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Here's How The Weeknd Nearly Got Set On Fire At The VMAs

MTV News got the behind-the-scenes scoop of the fiery performance.

The Weeknd set the 2015 VMA stage on fire on Sunday night during his performance of "Can't Feel My Face," but Abel actually ran the risk of setting himself on fire, if he made one mistake.

MTV News caught up with Leroy Bennett, The Weeknd's production designer, after his rehearsal to get a behind-the-scenes look at the flamed-out performance, where he stood in a 12-foot-diameter ring of fire. As The Weeknd spun around, the fire followed him.

"In rehearsals, we had to stop short of the full song because it was starting to melt the stage," Bennett told us.

Bennett wanted to emulate the aesthetic of the "Can't Feel My Face" video, where he stands alone at a microphone as fire envelops him.

"What works for him is very iconic, simple things because his persona onstage carries itself, so it makes it a lot more theatrical, more lighting and camera based," said the designer, who got his start with Prince.

But even though it was a simple concept, it was still very dangerous.

"Abel has to stand exactly dead center of the circle," Bennett said before The Weeknd's performance on Sunday. "If he moves any more than a foot one way or another way, he's running the risk of setting himself on fire."

So how did The Weeknd keep his cool?

"I don't think Abel was nervous at first," Bennett said. "Once he got in the middle of the fire and felt the heat, he's a very brave boy."

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