Drake was forced to pause his Apollo Theater show last night (January 22) after a fan fell from the mezzanine balcony into the audience below.
READ MORE: Drake and 21 Savage – ‘Her Loss’ review: exciting prospect marred by lazy songwriting
The show was the second of Drake’s career-spanning SiriusXM concerts at the venue in New York City. On Saturday night (January 21), he teased a new album and tour, bringing out guests Dipset and 21 Savage.
Midway through the second concert, 21 Savage joined Drake to perform tracks from their collaborative album ‘Her Loss’. But before they began, the rapper paused the show as a man fell from the second-floor balcony.
“Just gotta make sure somebody’s OK,” Drake told the audience before him and 21 Savage left the stage and the lights were turned on in the venue. The break lasted around 15 minutes as venue staff could be seen treating the man.
In a statement shared with Pitchfork, a representative for the Apollo Theater said: “Unfortunately, last evening an incident occurred with an audience member who landed in the orchestra from the lower mezzanine. Drake, Apollo, and SiriusXM halted the show immediately when learning of a potential fan injury and standard protocols were taken. They were seen immediately by EMS on site.
“The fan and other audience members reported that they were OK. No major injuries have been reported. The Apollo is investigating the situation further.”
Drake performs live at the Apollo Theater in New York. Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SiriusXM
At his first Apollo concert, Drake performed tracks from all seven of his solo albums. Those included ‘Karaoke’ from ‘Thank Me Later’ and ‘Take Care’ cut ‘Over My Dead Boy’ – both of which previously hadn’t been performed live since 2015. An even rarer surprise came in the form of the 2010 Timbaland collaboration ‘Say Something’, performed for the first time in more than a decade./
Elsewhere on the 40+ strong setlist were the likes of ‘Marvin’s Room’, ‘Over’, ‘HYFR (Hell Ya Fucking Right)’, ‘Started From the Bottom’, ‘No New Friends’, ‘Energy’, ‘God’s Plan’, ‘Hold On We’re Going Home’, ‘In My Feelings’, ‘One Dance’ and ‘Passionfruit’. The stage transformed throughout the evening with various set changes, from his childhood bedroom, to a record label boardroom, to a Harlem deli market.
Drake’s most recent solo album arrived last year with ‘Honestly, Nevermind’. In a three-star review, NME called the record “an unexpected elevation from the bland trap, R&B remakes and Drake’s melancholic to love we heard last time around”, comparing it favourably to 2021’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’.
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