Concert review: Drake at UTA’s College Park Center (March 2)

by Brenna Rushing

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Drake lived up to the hype, delivering a beat-heavy set of sharp lines and soft words to the sold-out crowd.

ARLINGTON — University of Texas at Arlington's College Park Center could not have had a better, or bigger, inaugural concert than that of Canadian rapper Drake. He sold out the 7,000-seat venue in hours to a majority of UTA students and delivered a fulfilling set Friday night, even without an encore.

Drake brought up-and-coming rappers ASAP, Chase N. Cash, and Kendrick Lamar to open. Early sets began as short and sweet segments: Chase N. Cash kick started the show by pulling from the crowd's energy while flowing through his 15-minute set. His lines and youthful zeal made him one of the best opening acts of the night. ASAP picked up the mic next, booming bass lines across the giant concrete stadium while the stage was cascaded in all things purple. (Apparently his favorite color is the TCU favorite; he rapped about the color in “Purple Swag.”)

Kendrick Lamar snagged the longest set, giving him time to showcase his free-styling skills. His sound was faster and rougher than the others.

Drake’s crew set up shop immediately after Lamar left the stage, speeding through the set up of his impressive yet simple props. Drizzy Drake appeared on his stage-within-a-stage dressed in all black, matching the backdrop. About 100 TVs created a blinding backdrop, showing lyrics, Drake’s profile, and of course, women. He opened with “Under Ground Kings,” a track about making it big.

What set Drake’s show apart from other hip-hop performances was his stellar live band. He rapped alongside an electric guitar, keyboards, and multiple drum sets that made his emotional songs come to life. He slipped into his own musical world onstage, moving to the crashing drums and pacing to the beats during the bridges. His lines were interlaced with the melodies, showing how much he built into each track. Drake continued his internal journey by revisiting the painful lines in “Take a Shot For Me,” a song about a hopeless girl from his past whom he used to love.

The fact that he could hone in on soft tracks with heartbreaking words right after dropping declarative lines on a bass-line heavy beat proved how he made it onto Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money label. He announced that although he had the stomach flu, the energy from the Arlington crowd was more than enough to carry him through. During “Take Care” featuring Rihanna, one of his biggest singles, Drake stomped across the stage to the drumbeats, inciting a roaring scream from the crowd. He ended the song on his knees, out of breath and smiling.

The young rapper left on a high note with encouraging words for the Arlington students, saying that this was one of his favorite crowds. He thanked the sold-out audience for their support and stepped offstage to end the show without an encore. The crowd didn’t demand one; they seemed satisfied with what they'd already seen.

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