' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Where is CMA Fest held? Nashville music festival drew 95K country fans in 2025, here's what to know
The countdown to CMA Fest is on — the world's biggest celebration of country music is 342 days away. The 2026 event will once again showcase four jam-packed days of live performances and interactive fan experiences, bringing the country music community together for the ultimate celebration. The 2025 event attracted an estimated 95,000 fans from around the globe to Downtown Nashville, where more than 300 performances lit up stages across the city. From surprise stadium performances to exclusive fan experiences and must-see sets, the weekend delivered standout shows and powerful fan-artist connections. Tickets to the event are now on sale and will be available for purchase through June 7, 2026. In the meantime, fans can relive all the show stopping performances from the comfort of home with the "CMA Fest presented by SoFi" concert television special, airing June 26 on ABC at 7 p.m. CT. The three-hour program, hosted by country artists Cody Johnson and Ashley McBryde, will feature multiple country superstars including Kelsea Ballerini, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Darius Rucker, Shaboozey, and Lainey Wilson. The special be available to stream the following day on HULU. Still can't get enough country music? Here's what to know about CMA Fest 2026. The 53rd CMA Fest will take place from June 4-7, 2026. The festival takes over downtown Nashville each year, featuring a variety of free outdoor stages along Lower Broadway including the Good Molecules Reverb Stage at Bridgestone Plaza, the Chevy Vibes Stage at Walk of Fame Park, the Hard Rock Stage in front of the Hard Rock Cafe at First and Broadway, the Riverfront Stage, and the Dr Pepper Amp Stage at Ascend Amphitheater. Throughout the day, fans can enjoy artist meet-and-greets, shop for exclusive festival merchandise and explore indoor activities at Fan Fair X inside Music City Center. Each night wraps up at Nissan Stadium, where the event's headliners take the stage. Tickets to the four-day event are now available for purchase at Ticketmaster. Prices vary, as multiple packages are available. While the lineup for the 2026 event has yet to be announced, fans can sign up for CMA's Country Connection emails and visit for information and updates. The 2025 festival featured some of the biggest names in country music, including Brooks & Dunn, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, and Rascal Flatts. Here's a closer look at the lineup: Abbey Cone Alana Springsteen Alex Lambert Alli Walker Angel White Angie K Ashland Craft Ashley Anne Ashley Cooke Ashley McBryde Austin Snell BODHI Bailey Zimmerman Billy Dean Blake Shelton Blanco Brown Blessing Offor BoomTown Saints Brandon Lake Braxton Keith Brendan Walter Brian Fuller Britnee Kellogg CECE Carson Wallace Casey Barnes Chandler Walters Charlie Worsham Chris Lane Christian Hayes Clayton Mullen Cody Johnson Colbie Caillat Colin Stough Colt Graves Conner Smith Cooper Alan Craig Campbell Crowe Boys Dailey & Vincent Danielle Bradbery Darius Rucker Darryl Worley Dasha David Nail Dillon Carmichael Drake Milligan Drew Baldridge Dylan Marlowe Dylan Schneider Eddie and The Getaway Edwin McCain Ella Langley (listed twice) Emily Ann Roberts Erin Kinsey Exile Filmore Frankie Ballard Gabby Barrett Gavin Adcock George Birge Giovannie and The Hired Guns Graham Barham Greylan James Harper O'Neill Hayden Blount Hayden Coffman Hudson Westbrook Hueston Iam Tongi Ian Munsick Jackson Dean Jade Eagleson Jake Worthington Jamie O' Neal Jason Scott & The High Heat Jay Webb Jerrod Niemann John Morgan Jordan Davis Josh Gracin Josh Ross Kameron Marlowe Karley Scott Collins Kashus Culpepper Kaylee Rose Keith Urban Kelsey Hart Kevin Smiley Kylie Morgan LECADE Lakeview Lauren Watkins Leah Turner Liam St. John Lorrie Morgan Luke Borchelt MŌRIAH MaRynn Taylor Mackenzie Carpenter Maddie & Tae Madeline Merlo Marcus King Mark Wills Mason Ramsey Matt Schuster Max McNown Megan Morone Megan Moroney Meghan Patrick Mickey Guyton Midland O.N.E The Duo Owen Riegling Palmer Anthony Pam Tillis Parker McCollum Payton Smith Peytan Porter Pistol Pearl and the Western Band Preston James RVSHVD RaeLynn Randall King Red Clay Strays Redferrin Reid Haughton Reyna Roberts Riley Green Rita Wilson Rodney Atkins SKEEZ Sacha Sam Barber Sam Williams Shaboozey Shaylen Shenandoah Sister Hazel Solon Holt Sophia Scott Sterling Elza T Graham Brown Tanner Adell Tayler Holder The Heels The War And Treaty Thelma and James Thompson Square Tiera Kennedy Tigirlily Gold Trey Lewis Troubadour Blue Tucker Wetmore Ty Herndon Tyler Braden Tyler Farr Tyler Joe Miller US Navy Band Country Current Vincent Mason Waylon Wyatt Wesko Willie Jones Zach Top Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for the Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@ or follow her on X at @_leyvadiana This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Where is CMA Fest located? What to know about Nashville festival
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The Weeknd conquers SoFi Stadium with an immaculate performance before retiring his all-consuming pop moniker
