The multi-award winning Canadian rapper visited London, and quite literally turned the O2 into the O3. The Assasination Vacation Tour came to the city for 7 nights, based on Drake’s fifth studio album Scorpion. He had support from fellow rapper Tory Lanez and several other guest performers across the week, but it was clear to see, all eyes were on Drake.
After a gruelling three hour wait, on April 8th 2019, my friends and I entered the arena. What seemed to be fairly empty at first, quickly flooded with thousands of devoted fans from across London. The show started at 7:30pm with Baka Not Nice. Unfortunately, he was unable to captivate the fans; the audience stood aimlessly attempting to enjoy the music. However, they soon began to be more energised as he sang songs that were more popular. He was followed by Tory Lanez, who sang songs from his 2018 album ‘Love me now.’ Lanez seemed to be going though some sort of heartbreak as he fell to the floor of the stage in the midst of one of his softer songs. Perhaps this was a publicity stunt to add more drama to the stage nevertheless, he kept the audience entertained.
Finally, at roughly 9:30, the self proclaimed ‘6God’ himself, entered the stage. He ran around the stage giving the fans a glimpse of his all black attire. Soon the lighting changed to an eerie red as he began to sing ‘Started from the bottom.’ With his presence, the audience entered a new state of excitement and energy. He seemed to have it all, several dancers, light up drones and even a flying car! At one point he transformed the stage to a basketball court, giving a fan a chance to win £20,000. It seems as though there is nothing Drake cannot do, his spirit did not fall at any point through his various songs accompanied by differing projections on to the stage.
Aswini Sivanantharajah, a long term fan, said about the concert, ‘It was exhilarating. Like an out of body experience; you just lose yourself in the music. I loved it!’
The jam packed night ended with a montage of young Drake from his humble beginnings, using old software and computers to create some of the worldwide hits we know today. It was a reminder that he is just a man who through his hard work and dedication was able to get to the position he is today, worshipped by millions.
