Would You Like A Tour?

In support of his platinum-selling album, Nothing Was The Same, Toronto native and Young Money recording artist Aubrey Drake Graham, simply known to the world as Drake, paid a visit to the City of Trees on Monday night for the continuation of “Would You Like A Tour?”

With thousands of concertgoers in attendance, the Sleep Train Arena, which seemed to be at capacity, was in an uproar as fans anxiously waited for Drizzy to take the stage.

Since it had been a little over a year since I had first seen Drake in concert, it’s fair to say I was as anxious for his set to begin as well. The arena was a tad bit cold and I was prepared to be warmed up by dancing along to his songs.

In an attempt to keep the crowd enthused, the DJ played various cuts from artists such as Aaliyah, Tupac, Future, the Notorious B.I.G., among many others.

Excluding the luminosity displayed from the many cell phones and digital cameras throughout the arena, it wasn’t long before the entire arena went pitch black. Whistling, shouting and stomping ensued as fans just knew that the man they had been waiting so long to see was about to make his appearance.

A red backdrop lit up the video projector as one of hip-hop’s most favorable artists suddenly appeared, dressed in a black get-up. Mic in hand, he promptly tore into the first song of his set, “Tuscan Leather,” which also serves as the intro off of Nothing Was The Same.

In comparison to what one may witness from Drake on television, his stage presence live in concert is just as all over the place as it is in his videos and television performances. Despite him typically receiving a bunch of flack in regards to his videos, his lively personality and mannerisms seem to mesh well in a concert setting.

During the first half of his set, he performed cuts such as “Versace,” “305 to my City,” “Worst Behavior,” “The Motion,” “Hold On, We’re Going Home,” etc., before taking a brief intermission.

While waiting, the DJ kept us entertained by playing nothing by Drake songs, including “HYFR,” “Crew Love,” “Uptown,” and the Lil Wayne-assisted “I’m Going In.” It wasn’t long before Drake made his way back to the stage, bright stage lights flickering behind him.

Picking up right where he left off, he ripped back into his set as the fans viciously spit his bars back at him bar for bar. It was evident that the fun-loving energy he exuded during his performance seeped its way into the crowd, because as I scanned the arena, there seemed to be not a soul in their seat.

As the end of his set neared, he brought out the free-spirited, soul sailing songstress Jhené Aiko to assist him in performing “Come Thru” and “From Time.”

“Rounds tonight… come thru, boy you deserve rounds tonight. Sacramento, you deserve rounds tonight…” the angelic-voiced vocalist sang, lyrics echoing throughout the arena.

Taking a break, the crowd winded down as he made his way up onto a brightly-lit overhead platform that floated around the arena. As he took this time to acknowledge his fans, fans proudly showed off their Drake apparel and fan signs. He thanked us all for supporting his music and coming out to the concert.

If for whatever reason you’ve never attended a Drake concert, be sure to check him out the next time he’s in your city. There are no doubts that you will leave having had a great time.

– Antionette Latrese