In the digital streaming era, one of the biggest flexes an artist can have is being a member of Spotify’s Billions Club, a playlist that highlights every song that has been streamed more than 1 billion times on the platform. Among the nearly 500 artists who have graced the glorified list are Mariah Carey (“All I Want for Christmas Is You”), Rihanna (“Needed Me”), Fleetwood Mac (“Dreams”), Kendrick Lamar (“All the Stars” featuring SZA), Billie Eilish (“Ocean Eyes”), but the distinction of having the most tracks — 24 to be exact — to hit 1 billion streams on Spotify belongs to the Weeknd.
To commemorate this milestone, the Toronto pop star teamed up with Spotify to host an intimate, invite-only concert with nearly 2,000 of his biggest fans — his top 10% listeners on the platform — on Tuesday night at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.
“It’s a little holiday gift for the OG XO fans supporting me [since] Day 1,” the Weeknd said during his 70-minute set. “2024 is almost done, but 2025, we got some new s— coming out. New album. New tour. New movie. New everything. We’re shutting this s— down.” His upcoming album “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” which is the third and final installment of his “After Hours” / “Dawn FM” trilogy,” will be supported by a psychological thriller starring the singer born Abel Tesfaye, alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
With the support of his longtime collaborator Mike Dean (on the keys) and guitarist Patrick Greenaway, the Weeknd performed 20 of the 24 songs that landed him on the Billions Club playlist including “Blinding Lights” (the most streamed song on Spotify), “The Hills,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” and “After Hours.” He also performed three additional songs for the energetic crowd, who knew every word, including “São Paulo,” “Timeless,” and “Wicked Games.”
“I know that song didn’t hit a billion, but I felt like I had to do it,” he said about “Wicked Games.” “It’s necessary, at least one ‘House of Balloons’ song.”
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Fans started lining up overnight at 4 a.m. for the highly anticipated show and a few folks traveled from Newark, N.J., for the chance to get inside even though they didn’t have tickets to the event. (Unfortunately, the aforementioned Jersey fans didn’t make it inside because they didn’t have a ticket.) The special night featured food trucks including L.A.’s beloved Kogi Korean BBQ, an open bar (for attendees 21 and up) and the Weeknd merchandise — all of which was free to attendees.
Fans take photos at the Weeknd’s show with Spotify on Tuesday at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
For an international superstar like the Weeknd, who regularly sells out arenas and stadiums around the globe, the event was a chance for fans to experience his music in a personal setting. In fact, it was likely the first time since his early days that he’s performed for an audience of fewer than 2,000 people. “It feels like back in the ‘Kiss Land’ tour,” he said. “Maybe after the stadium tour, we’ll go back to smaller venues. I like this.”
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Ashley Graver, who leads artist partnerships and is head of pop, dance and indie at Spotify, says the Weeknd and his team were involved throughout the entire process of putting together the show, including on the merch design, stage and sound design.
“This milestone really shows how massive the Weeknd’s impact is around the world,” she said. “His success is a testament to his artistry and his constant drive to push creative boundaries. Right now, ‘Blinding Lights’ is the most-streamed song on Spotify, even four years after it came out, which just goes to show how much staying power he has and how loyal his fans are.”
Before the show, we caught up with attendees to ask them about their fandom and what it means to be invited to such an exclusive event.
Elijah Shen Muralles, 21, left, and Cole Dizon, 20, attend the Weeknd’s show with Spotify on Tuesday in Santa Monica.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Cole Dizon and Elijah Shen Muralles
Age: Dizon: 20 Shen Muralles: 21
Neighborhood: Dizon: Lancaster Shen Muralles: South Gate
How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? Dizon: About two years ago, one of my friends showed me a few songs — some of the mainstream ones like “Die For You” and “Blinding Lights.” I knew he was a household name, but once I started getting into the groove of it, I was like “OK, he’s pretty good.” Eventually, I went to his Spotify profile and started listening to more of his songs. I was like, “Hold on. I can see why he’s so popular. The trend has motion to it.” So I started listening to him more and more.
