Drake may not have sold out the entire BEC last night (5 March, 2015), but the fans that were there were intensely loyal and crazy loud.
Aubrey 'Drake' Graham, an actor turned rapper now modern day Casanova and soul singer, wants to get to know you. All of you. And by all of ‘you’, he means every single person in the audience. At least, that’s what it felt like, as in between songs, Drake turned on the charm, working and wooing the crowd like he was on a speed-dating show. The ladies loved it. Not so sure about the dudes. Although Drake catered to the men too, bringing out his darker side and smashing down some street-style raps and flashbacks to his early career.
Being used to a more female-heavy audience when at the BEC, it was interesting to see an almost 50/ 50 split between the sexes. The crowd was a sea of truckers caps, flannelette shirts tied around waists, hightop sneakers and dropped-crotch jeans, with a few large, gold chains and basketball jerseys splashed about too.
Main support act 2 Chainz appeared to have the dial on the bass turned up to INSANE, and walking in to reverberating walls and floors in such a massive space was an arresting experience. So much so when Drake walked on about 30 minutes later, it could almost be guaranteed that everyone’s ears were still ringing and chests humming from the depth of the beats.
2Chainz - Image © Jann AngaraDrake’s career has exploded rapidly and he’s gone from a start-up to a super star in less than six years. It’s to be expected then that his style has also evolved quickly, changing along the way to become today’s blend of smooth-soul singing overlaid sharp, jabbing rap verses all backed by deep, rolling beats. Which means not everyone will get to hear what they love from Drake’s song catalogue.
And the problem was that Drake did try to cater to all. The result was a little disharmonious at times, jumping from old tracks to the latest album and cutting most songs short, leaving the audience with the sense they were listening to a fast-paced song shuffle. But he was nothing if not committed. His energy was massively high, bouncing around the huge, empty stage like an excited puppy, bright, white sneakers glowing under the bright lights.
Drake - Image © Jann AngaraKeeping it simple for this tour, Drake had no dancers out on stage, his band was a stripped-back three-piece and he wore a grey t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. However, there was a pyrotechnics display that shot fireworks into the air at several times during the show – which admittedly looked impressive but seemed a little out of place.
Drake - Image © Jann AngaraThere is no denying that Drake is passionate, committed, a consummate performer and grateful to be successful. His enthusiasm is infectious, his banter endearing and his vocals are thrillingly good. Yet it was a little too slick and rehearsed to feel genuine, the energy of the crowd was sporadic and his method of mashing and mixing so many songs together ended up making it feel like we were missing out on something.
Drake - Image © Jann AngaraThere is definitely no one else like Drake but it seemed like we were only getting to see his carefully-constructed version of the artist, and fans came to experience the real, gritty, imperfect rapper. Maybe we’ll see him getting real at Future Music.
Click here for more photos from the show.
