19 May 2009

Drake- Not the Best I Ever Had

So last Friday, Drake came to Chicago's House of Blues and performed a few tracks from his So Far Gone mixtape. Six words to sum up the concert:

What a Friday night that was....

The concert was scheduled to start at 11:30pm/midnight*. However, the lengthy line of fans and concert goers that circled around the perimeter of the House of Blues did not budge until well after 12:15. Luckily, my buzz was still quite intact and the ultra-comfy heels I wore were still supporting my feet and providing comfort. Once inside, I met up with some other friends, chatted a bit while the 900 fans collaborated in the standing room and collectively awaited a what then seemed to be a "oh there's just a few technical difficulties/Drake will be out really soon, so no need to worry" ordeal.

But then....time marched on.

And on.

I noticed my buzz dying down and my feet hurting just a tad, so I helped myself to a drink to get back into my groove. At around 1:30am, I took a seat, sipped my vodka/cranberry juice mixture, and a random girl came up to the group of us and said, "Drake ain't comin; I'm leaving". We shrugged. I looked at my phone and noticed the time and said, "Dang, he really might not show up".

At around 2am, I excused myself to make my way back to my original group, who were positioned perfectly in the front row/center of the standing room. On the way to them, I run into an ex-boo's roommate (we'll call this ex-boo "Big" and the roommate "Ck"). Ck and I chat very briefly and for a millisecond Big is mentioned.** Immediately, the curtain finally opens. "Drake is coming on!!!" shouts fans everywhere.

But alas........no Drake.

Instead came flooding random act after random act of Chicago's Wackest Artists (henceforth known as the CWA crew). One of the performers was a Latino rapper who's entire theme was, "the game needs to change". He came onstage complete with a three-piece suit and was determined to set his message.

Then....the unthinkable erupted. Out popped four women dressed in midrifts and thongs. They did a choreographed number which included a series of spins (professional turns), leaps, and.........booty drops and splits. *sigh* I thought he said the game needed a CHANGE!

Everyone in the audience was agape. Stunned, shocked, and quite annoyed. When the Latino artists' dancers appeared, I instantly let out a very loud, "SERIOUSLY, FAM?!?!" for all those around me (including those onstage as I was pretty close to the stage) to hear. I was irritable and all that I kept wondering was, "Where the Hell is Drake?!"

Finally, at around 2:45am, one of the hosts closes the curtain and says, "Y'all ready for Drake?" I understand that this was a method of amping the crowd, but at almost 3am, it was no longer necessary. Of course we were ready for Drake...especially after seeing and having to listen to those extremely subpar artists!

The curtain stayed closed until about 3:15am. Suddenly, the music came on and Drake had FINALLY made an appearance. I wasn't able to do a video myself because right before he came onstage, my phone's battery had died out completely *sad face*. When he came, he carried on as if we hadn't been waiting for him for the past 4 hours. He gave a really good show and I was really into it (especially when he performed, "Best I Ever Had" and "Say What's Real") until.....

...a fight broke out right in the middle of Best I Ever Had. And the performance was briefly aborted.

Here is the clip:




[sidebar]
Looking at the clip at around the 4:00 mark, you'll see one of my homies that came to the concert with us--Mikey. He has on all black and when the commotion erupted with the fight, he acted as if he was one of the members of Drake's entourage to make sure everything was copacetic. LOL How he got onstage is completely beyond me. We were wondering where he was all night! Also-you see Lupe Fiasco onstage holding Drake? Man I wish he had performed. He is one of my favorite artists HANDS DOWN!!!
[end sidebar]



The concert ended shortly afterwards. A disappointed Drake said he only had one more song left to perform but in my eyes, he couldn't have been finished performing, for it was only 4am. Now 4am is a late time...however, considering he had just gotten onstage at 3:15, I trusted he wouldn't be finished until around 5am. I was a little bummed about the ending of the concert, but glad nonetheless. I was tired/sleepy as Hell*** and my buzz had completely worn off, never to be seen again. So I was bittersweet.

Once we exited the House of Blues, there were cops and ambulances all over, someone had been shot, and it was just an all-around mess dressed in true Chicago fashion. I can't say that I was disappoined at the overall turnout, but as I said in the beginning of this blog:

What a Friday night that was...

