The venue was amazing. It was the biggest concert I've ever been to and will probably ever go to. The amount of floors seemed infinite and there were so many people; it was almost overwhelming. The only downfall was our seats. They were so tiny and close together; it felt like we were sardines. Also, we were so high, I could barely see my future husband, Drake, as we looked over the whole theater. This did not help me overcome my fear of heights at all. Although we were far away, there were speakers right next to us, so the audio made it seem like he was singing next to us. This made my heart soar.
The audience was loving and kind; everyone was sharing drinks and cigarettes as if we were all long, lost friends. When he performed, everyone sang along and danced, knowing every word just as well as myself. The ages of the audience varied from 21 to 40. I guess you can never be too old to be a Drake fan. As for the attire, my friends and I went for the "ghetto fab" look, wearing Addidas, high-waisted leggings, a tummy shirt, football jackets and snapbacks that said, "party" in pink. Everyone else seemed to follow Brooklyn attire.
Drake was a professional when it came to interacting with the audience. He brought a girl on stage and sang to her. It was mesmerizing. The whole time, I just kept screaming and wishing it was me. He kissed her right on the mouth after the song. My stomach dropped and the crowd went wild. There was one part where the stage elevated until it almost touched the ceiling and he pointed out to members of the crowd, acknowledging them for about half an hour. He'd point at someone and say, "I see you with the OVOXO shirt" or "I see you with the Yankees hat," among many other things. I thought that was unique that he took the time to make his fans feel special.
He danced and hopped all over the stage, waving his arms around and thrusting to the beat. He is an extremely expressive musician. He played all or most of the songs from his new album, which I loved, along with some of his oldies. There were some songs I wish he would have played, but I think they were so old that only the die-hard fans would have known what they were. I knew every song he sang word for word, which I'm sure genuinely annoyed everyone around me. I tended to scream the lyrics loudly and obnoxiously; I think it was due to the cranberry vodkas.
My favorite song he played was "Hold on We're Going Home." I literally cried when he sang it and imagined him singing it to me. The lyrics always cut to the core of me:
I got my eyes on you. You're everything that I see. I want your hot love and emotion endlessly. I can't get over you. You left your mark on me. I want your hot love and emotion endlessly. Cause you're a good girl and you know it. You act so different around me. Cause you're a good girl and you know it. I know exactly who you could be. Just hold on we're going home. It's hard to do these things alone. You're the girl. You're the one. Gave you everything I love. I think there's something, baby.As for extras in the performance, the stage was pretty wild. It was huge with a big "O" platform that lit up. The screen against the wall was gigantic and portrayed roses and fireworks and occasionally him singing. My expectations were definitely met. I think it was the best night of my life, finally achieving my life's goal. I would go every day, if I could. The best surprise was when he said, "This is the best night of my life." It was so beautiful to be able to share that with him and be a part of that. You could say I, as well as everyone else there was the reason it was the best night of his life. It was so touching. It was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
-Emily Mercado, Fall 2013