Shen Muralles: I would hear him here and there and he was always one of the big celebrities, but I didn’t really get deep into it until maybe like a year or two ago. My friend was just blasting his music all the time and I was like, “You know what, I’m going to hear this artist out.” After a few songs, I realized, “Oh my gosh. He’s one of the best sounding artists I’ve ever heard. I should’ve hopped onto the bandwagon sooner.”
What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? Dizon: “I Feel It Coming.” Daft Punk is a classic. When the song dropped, I wasn’t on the bandwagon yet but listening to it recently I was like, first off, I remember this song. [Secondly], I’ve been sleeping on this because this is straight heat.
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Shen Muralles: “House of Balloons.” I’m a big fan of the first half. The second half is still really good. However, I think the first half, it’s just the beat, the lyrics, it really just gets me in the mood. Also, “Stargirl Interlude.” I’m a bit of a Lana Del Rey fan. Her voice just hard carries that song.
How does it feel to be at this exclusive show? Dizon: It’s super surreal. When I got the email [invite] from Spotify, I didn’t believe it was real… We got here and saw the line and I was like, “Holy smokes! This is actually legitimate.” We were stressing in line cause we thought we weren’t going to get in… I’m going to see him in like four weeks from now [at his tour], so to me this is not only a wonderful surprise, but it’s a great love letter to his fans.
Shen Muralles: I’m not one to drop a whole lot of money to go to concerts, so to get to come to something like this with Spotify is like, “Wow, this is crazy.” I’m just so grateful to be here because this is like a once in a lifetime opportunity for me… This is a Christmas gift right here.
Friends America Maldonado, left, Maya Garcia and Kessai Suksanguan were among the first people in line at the Weeknd’s Spotify show in Santa Monica.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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America Maldonado, Maya Garcia and Kessai Suksanguan
Age: Maldonado: 21 Garcia: 21 Suksanguan: 19
Neighborhood: Maldonado: Downtown L.A. Garcia: Bellflower Suksanguan: Long Beach
How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? Maldonado: Since I was 13. I would listen to his mixtapes.
Garcia: Probably since middle school.
Suksanguan: Around middle school. I would hear him a lot on the radio.
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What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? Maldonado: “Adaptation.” It’s just a beautiful story. If you listen to [the album] “Kiss Land,” every song ends and it just continues on with the story.
Garcia: I know it’s basic, but I’m going to say “Earned It.” It’s super catchy and it highlights his voice, which I love.
Suksanguan: “After Hours.” I really like the style of that whole album and that time period for him.
How does it feel to be at this exclusive show? Maldonado: It feels amazing. Unfortunately, I’ve only seen him perform live twice. I’ve been listening to him for so long, but to be a part of this free event where I feel comfortable, is great.
Garcia: I’m honestly so glad that he’s doing this show in L.A. I just love being here in L.A.
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Suksanguan: I think it’s just really special that it was free and invite only, so it makes us feel really wanted and really special. And the fact that it’s close to us too, it’s really convenient.
Hamza Akmal, left, Adeeb Ali and Ameer Ali attend the Weeknd’s Billions Club show in collaboration with Spotify on Tuesday at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Hamza Akmal, Adeeb Ali and Ameer Ali
Age: Ameer: 25 Adeeb: 28 Akmal: 29
Neighborhood: Ameer: Whittier Adeeb: West Covina Akmal: Culver City
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How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? Ameer: The Drake collabs made me a fan. The songs were very unique. I’d never heard anything like that at the time. Adeeb: I became a fan when I heard him on “Crew Love” with Drake. I was like, “This guy is good.” Akmal: I became a fan around high school [around] like 2011. A couple of my friends liked to explore a lot of new music and they told me to check him out, so I’ve been listening since then.
