\n\t\t\t\tThe Weeknd \/\/ XO Parallel Launch Concert\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nRed LED lights flickered as I pulled out my camera and maneuvered through the wall of dedicated XO fans that had formed at the railing of the GA pit. Pairing his falsetto notes with sets of energetic moves to set the vibe, The Weeknd displayed his versatility as a stadium status performer to an audience 70 times smaller than that of the Staples Center.<\/p>\n
Abel’s genuine appreciation for his sneaker collaboration was recognizable by the quality of his performance — whether he was laughing with the crowd or throwing his mic stand up in the air, he never a dull moment fly.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, The Madness was in full effect at the show.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
As my 35th film shot had been fired, I decided to let the fans enjoy their front row luxuries without further interruption. I ducked to the bar at the back of the room to double up on Grey Goose’s sponsored Starboy <\/em>mixed drinks, deciding to save the last shot in my film roll for a special portrait should it present itself.<\/p>\nBefore I knew it, I was in the VIP dancing in line to “I Can’t Feel My Face” <\/em>with Kitty Cash and Kaytranada. The Weeknd’s high energy continued to fill the room. Before reuniting with the rest of my group, I seized the opportunity I’d prepared myself for and asked Kay and Kitty for a double portrait.<\/p>\n“Yeah, I got this though.”<\/p>\n
Kaytranada separated himself from his friends and hit the pose for a solo portrait. The original idea was fire, but my camera took a lag. Luckily the delay provided a suspense for the shot and as he released his pose, he ended up in the ideal focus point of my camera. What I thought was going to develop as a blurry motion shot turned out to be the best photo of the night.<\/p>\nKaytranada \/\/ Puma Parallel Launch Party<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI was the only one there to work. So after work, I explored. PUMA had multiple XO Parallel art installations set up throughout the venue — one dark shipping container iconically held the shoes inside of a glass case on a white podium, with one light shining down on the party’s precious cargo. Another installation suspended pairs in mid air, and let guests interact with the sneakers from behind the glass. Perfect boomerang <\/em>content.<\/p>\nClosing his set with an encore performance of “The Hills,” <\/em>The Weeknd left the stage to an infectious \u201cAbel!\u201d chant. Following the event, the professionals in the building were aligned on one, if not two things: the shoes are a must cop and there needs to be more sneaker launch concerts for the culture — preferably featuring timeless performances like we just saw.<\/p>\nLucky for us, The Weeknd x PUMA Parallel sees its official release tomorrow online at PUMA and select fashion retailers worldwide. After seeing what it means to the involved parties, this shoe is definitely on my radar.<\/p>\n
Check out some shots from the event below, and best of luck with copping your pair tomorrow.<\/p>\nThe Weeknd \/\/ XO Parallels Launch Concert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nThe Weeknd \/\/ XO Parallel Launch Concert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\nThe Weeknd \/\/ XO Parallel Launch Concert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"words & photos by Matthew Barron It\u2019s the first day of my first ever Agenda Las Vegas, I\u2019m in taxi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":328303,"featured_media":551917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1225473,1221070],"cultivate_rss":[],"class_list":{"2":"type-post"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
On Site \/\/ The Weeknd x PUMA Parallels Launch Concert | Snkrs Day<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n