No pop artist today has a more tangled relationship to a venue than the Weeknd has with SoFi Stadium. First, he chose SoCal's flagship stadium as the site to film the denouement of his cult-campy HBO series 'The Idol' during one of his concerts. Unfortunately, during the set, he lost his voice four songs in and had to send fans home for the night so he could recover and make up the date. For such a perfectionist, that must have been a body blow. He rebounded a few months later with a triumphal return and the concert doc 'The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium.' But that nerve-racking experience stuck with him. He revisited it again in his recent feature film (and album) 'Hurry Up Tomorrow,' where a fictional version of the Weeknd loses his voice onstage, kicking off a surrealist, violent night with Jenna Ortega. A brief interlude from that LP is titled 'I Can't F— Sing.' So Abel Tesfaye must have had a range of mixed feelings when he walked out at SoFi on Wednesday night, the first of four nights at the site of some of his greatest triumphs and most bitter disappointments as a live performer. 'This is bigger than me — it's a reflection of the power of music and its impact on people,' Tesfaye told The Times in a brief email just before the show. This slickly cryptic, immaculately performed 2½-hour set covered the whole of his era-defining catalog. But is this run of SoFi dates a swan song to one of the most successful recording projects of our time? Since first emerging as an anonymous voice atop gothic, coked-up R&B productions on a trilogy of 2011 mixtapes, Tesfaye's tastes and his unlikely commercial success grew together. An underground fan base turned up for the nihilism of 'Wicked Games' ('Bring the drugs, baby, I could bring my pain.') But with assists from Max Martin and Daft Punk, he became a bona fide pop star. His mournful Ethiopian melodic lilt stood out like nothing else in Top 40, and he hung onto enough art-freak sensibility that he could headline the Super Bowl halftime show with dancers in full-face plastic-surgery bandages. His '80s-noir, 2019 single 'Blinding Lights' remains the most-streamed song on Spotify, ever. Darryl Eaton, his agent at CAA, told The Times that the 200,000 tickets sold for this SoFi run alone is 'like selling out an entire American city.' Yet Tesfaye has recently hinted at retiring the Weeknd as a premise. 'It's a headspace I've gotta get into that I just don't have any more desire for,' he told Variety recently. 'It never ends until you end it.' Whether he wants to release less conceptual, more personal music, or if he's simply run out of gas with this all-consuming pop entity he's created, this SoFi run is likely one of the last chances L.A. fans will get to see the Weeknd. Tesfaye will surely keep making music and films, but it makes cinematic sense that he'd come back to the scene of his most painful night onstage to put this all to bed. After a brief and typically roiling set from Tesfaye's recent collaborator Playboi Carti, Tesfaye emerged in black and gold, eyes lit with LED pinpicks, over a ruined cityscape. Opening with the 'BoJack Horseman'-riffing 'The Abyss,' he grimly promised, 'I tried my best to not let you go / I don't like the view from halfway down … I tried to be something that I'll never be.' It sure felt like he was saying goodbye to this way of being an artist. The show kicked into gear with Tesfaye surrounded by a trim live band and minimalist, moving-sculpture dancers in rose-colored robes. He didn't need much more to let that once-in-a-generation voice carry everything. Tesfaye's a uniquely dedicated live vocalist on the stadium circuit (it's kind of honorable that any serious vocal troubles might mean the show's over). For all his high-concept misdirections in videos and films, you could feel the troubled intimacy that's kept fans invested in this music over so many aesthetics. For all his close-reads of Michael Jackson's records on singles like 'Can't Feel My Face,' Tesfaye's not an especially physical dancer onstage. But he knows exactly how to inhabit and set-dress this music to make it eerie and monolithic, even at its poppiest. 'After Hours' made a seductive case for letting an obviously toxic man back into your life ('Different girls on the floor, distracting my thoughts of you.') After finally taking off his face mask, he played 'Take My Breath' like a revving, neo-disco floor-filler that still winked at the darker choke-kinks of his old music. When he cranked up the pyro on the midcareer lurker ballad 'The Hills,' the front rows of SoFi got a bracing reminder of how volatile this music is even when it sits atop streaming charts. Alongside Carti on their collaborations 'Timeless' and 'Rather Lie,' Tesfaye grounded his pal's smeary Atlanta noise with evilly pretty melody. This is a voice you just can't help but believe, even when it's calling you to self-destruction. If this tour is indeed at the end of his tenure as the Weeknd, at more than three dozen songs, Wednesday's set delivered every possible angle of valediction — the thrumming decadence of 'Often,' the desperate sincerity of 'Die for You' and 'Is There Someone Else?' Newer material like 'Cry for Me' and 'São Paolo' showed that, whatever his exhaustion with this aegis, he's got tons of startling ideas still brimming. When Tesfaye buried the hatchet with the Grammys back in February, it was a generous gesture to an organization that inexplicably locked him out of honors for 'Blinding Lights' that he should, obviously, have contended for. When he played that double-time, neo-New Wave single toward the end of his Wednesday set, it felt like a strange pearl that he'd discovered — one of the biggest pop songs of all time, played by a guy whose music emerged from a murk of MDMA licks and mournful threesomes. With perhaps the exception of his (exceedingly stylish if critically skeptical) film career, he's always found his voice, over and over again. SoFi Stadium has dealt the Weeknd his greatest defeat and some of his his finest hours as a performer. Now it's sending him off to Valhalla, wherever that takes Abel Tesfaye.