What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? Ameer: I’m a big Michael Jackson fan. I love how the Weeknd did “Dirty Diana” [with his song] “D.D.” Adeeb: “Out of Time.” It’s just so pretty. He sampled some Japanese city pop and it sounded really nice. Akmal: Probably “The Hills.” It’s just too catchy for me. I just love the beat of it and everything.
How does it feel to be at this exclusive show? Ameer: It’s exciting. Adeeb: It seemed a little too good to be true. I was like, “Are we being set up right now?” And like, no, it’s just super cool. Akmal: Coming to this, I didn’t really know what to expect, but based on what I’m seeing, it’s really cool to be here.
Mother and daughter, Kenyah Moore, 18, and Shenita Moore, 48, attend a show put on by Spotify to celebrate the Weeknd on Tuesday.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Shenita and Kenyah Moore
Age: Kenyah: 18 Shenita: 48
Neighborhood: Kenyah: Santa Monica Shenita: Santa Monica
How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? Kenyah: He’s just always been there. Growing up, he’s one of the most popular artists of my generation. Shenita: I’m just here supporting her, but I am familiar with his music.
What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? Kenyah: “In the Night.” I like the story that it tells.
How does it feel to be at this exclusive show? Kenyah: I’m glad I saw the email. It’s a pretty cool thing that he achieved — to get that many songs over 1 billion [streams].
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Grace Chandler, left, Jessie Sheridan and Isabella Elsesser were among the nearly 2,000 fans who were invited to attend the Weeknd’s Spotify show.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Grace Chandler, Jessie Sheridan and Isabella Elsesser
Age: Chandler: 20 Sheridan: 20 Elsesser: 19
Neighborhood: Chandler: Long Beach Sheridan: San Luis Obispo Elsesser: Long Beach
How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? Chandler: It had to have been when I was in the fifth grade when “The Hills” came out. Everyone was singing that song and I would play it 24/7 with my mom and my sister. Respectfully. It was just the beat. It just started from there.
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Sheridan: Since the third grade. My sister put me on. I have no idea what album it was, but that was my life. I’ve been singing his music since the third grade. He will always and forever be my guy.
Elsesser: I heard about him from “The Hills” but it was the Echos Remix. There’s a woman who sings it in a house, dubstep kind of way and I was always into dubstep. I was like, “Yes. Yes. I love this.”
What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? Chandler: “Stargirl Interlude” and “Save Your Tears.” Sheridan: “Stargirl Interlude.” Elsesser: “The Morning” [starts singing song]. It’s empowering. I feel like I’m the girl. I’m like “Yeah, I’m the money. I’m the motive.” I also love “São Paulo” with Anitta. It’s so fire.
How does it feel to be at this exclusive show? Chandler: Unreal! Sheridan: So exciting. Elsesser: I’m excited to dance.
Zachary Cutting, 37, of Belmont, Calif., wears an exclusive hoodie from the Weeknd’s Spotify Billions Club performance on Tuesday.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Zachary Cutting
Age: 37
Neighborhood: Belmont, Calif.
How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? I was doing security at the Fonda Theatre, but he wasn’t popular yet. I heard him performing. He did the “Dirty Diana” song and I liked that, so from then on, I followed his career and I’ve been a fan ever since.
What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? “Is There Someone Else?” Sometimes I be wondering… with the person I’m talking to, like, “Is there someone else?” [laughs]
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How does it feel to be at this exclusive show? I’ve only seen him perform that one time, so I’m excited.
Carmen Flores, 25, and Marco De La Cruz, 26, of Maywood arrived at the Barker Hangar early so they could attend the Weeknd’s Billions Club show with Spotify.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Carmen Flores and Marco De La Cruz
Age: Flores: 25 De La Cruz: 26
Neighborhood: Maywood
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How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? Flores: I think I was in middle school. My sister asked if I ever heard of his music.
De La Cruz: Around 2015-2016, probably during the “Trilogy” era.
