The Weeknd debuts anime-sampling song Tokyo with Yoko Takahashi in Japan

The Weeknd debuted a new song titled "Tokyo" during the opening night of his After Hours Til Dawn tour's Asian leg, performing the unreleased track with Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi at the Belluna Dome in Saitama, Japan, on September 19. The performance marked the latest in a series of city-specific song debuts on the tour, following the premiere of "Rio" with Brazilian artist Anitta in April. The new song samples "A Cruel Angels Thesis," the iconic 1995 theme song from the anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion," which Takahashi originally performed. During the concert, Takahashi joined The Weeknd on stage for "Tokyo" and later performed "A Cruel Angels Thesis" in full while the singer watched from the rear of the stage. The performance was accompanied by a multimedia visual presentation directed by Yoko Taro, the creative director behind the "NieR" video game series. The visuals incorporated imagery from both "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and the 2017 video game "NieR:Automata." On social media, The Weeknd credited the segment as "Presented by YOKO TARO ft. YOKO TAKAHASHI.