A never-ending quarantine calls for creative means of entertainment. Though it may be a while before any of us will once again experience the fun of $90 t-shirts and dancing shoulder-to-shoulder with sweaty strangers, virtual concerts work to bring at least some of the live show experience to homebound fans: Travis Scott essentially turned Fortnite into a gargantuan music video back in April and various K-pop mainstays like BTS and NCT have bestowed tour-grade pay-per-view shows unto clamoring fans. Now, The Weeknd has announced a new “music experience” that will stream exclusively on TikTok with the help of X, Republic Records, and burgeoning AR streaming company Wave.
Per Rolling Stone, The Weeknd Experience will air exclusively on the video-sharing platform August 7. This will be TikTok’s first foray into the augmented-reality music business, though it has participated in traditional livestreams for artists like Megan Thee Stallion and Alicia Keys. Like many of these online events, the show has a charitable element to it: The Weeknd will be raising funds via direct donations and exclusive merch (so you may get your expensive-ass shirt after all!) for various charities dedicated to racial justice. TikTok has pledged to match donations.