What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? Flores: “Faith.” First of all, I think it’s a very fun song. Just meaning of faith and how it transitions into [the next song, “Blinding Lights”]. It’s very underrated.
De La Cruz: “After Hours.” Just the whole production on that song and his vocals.
How does it feel to be at this exclusive show? Flores: It means everything. But I will be seeing him again next month and I also saw him with Mike Dean on March 1 at the Wiltern when he came out with Travis Scott and it was the best thing ever.
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David Reyes, 19, of Riverside became a fan of the Weeknd after his sister put him onto the pop star’s “Starboy” album.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
David Reyes
Age: 19
Neighborhood: Riverside
How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? My sister put me on when “Starboy” came out. She always played it.
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What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? “Die For You” for sure. It’s just a classic. 10/10.
How does it feel to be at this exclusive show? It’s very unique how Spotify and Abel are doing this for his fans. It’s just cool how artists actually care for their fans.
Catherine Carrasco, 25, and Jonathan Serna, 26, were among the first fans in line at the Weeknd’s exclusive Billions Club show put on by Spotify.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
Jonathan Serna and Catherine Carrasco
Age: Carrasco: 25 Serna: 26
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Neighborhood: Carrasco: Santa Ana Serna: Santa Ana
How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? Carrasco: In 2015. I was a sophomore in high school. I think the first song that I listened to by him was “The Morning” and I got introduced to his music by an ex-boyfriend. [laughs] I got this hoodie a while ago and then his first concert I went to was the “Starboy” [tour]. Serna: When “Starboy” released, I kept listening to it on repeat like crazy. After that, I listened to everything he’s made and I became a fan. I wasn’t a big fan until “After Hours” [though].
What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? Carrasco: That’s such a hard question. I think “The Birds Pt. 1” and Pt. 2. I love every song by him, but I have those on repeat. He’s No. 1 on my Spotify Wrapped every year. Serna: “After Hours.” He was No. 1 on my Wrapped.
How does it feel to be at this exclusive show? Carrasco: I’m like shaking. I’m excited. I’ve seen him a couple of times, but this is a free event. Serna: It’s amazing. I didn’t think I was going to get it. When I got the [email], I just went on break at my job. They gave you like 20 minutes to respond and I know she would’ve killed me if I didn’t.
Katherine Martinez, left, Jorge Martinez and Angelina Bomar flew to L.A. from New Jersey for the chance to attend the Weeknd’s Spotify show.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
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Jorge Martinez
Age: 20
Neighborhood: We live in Newark, N.J. I saw a couple of TikToks like two days ago about the Spotify event. Unfortunately, we’re on Apple Music so we didn’t get the invite, but I was like maybe Abel might stop and sign our vinyl. She has on her “After Hours” hoodie. We came here for the SoFi show in November for the three-year anniversary. [Then we came back for this], so we traveled a long way.
How long have you been a fan of the Weeknd? I’ve been a big fan since “After Hours” came out. It was really good. It was a dream seeing him in concert [at his recent show]. The next dream is hopefully meeting him.
What’s your favorite song by the Weeknd? “After Hours.” The way it slowly transitions to the beat drop — I like the 808s.
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You flew out to L.A. just for the chance to see the show even though you don’t have tickets. Why was it important to you? It would mean a lot for us to make it inside of the show or even to meet him, that would be amazing too. We’re planning to maybe fly out to the Rose Bowl show. But we got to try it out.
[Unfortunately, Jorge, his girlfriend and sister didn’t make it inside of the show because they didn’t have tickets.]
by Sean P. Aune | January 10, 2026January 10, 2026 10:30 am EST
Welcome to an exciting year-long project here at The Nerdy. 1986 was an exciting year for films giving us a lot of films that would go on to be beloved favorites and cult classics. It was also the start to a major shift in cultural and societal norms, and some of those still reverberate to this day.
We’re going to pick and choose which movies we hit, but right now the list stands at nearly four dozen.
