On September 23, 2023, we went to our long awaited Drake and 21 Savage It Was All a Blur Tour. We had purchased the tickets back in March, and were growing more and more excited as it drew nearer. We bought the tickets the moment they went on presale; it was a very stressful day to say the least, but it was worth it in the end because we got to stand feet away from the stage.
Although this concert was an experience of a lifetime, there were definitely some aspects of it— such as the opener, waiting times, and prices of tickets— which we thought could have been slightly different. However, the enthusiasm of the crowd, setlist, and high energy from Drake and 21 overpowered any other criticisms of the evening.
We thought the setlist for this concert was very good because both Drake and 21 performed a good mix of their mainstream and their “under the radar songs.” Out of the songs Drake played, our favorites were “God’s Plan” and “Search and Rescue,” and our favorite 21 Savage songs were “Runnin’” and “Red Opps.” For their combined section of the performance, our favorite songs were “Rich Flex” and “Jimmy Cooks.” For all of these songs, we thought they were the best because of the reaction they got from the crowd. Everyone knew all of the words, which created a very energetic response. People in the pit were jumping up and down and everyone was singing along creating a little community between all of us. Overall, we very much enjoyed the music played at the concert. Out of all the songs played, we think the best, and the most hype part of the concert was when Drake and 21 performed songs together.
Because we qualified for presale, we had floor tickets, so we got there as soon as the doors opened, which was at 7:00 pm. The line to get in moved efficiently and we only had to stand outside for about 15 minutes. Once we got inside and picked our spots on the floor, we had to wait two and one-half hours for Drake to come onstage. At first we did not mind waiting because we were so excited, but eventually our feet began to ache and it seemed like we were waiting forever. After about 90 minutes, the opener, Central Cee, finally came on. When he first entered we all got excited because we were eager to hear some music, but not that many people knew the lyrics to his songs. However, when Central Cee finished performing, there was a live DJ that really got the crowd energized, making us forget about the long wait. The DJ was a very unique choice considering there was already an opening performance, but we both really enjoyed the popular songs they played from well known artists to get us ready for Drake’s entrance.
On the floor, we stood right next to the stage. The pit was not the best spot to see all the commotion on the stage because it was propped up very high for safety concerns, making it hard for us to see what was projected onto it. Although this was very unfortunate, we both thought it was worth it because of how close we were to 21 and Drake.
We got lucky and they were on our side of the stage the most, and we were within arms lengths away from them. We also had very good views of the floats, which were really big random objects such as a bride or an elf that floated around the arena as Drake and 21 performed, so all in all the stage height did not diminish the experience. The crowd was very energetic on the floor, and it looked the same throughout the stands. If people did not know the words, they were still jumping and engaging with the music which created really fun energy.
Ultimately, the concert was very lively and it was clear that everyone there was having a fun time. Overall this concert was 100% worth the wait times, the $360 floor seat tickets, and the long anticipation. Drake and 21 Savage are phenomenal performers and the two of us would definitely go see them in concert again.
