On Saturday, February 24th, Drake (among other artists) performed at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse as part of his “It’s all A Blur” Tour. The show started at 8:00 pm in front of a 17,000-person audience packed shoulder to shoulder both on the floor and in seats. Among the artists who performed were Lil Durk, J Cole, and Drake. Although the concert lasted until around 1:30 am, the energy of both the performers and the crowd was never-ending.
The nearly 6-hour concert featured 38 songs, not including the opening by Lil Durk. The songs played by both Drake and J. Cole spanned their entire musical careers. In the same concert, Drake played the songs Headlines (2011) and Virginia Beach (2023), demonstrating the breadth of his career. The whole concert was dedicated to Drake’s absence from the city of Cleveland and his reunion with the city. The concert started with a local DJ playing a variety of songs to rile up the crowd, including hits like “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus and “Bent” by Kyle Richh. After about 30 minutes, Lil Durk performed 5 of his most popular songs, energizing the crowd further. After a brief interlude, Drake appeared, and the crowd went absolutely wild. After a couple of songs, J. Cole switched with Drake and performed a majority of his hits. After that, both Cole and Drake performed together, wrapping up the spectacular performance. The songs that excited the crowd the most where Sicko Mode, Rich Flex, God’s Plan, and No Role Modelz. When each of those songs started, a roar came from the crowd that was always louder than the previous time. My personal favorites were Child’s Play (even though I seemed to be the only one who knew the song), GOMD, Knife Talk, and Back in Blood. These are all songs I listen to regularly and being able to see them live was incredible.
While the sheer variety of songs was great, the showmanship of the artists as well as the surrounding effects made the show truly spectacular. Every song—no matter the mood—had accompanying lights, dancers, or some other additional effect. The theatrics of the concert was coupled with the fact that [almost] all songs were live. This gave the concert a very high-energy, genuine vibe that was unlike anything I had experienced before. There was no autotune or pre-recorded vocals, which made the concert genuine and refreshing. I personally loved the concert because of the range of songs performed. I heard songs that I had not listened to since middle school and was just as excited to hear those as I was the more recent songs. The crowd also created an environment that allowed for such energy and excitement. From sentimental moments like Drake paying for a fan’s cancer treatment to less serious times like the opening sounds of Sicko Mode, the crowd was always involved and active.
Overall, the concert was incredible. From the technical elements like the lighting and sound to the actual music, everything was fun and captivating. If any of the artists come back to Cleveland, I will definitely attend their concert after this experience.
