Concert Review: Drake At MSG Is A High-Tech House Party
From the minute you step into Drake’s newest concert tour, Summer Sixteen, you feel like you are about to enter a high- tech house party. The stadium is filled with a “laid-back, ready to dance vibe” that could only remind me of the house parties that raised me. People are ready to have a good time, and the stage dynamics are filled with lasers, pyrotechnic tricks, visual imagery, and illuminating balls that hover over the audience. Hence, Drake has upped his game as a hip-hop/pop soundtrack for Millennial youth to a bonafide, global superstar
Drake – Energy
In typical, house-party format, Drake came in with a “beef”. For all my fellow BXers, whom only know house parties as the only party, there is always someone fighting with someone. Drake began by lyrically addressing his feud with Funkmaster Flex from Hot 97. This veteran radio DJ attempted to fuel a feud between the Toronto rapper and Eminem. Everyone yelled and cheered as Drake bucked up to the fellow Hip Hop staple, and declared New York as the greatest city deserving of the greatest show from him. To which, I proudly yelled, “YAAAASSSS!!!”. I was basically that girl in the house party that rolls her eyes at the guys fighting and continuously asks “Why can’t we just dance?”. Yet, the feud mention was a quick blip in the scope of fun Drake was bound to invoke. After all, he dominates the radio.
What I find fascinating about Drake’s bravado is that he relishes on an image of arrogance. He gloats on his boundless musical achievements and self-affirmations as the best. If Drake is the Taylor Swift of Hip Hop then he is one that shares an affinity for Kanye West. Yet, when you buy a Drake ticket, you are also buying into his manifested “invincibility complex”. You are buying into his soft grittiness as a man that paints himself as dangerous but helms sensitive tracks like “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and “One Dance”, which are highlights of the show. Thus, what many might make fun of is what sells Drake as a current music icon. For as rough as he paints himself, he is a “sensi”, and you love it. Although Future entered the stage to do songs and build up a mutual air “of we own the world, we own the radio”, his energy, although high, was not impactful for me. I know that I am always bringing up my Coldplay experience, but it was magnificent. Moreover, it taught me a difference in types of entertainers.
Both Drake and Chris Martin give their entire being to their concerts, but Martin wants to connect with you while Drake wants you to connect with him. Martin feels his concert is a shared space, but, for Drake, it is purely his domain. You have walked into Drake’s world filled with bumping tracks and visuals that parade behind him like a lush lava-lamp. All in all, I enjoyed his brash, bold demeanor because, again, we all know he is like soft ice cream, which is good. We all love and buy soft-serve. For More Information on Drake Click Here.
Drake – Hotline Bling