*- It was scheduled so late (most likely) because Keyshia Cole had a concert at the Chicago Theatre (about ten minutes away) that same night that started at 8. Since Keyshia is a bit more 'official' than Drake, guess who wins?
**- The "Big" fiasco may possibly may be a more developed story for you readers. I know, I know...shocker, right? lol
***-I did not get home until after 6am on Saturday morning, not to mention I had not been sleeping whatsoever since the beginning of the week. My Insomnia had DEFINITELY kicked into a very high gear last week. It was insane!

13 comments:

Missy said...

My cousin is the funniest man I know! lol. I think if it wasnt for him keepin me ROLLIN that whole night, I would have had a bad attitude. And as long as Drake did my favorite song, November 18, I was GOOD! and I met Lupe! lol (inside joke) and you KNOCKED THE HELL OUT in the truck! like...I thought u were dead. :( But it was overall a good night because I was with my family and friends who I love!! It would not have been a night if 4 out of the 7 peoples phone wouldnt have died and they didnt get lost! of course not! lol. Were you awake for that part? lol. Love ya!!

ChiChi said...

That's why I can't fuck with "club performances" anymore unless it's somebody I really like...and I can't think of a name off the top of my head. LOL

Ms_Slim said...

Missy: So you just gon put ALL my business out there? lol. I was so tired, girl. I was tired for DAYS before the concert. Hadnt slept in forever! So yes, I was GONE when I got in the car LOL

ChiChi: Yea this wasn't a club performance though. It was an actual concert...at a popular venue that has concerts all the time. When I saw Lupe, I was like, 'dang he shoula performed', but he was probably visiting fam and came to support Drake. D.Rose was there too!

LISA VAZQUEZ said...

Hey there!

Now I know I am getting old.... I have NEVER even heard of Drake!

Ishea said...

I'm very glad that I didn't go to this concert...VERY glad. lol..

Ms_Slim said...

blackwoman: Drake's name is really Aubrey Drake Graham and he's been out for some years. He is most recognized for his role in DeGrassi. You may know him from there. He was the wheel-chaired kid. Musically, I dont think he has been officially signed but he has close ties with Def Jam but as far as I know, he hasnt made a decision yet. So he's got several mixtapes out LOL

So Far Gone is his latest and he's got another one dropping very soon. You should check him out.

SouthLoop: LOL!

the YOUNG LIONESS said...

he should have stayed on..giving the fans a good show comes first esp considering the huge time delay

asia kismet said...

i still haven't given drake a fair chance...because to me it's like listenin to kennan and kel rap...i can't endorse it.

Ms_Slim said...

YL: I definitely agree there. When the fight broke out, he instantly got this glum look on his face and added a, "I've only got one more song" cuz the concert ended very shortly thereafter. And I was mad. I dont think it was really over though. Couldnt have been, but because Chicago decided to act a plum fool........smh

AsiaK: LOL! Girl, nah! He doesnt have "Kenan & Kel"-esque raps, lol. They said he was Weezy's ghostwriter (even though I hate Weezy's effing guts), so that has to count for some credibility right? Also, Def Jam has been trying to sign him foreverrr (if they havent already). I say give him a chance. Click that link I gave in the blog and download his mixtape. You may enjoy it :)

K. Michel said...

Yeah, I'm surprised this happened at House of Blues... that's a legit spot. It's a good thing you were with friends, babe.

Are you alright, though? Nobody got hurt?

Sry Charlie said...

lol...I dig the blog...I go to u of i and hella people were telling me about that...lol....he came out late as hell

Black Yoda said...

They did a choreographed number which included a series of spins (professional turns), leaps, and.........booty drops and splits.

The game ain't ready to change that much. Baby steps. At least he didn't come out wearing tight ass jeans that don't go past his knees and a faux hawk :-)

As far as Drake, I might have to quote your Latin rapper, "The game needs to change." People keep telling me he's good, but I haven't heard one song that kept my interest. But I don't like Lil Wayne and I don't like the new Kanye stuff so maybe that's why I can't listen to his stuff. The ladies seem to like him so I'm sure he'll do well until they move on to the next one.

E's said...

"I will not be involved in any Niggerdom!" - Clayton Bigsby