It was all a blur! Monday night, Canadian-rapper Drake along with fellow rapper, 21-Savage kicked off their two day leg in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center to a sold-out crowd.
The energy was high in the arena as thousands of fans waited in sheer anticipation for the first sighting of the icon. After all, this tour marked Drake’s first North American tour since 2018’s “Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour”.
The Grand Entrance
True to form, Drake began the show by walking through the crowd to head to the simple square stage in the middle of the arena. However, his entrance Monday night was unlike any other city beforehand. This time was different. This time was important. This time was Philly. Fans cheered in excitement and approval as Drake walked through the crowd with no other than Philadelphia rapper, Meek Mill.
The gesture was quite befitting. Last time Drake performed in the city he was heavy in a rap-beef with the Philly rapper. Who can forget 2015’s “Back-2-Back”, arguably one of the best diss records in hip-hop history.
However, things have changed and both men have evolved as highlighted by the rapper, “It means the most to me that I can come back to this city and show the growth as two men, that we can come here tonight and we can represent for muthafucking Philadelphia together”.
Yes, the two artists seemingly reconciled when they collaborated on 2018’s “Going Bad”, however Monday night was an amplification of sorts. Meek graced the stage with the Philadelphia anthem “Dreams & Nightmares” and then it was time for Drake to do Drake.
It Was All A Blur
The sounds of hip-hop resonated throughout the Wells Fargo Center for two electrifying nights. Atlanta rapper Lil’ Yachty opened the show with a 20-minute set. 21-Savage also joined Drake on stage for some of their massive hits including “Knife Talk”, “Spin Bout You”, and more.
For roughly two hours Drake performed a bevy of hits including “Marvin’s Room”, “Feel No Ways”, “Started From The Bottom”, just to name a few. If there’s one thing die-hard Drake fans are in agreement about is the rapper has an extensive catalogue.
Indeed, you don’t have to be a Drake fan to know his name or music. His presence in the rap game goes deeper than hip-hop. Drake is culture.
Drake decided to do something different in Philly once more. For the first time in the tour, Drake did not end the show with “Legend”. Instead, he closed the show with “Teenage Fever” and announced going forward, he would close his set with a different song every night in every city.
“This might be the most important show of the tour“, Drake proclaimed. Can you expect anything less from Philly?
