After two postponements, the rapper triumphantly returned to the stage on Saturday night for his first performance in years at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem for SiriusXM, with special guests including 21 Savage and the Diplomats.
He took fans on a journey through his legendary career, performing a 40-song set of his biggest hits and deep cuts. According to Variety, he began the 90-minute show in a replica of his childhood bedroom in his mother’s basement while dressed in a “Degrassi” jersey.
“I’d like to play some of the songs that got me this far,” he said to the audience. “Whenever I’m still writing to this day, I think about sitting on this bed in my mom’s basement just trying to figure it out. I’m going to show you some of the nonsense that got us out of here.”
He performed slower songs like “Over My Dead Body,” “Trust Issues,” and “Marvins Room” in front of his mother and celebrities like Justin Bieber, A$AP Ferg, Kevin Durant, and Ice Spice.
Drake describes his concert stage at the Apollo Theater in New York pic.twitter.com/DcmESR5aAl
— SOUND (@itsavibe) January 22, 2023
Drake performing Marvins Room at The Apollo in NYC 💙 pic.twitter.com/bxq7nNOoOa
— SAINT (@saint) January 22, 2023
For the second act, he cranked up the tempo, transforming the stage into a record label boardroom as he rapped “Best I Ever Had,” “Over,” and “Headlines.” The chart-topping singles continued with “God’s Plan,” “One Dance,” and “In My Feelings.”
I know way too many people here right now that I didn't know last year pic.twitter.com/WEVCYMgfRO
— Drake Fan Page (@DrakeDirect_) January 22, 2023
He also paid homage to Harlem by having the Diplomats enter through a bodega door. Drake performed “I Really Mean It,” “Dipset Anthem,” and “We Fly High (Ballin)” with Cam, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zekey while dressed in Cam’ron’s actual pink mink.
Drake paid tribute to the iconic Harlem group by giving them a custom OVO x Dipset bracelet. “These guys from Harlem made us dress differently, talk differently, walk differently, and rap differently all the way to Canada,” he explained.
Drake & Dipset backstage pic.twitter.com/YQCsXjmFGY
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) January 22, 2023
He took it to the present day with 21 Savage, performing songs from the duo’s chart-topping album Her Loss for the first time, including “Rich Flex,” “Privileged Rappers,” “Knife Talk,” and “Jimmy Cooks.”
He also confirmed that he and Savage will embark on a tour later this year. “We’ll be on the road this summer,” he said.
Drake brings out Dipset & 21 Savage in NYC🎫 https://t.co/mw0LJGBEGb
— Wave Check🌊 (@thewavecheckk) January 22, 2023
And there will be more music soon. He hinted before leaving that he might release another album this year.
“I appreciate everyone who has stuck by me. I know it’s cool to be like ‘f**k Drake,’ but… “However, I want to thank everyone for their continued support,” he said.
“I’ve thought about a bunch of things in life, but at this moment in time none of those things are stopping making music for you, so I’ll be here for you for a little bit at least. And I hope to elicit more emotions for you this year. Who knows, I might get bored and make another one!”
Drake hints at dropping a new album in 2023 pic.twitter.com/lRe5intmX1
— Drake Fan Page (@DrakeDirect_) January 22, 2023
He ended the epic evening with “Legend,” reflecting on his illustrious career. “I don’t know how the f**k we got here,” he admitted.
Drake will perform a second show at the Apollo tonight. Fans can listen to his SiriusXM channel Sound 42 to relive the show.