Yes, we’re insane, but 1986 was that great of a year for film.
The articles will come out – in most cases – on the same day the films hit theaters in 1986 so that it is their true 40th anniversary. All films are also watched again for the purposes of these reviews and are not being done from memory. In some cases, it truly will be the first time we’ve seen them.
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This time around, it’s Jan. 10, 1986, and we’re off to see Black Moon Rising.
Black Moon Rising
What was the obsession in the 1980s with super vehicles?
Sam Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) is hired to steal a computer tape with evidence against a company on it. While being pursued, he tucks it in the parachute of a prototype vehicle called the Black Moon. While trying to retrieve it, the car is stolen by Nina (Linda Hamilton), a car thief working for a car theft ring. Both of them want out of their lives, and it looks like the Black Moon could be their ticket out.
Blue Thunder in the movies, Airwolf and Knight Rider on TV, the 1980s loved an impractical ‘super’ vehicle. In this case, the car plays a very minor role up until the final action set piece, and the story is far more about the characters and their motivations.
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The movie is silly as you would expect it to be, but it is never a bad watch. It’s just not anything particularly memorable.
1986 Movie Reviews will continue on Jan. 17, 2026, with The Adventures of the American Rabbit, The Adventures of Mark Twain, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Iron Eagle, The Longshot, and Troll.
California helped make them the rich. Now a small proposed tax is spooking them out of the state.
California helped make them among the richest people in the world. Now they’re fleeing because California wants a little something back.
The proposed California Billionaire Tax Act has plutocrats saying they are considering deserting the Golden State for fear they’ll have to pay a one-time, 5% tax, on top of the other taxes they barely pay in comparison to the rest of us. Think of it as the Dust Bowl migration in reverse, with The Monied headed East to grow their fortunes.
The measure would apply to billionaires residing in California as of Jan. 1, 2026, meaning that 2025 was a big moving year month among the 200 wealthiest California households subject to the tax.
The recently departed reportedly include In-n-Out Burger owner and heiress Lynsi Snyder, PayPal co-founder and conservative donor Peter Thiel, Venture Capitalist David Sacks, co-founder of Craft Ventures, and Google co-founder Larry Page, who recently purchased $173 million worth of waterfront property in Miami’s Coconut Grove. Thank goodness he landed on his feet in these tough times.
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The principal sponsor behind the Billionaire Tax Act is the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), which contends that the tax could raise a $100 billion to offset severe federal cutbacks to California’s public education, food assistance and Medicaid programs.
The initiative is designed to offset some of the tax breaks that billionaires received from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act recently passed by the Republican-dominated Congress and signed by President Trump.
According to my colleague Michael Hiltzik, the bill “will funnel as much as $1 trillion in tax benefits to the wealthy over the next decade, while blowing a hole in state and local budgets for healthcare and other needs.”
The drafters of the Billionaire Tax Act still have to gather around 875,000 signatures from registered voters by June 24 for the measure to qualify on November’s ballot. But given the public ire toward the growing wealth of the 1%, and the affordability crisis engulfing much of the rest of the nation, it has a fair chance of making it onto the ballot.
If the tax should be voted into law, what would it mean for those poor tycoons who failed to pack up the Lamborghinis in time? For Thiel, whose net worth is around $27.5 billion, it would be around $1.2 billion, should he choose to stay, and he’d have up to five years to pay it.
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Yes, it’s a lot … if you’re not a billionaire. It’s doubtful any of the potentially affected affluents would feel the pinch, but it could make a world of difference for kids depending on free school lunches, or folks who need medical care but can’t afford it because they’ve been squeezed by a system that places much of the tax burden on them.
According to the California Budget & Policy Center, the bottom fifth of California’s non-elderly families, with an average annual income of $13,900, spend an estimated 10.5% of their incomes on state and local taxes. In comparison, the wealthiest 1% of families, with an average annual income of $2.0 million, spend an estimated 8.7% of their incomes on state and local taxes.
