R&B sensation The Weeknd brought The Madness Fall Tour to the DCU Center in Worcester on Thursday to a sold-out crowd.

Following a year of huge success, with his first number-one album “Beauty Behind The Madness,” hit single “Earned It,” and two number-one songs “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills,” loyal fans and new ones were noticeably ecstatic to be a part of his rise to super-stardom.

The opening act was hip-hop artist Travis Scott, who played a loud, aggressive set that started off the night. His performance style was jarring, but both he and the crowd were at a high-energy level from the get-go as a result.

Following Scott was alternative artist Banks. While she delivered a set that was both vocally and technically impressive, her vibe did not sit well in between the other two artists. Crowd involvement was significantly lower and interest waned.

Her well-known number “Beggin For Thread” did get a somewhat better reception, but it seems like a disservice to such an incredible artist to place her on a tour so different than her style of music. If the true purpose of an opening act is to hype audiences up for the main show, then perhaps placing Banks first and Scott second would have been the better choice.

The Weeknd, otherwise known as Abel Tesfaye, was next, and the crowd’s excitement was palpable. The venue was suddenly hot, loud, and covered in clouds of smoke.

Fan-favorite songs from his early mix tapes were interspersed with new hits throughout the nearly two-hour set.

He opened with “Beauty Behind The Madness” album-opener “Real Life,” performing with nothing but a single microphone stand behind a faux wall before being lifted by a large platform high above the audience, his three-person band playing behind him.

The technical production ranged from minimalist to bombastic, with cubed light fixtures resembling dice hanging high above the 25-year-old artist and intense pyrotechnics heating up the arena. Most recent hit “The Hills” utilized fire for its entirety, pulsing and bursting with the beat.

One can easily pick up on his attention to tone when it comes to setting the mood, with cool blues and purples being used for more chilled-out numbers and warm reds and oranges taking over when things got faster.

It is clear the performer prefers a black and white aesthetic, with his image often projected onto the screens with a filter and stage light colors remaining simple.

The Weeknd’s vocals were flawless and occasionally jaw-dropping, with no noticeable falters. Energy in the arena never died down from the second he walked on stage, which is rare, especially for an artist who performs a lot of older cuts to please long-term supporters.

The DCU Center  is the biggest venue he has performed at in Massachusetts by far, with a capacity of 15,000 as compared to the 2,700 of the Orpheum Theatre, his last stop here. The Weeknd exudes confidence with a certain sexual charisma everywhere he goes and has a clear appreciation when it comes to his fans.