As the sun set on Easter egg hunts, family gatherings and springtime fun, the night was just beginning at the Bryce Jordan Center, setting the stage for Drake as he delivered a show stopping performance to thousands of jumping fans.
Since the release of his debut album “Thank Me Later in 2010”, all the way up to his most recent album “For All the Dogs” in 2023, Drake has established himself as one of the most influential musicians of our generation, even landing himself at 49 on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 2020.
Originally, Drake was supposed to perform on March 18, but due to an ankle injury, the artist had the date moved to March 31, adding to the fans’ anticipation and frustration.
“I was kinda frustrated with the date being moved because I had an Easter dinner with my family so I had to quickly leave and get ready, it wasn’t that big of a deal but I wish I had gotten to spend more time with my family,” Junior Hayden Kissel said.
Many people were still excited to see Drake and those touring with him. Accompanying Drake throughout his “It’s All a Blur” tour, Lil Wayne received mixed reactions from fans.
“Lil Wayne was bad. I mean go him for having the confidence to go up on stage, but next time he should maybe know his own lyrics,” Junior Claire Heaney said.
Some fans felt as though Lil’ Wayne’s performance was a let down and didn’t live up to expectations.
“When Lil Wayne came out the crowd was dead. He didn’t know his own words and had to stand in front of a tv and read them, so I was not impressed by his performance,” Kissell said.
The difference in the energy of the crowd from Drake’s performance to Lil Waynes could be felt all throughout the stadium, an energy noticed by fans.
“Everyone knew the words and everyone was really into it for Drake but then when Lil Wayne came out it was really embarrassing for him, because he kept singing but no one really knew the words,” freshman Kajsa Banks said. “He’d hold up his microphone for everyone to sing back to him but no one knew the words, so he wasn’t that great. It would’ve been better if he did a couple songs, and then went off stage, it was just a little too long.”
The show lasted for two hours with fans moshing, singing and dancing to the music, not wanting the night to end. Fan favorite songs included “Knife Talk”, “God’s Plan”, and “Nice for What” .Whether fans were in the pit or in the nosebleeds, the energy and excitement could be felt all throughout the stadium.
“I really liked the crowd because everyone was loud and knew the lyrics and sang along” Heaney said, “I loved “God’s Plan” and “Knife Talk”; “Knife Talk” was good because I liked how that demon guy came up on stage, he looked like the guy from ‘Scream’, it was all just really cool.”
Drake kept the crowd engaged and excited in a way that stuck with many of the fans.
“He really engaged the crowd because he talked about how he missed his family and being home. He also talked about how our energy there at the BJC convinced him to keep doing music and if he comes out with another album he wants to do another show, and he wants to come back and he wants to keep doing music forever,” Banks said.
One thing that stuck out to fans was when the artist started giving out money to fans who went to Penn State University.
“This girl had a sign and it said that her mom was in the nosebleeds, because they could only afford one pit ticket and so he was like ‘We’re getting your mom down here and you’re also getting 10,000 dollars’,” Banks said. “Another girl said she needed help paying for college and he was like ‘You get 10,000 dollars’ and then he was like ‘If you go to Penn State, raise your hand’ and then he picked three people and gave them 15,000 dollars.”
Drake left an impact in Happy Valley with his concert, as many other recent artists have as well. With more big name artists, such as rapper Travis Scott, country artist Zach Bryan, and comedians like John Mulaney and Theo Von performing in the past year, fans can only imagine what the BJC has in store for future shows.