“It’s a matter of values,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) posted on X. “We believe billionaires can pay a modest wealth tax so working-class Californians have Medicaid.”
Many have argued losing all that wealth to other states will hurt California in the long run.
Even Gov. Gavin Newsom has argued against the measure, citing that the wealthy can relocate anywhere else to evade the tax. During the New York Times DealBook Summit last month, Newsom said, “You can’t isolate yourself from the 49 others. We’re in a competitive environment.”
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He has a point, as do others who contend that the proposed tax may hurt California rather then help.
Sacks signaled he was leaving California by posting an image of the Texas flag on Dec. 31 on X and writing: “God bless Texas.” He followed with a post that read, “As a response to socialism, Miami will replace NYC as the finance capital and Austin will replace SF as the tech capital.”
Arguments aside, it’s disturbing to think that some of the richest people in the nation would rather pick up and move than put a small fraction of their vast California-made — or in the case of the burger chain, inherited — fortunes toward helping others who need a financial boost.
A still from ‘Song Sung Blue’.
| Photo Credit: Focus Features/YouTube
There is something unputdownable about Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) from the first moment one sees him at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting celebrating his 20th sober birthday. He encourages the group to sing the famous Neil Diamond number, ‘Song Sung Blue,’ with him, and we are carried along on a wave of his enthusiasm.
Song Sung Blue (English)
Director: Craig Brewer
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson, Michael Imperioli, Ella Anderson, Mustafa Shakir, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi
Runtime: 132 minutes
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Storyline: Mike and Claire find and rescue each other from the slings and arrows of mediocrity when they form a Neil Diamond tribute band
We learn that Mike is a music impersonator who refuses to come on stage as anyone but himself, Lightning, at the Wisconsin State Fair. At the fair, he meets Claire (Kate Hudson), who is performing as Patsy Cline. Sparks fly between the two, and Claire suggests Mike perform a Neil Diamond tribute.
Claire and Mike start a relationship and a Neil Diamond tribute band, called Lightning and Thunder. They marry and after some initial hesitation, Claire’s children from her first marriage, Rachel (Ella Anderson) and Dayna (Hudson Hensley), and Mike’s daughter from an earlier marriage, Angelina (King Princess), become friends.
Members from Mike’s old band join the group, including Mark Shurilla (Michael Imperioli), a Buddy Holly impersonator and Sex Machine (Mustafa Shakir), who sings as James Brown. His dentist/manager, Dave Watson (Fisher Stevens), believes in him, even fixing his tooth with a little lightning bolt!
The tribute band meets with success, including opening for Pearl Jam, with the front man for the grunge band, Eddie Vedder (John Beckwith), joining Lightning and Thunder for a rendition of ‘Forever in Blue Jeans’ at the 1995 Pearl Jam concert in Milwaukee.
There is heartbreak, anger, addiction, and the rise again before the final tragedy. Song Sung Blue, based on Greg Kohs’ eponymous documentary, is a gentle look into a musician’s life. When Mike says, “I’m not a songwriter. I’m not a sex symbol. But I am an entertainer,” he shows that dreams do not have to die. Mike and Claire reveal that even if you do not conquer the world like a rock god, you can achieve success doing what makes you happy.
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ALSO READ: ‘Run Away’ series review: Perfect pulp to kick off the New Year
Song Sung Blue is a validation for all the regular folk with modest dreams, but dreams nevertheless. As the poet said, “there’s no success like failure, and failure’s no success at all.” Hudson and Jackman power through the songs and tears like champs, leaving us laughing, tapping our feet, and wiping away the errant tears all at once.
The period detail is spot on (never mind the distracting wigs). The chance to hear a generous catalogue of Diamond’s music in arena-quality sound is not to be missed, in a movie that offers a satisfying catharsis. Music is most definitely the food of love, so may we all please have a second and third helping?
