“Smells like Teen Spirit” was a line delivered by hip-hop’s new ‘it boy’ Drake as he kicked off his show Tuesday night at the Fox in a pair of shades and Desert Storm era fatigues. He was absolutely right. And he gave the young, diverse audience enough energy and heart to shake the room – literally.
The bouncing balcony resembled a scene from a movie just prior to the big action disaster and most certainly left an impression on guests that will be forever associated with the rapper’s show – but so will his relentless effort to deliver an unforgettable performance.
Drake had little margin for failure thanks to the aid of a vicious live band – including Diddy’s Making the Band 2 finalist Denoche on vocals – and a crowd full of die hard fans who stood on their feet for more than 90 percent of the performance that included hits from his debut CD “Thank Me Later” and a host of guest verses.
They hung on to every word, followed his every move and recited lyrics and sang along as he lived up to their expectation of him as a music superstar in training.
For an artist with only one album and countless guest appearances to his credit, Drake offered the live show of an established artist. His charisma was matched only by his fervor as he attacked his own hits and his segments on the tracks of other artists – most noticeably “I’m Going In” and “Successful.”
He offered ample segments as homage to his musical mentor Lil’ Wayne, who will be incarcerated until early next month, and paid tribute to late singer Aaliyah as well.
But the most memorable elements of the show are of his own making – including the performance of “Bed Rock” with his opening act Tyga and closing songs “Fancy” and “Over.”
There was a special chemistry between Drake and his fans. Even during the few shaky moments in the show where the vibe was interrupted and misplaced song order here and their created a small bump as they flip-flopped between raw emotional and hard-core hip-hop, he never fully lost their attention.
And the fact that his vocals during the more melodic episodes of his show left much to be desired was completely forgiven.
Drake is the most unlikely of hip-hop heroes whose stories are usually drenched in ascension from the horrors of street life to the top of the rap game, but his performance illustrated a talent that allowed him to carve out his own niche.
For his second visit to St. Louis in as many years, Drake was obviously working towards taking his opportunity at bat for hip-hop to hit the ball out of the park. His fans were appreciative and he was extremely grateful.
He’ll be receiving props from STL for managing to pull more than one and a half hours out of one album without being completely predictable. But his show did something else too…it solidified an opportunity for Lil’ Wayne to say “I told you so.”
