By Cami Gore

If you were privileged enough to attend the Drake concert at Capital One Arena on September 12 or 13, I think you’d agree with me when I say that my life is changed because of it. I was obviously a Drake fan before, but now I think I might be obsessed.

As if Drake himself in concert wasn’t already a dream come true, his opening act was Migos. Migos came out full of energy from the start. They wore matching styled suits, but in three different colors: red, blue, and green. They slightly resembled power rangers, which honestly added to their fun and carefree appeal. What impressed me the most about their performance was how they began a few of their songs acapella, which resulted in the audience singing along right away. I was disappointed when their set ended, but they were later brought back out with Drake. Overall, they were the perfect opening act for the tour.

Drake’s set began under what appeared to be a mesh sheet with images of his face being projected over it. He began singing “Mob Ties” before the sheet rose and Drake ran towards the crowd. I don’t think I’ve ever screamed louder in my life. Drake immediately split the crowd into the left and the right side, challenging his audience to see which side could get the most hype. The right side was assigned his song “Jumpman” and the left side was assigned “Both.” Everyone ended up being hype throughout both songs, a solid effort from both sides.

I was most impressed with Drake’s ability to connect with his audience. After his first few songs he stated, “It’s not about me performing, it’s about us performing.” Before performing new hit song, “Emotionless,” Drake asked the crowd, “Is anyone feeling like me tonight?” He made it clear that despite the fame and fortune, he is human.

Drake’s humility was incredibly apparent when he began reflecting on his past times in D.C. He talked about his first appearance in D.C. being with Trey Songz, whom the artist proceeded to praise. He reflected on his time spent playing small gigs to filling Capital One Arena — a victory he said he owed all to his fans. Drake then began playing a mashup of throwbacks beginning with “Free Smoke.”

After concluding his throwback songs, he brought Migos back out along with some dancers. I was disappointed that that was the first time I had seen dancers the entire night. Later, they performed a couple songs, but they were not well lit. Additionally, their choreography was sexy, but very simple. Maybe it’s the dance major in me talking, but I think that utilizing the dancers in more songs with complex choreography would have greatly added to the tour.

Drake slowed things down a bit after singing “Don’t Matter To Me.” He also covered Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” as a wonderful tribute. Drake kept the slow pace, singing “Jaded” next. To bring the mood up afterwards, Drake toasted the audience with a classic red solo cup. After chugging whatever was in it, he stated “very unprofessional” and jumped into the next song, “Controlla.” An interesting moment that stood out to me was during the song “Fake Love,” when a red spotlight in the form of a broken heart followed Drake’s every move around the stage. It was a simple, yet effective detail.

The rest of the concert was one hit song after the next. “In My Feelings” had the entire crowd dancing and reenacting the dance challenge of the same name. “Nice For What” also had everyone in the audience singing at the top of their lungs. In my opinion, though, nothing compared to his finale song, “God’s Plan.” The catchy hit allowed the audience to sing and dance, all while watching actual fireworks go off on the stage.

This concert left me with so much more respect for Drake. If you ever get a chance, you must see this icon live.

Featured Photo Credit: Courtesy of Drake’s Facebook page.

Cami Gore is a freshman journalism and dance major and can be reached at camgore13@gmail.com.