Drake Attempts To Bring The Jungle Tour To Governors Ball 2015 (Live Review)
Drake, who was coming off a high from his second-to-last stop on The Jungle Tour in Toronto just three days prior, tried to bring his newfound swagger to Governors Ball’s main stage yesterday (June 5) — which was the tour’s last stop. Yet, the rapper’s metaphorical jacket proved to be ill-fitting.
He opened up with a brief and predictably moody clip taken from his Jungle short film, which was released in February. Once the video ended, the intense lights flashed and the stage transformed into a literal jungle (there was a forest of palm trees — duh), Drake made it clear that he wanted to bring the energy from his city of the 6 to Randall’s Island. It may have been the heat from the fireworks in the background, but the rapper’s enthusiasm on stage translated into an odd sense of cockiness — an instant turnoff for many.
“I’m treating this show like a case study”, Drake exclaimed to the audience as his bounced around stage in a highlighter-yellow hoodie (which later changed to a bright orange parka). The performer began his 90-minute set with “Legend,” the self-absorbed opening track off If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. After that, Drake fed the NYC crowd with his arsenal of radio hits and anthemic favorites, including “Trophies,” “We Made It,” “Take Care,” “Over” and “0 to 100.”
The rapper also threw some club-ready collaborations into the mix, like his solid verse on Fetty Wap’s “My Way” remix, “Blessings” with Big Sean and the ubiquitous “Tuesday” by OVO Sound’s own ILoveMakonnen. But the problem with Drake’s set arose when he crafted his setlist to cater to the stans rather than a general festival crowd. The artist is arguably getting more arrogant with every project, as he thinks he knows what the people want — and the current IYRTITL mixtape reflects that change.
While I commend Drake for not relying on a backing track unlike many other rappers of today, he needs to stick to performing more of his hits instead of assuming the mixtape and new songs will carry the weight of his performance. There is a difference between a local concert and a general music festival, and the audience seemed to agree. The crowd began to steadily trickle out from the Governors Ball grounds just 20 minutes into Drake’s set, while the stans drew themselves closer into his undeniable charm.
Unlike fellow artists (and friends) Kanye West and Jay Z, Drake has not yet reached the status as a rap legend for this generation. Thus, the crown that fans have placed on his head continues to crookedly shake as he tries to prove that this is his time. The Toronto enthusiast’s status may change once the anticipated Views From The 6 album drops, but until then he still has a long way to go — and his set at Governors Ball showed just that.
The Setlist Included:
“Legend”
“Trophies”
“We Made It”
“Over”
“Headlines”
“The Crew”
“6 Man”
“No Tellin'”
“Blessings”
“Tuesday (Remix)”
“My Way (Remix)”
“Truffle Butter”
“6 God”
“Find Your Love”
“Jungle”
“Take Care”
“Hold On, We’re Going Home”
“0 to 100”
“All Me”
“10 bands”
“Know Yourself”
“Energy”
Did you catch this Governors Ball showcase? Let us know in the comments below!
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