Drake is back on road. On Wednesday night (July 5), the “Search & Rescue” rapper returned to the stage to start his first tour in roughly five years and he certainly made sure the experience was well worth the wait. While the It’s All A Blur tour setlist includes records from across his catalog, from Thank Me Later to Her Loss, he ensured that he provided an elaborate stage set-up to accompany the bops. However, he made sure that it also paid homage to one of the greatest creative minds of our time.
On Wednesday night, hours before Drake and 21 Savage hit the stage at Chicago’s United Center, the Canadian rapper hit the ‘Gram to preview the stage design. He revealed that the stage boasted a massive statue of the late Virgil Abloh throwing a paper plane – a reference to the Louis Vuitton spring-summer 2019 runway show. “Our brother is watching,” he wrote on his Instagram Story with an image of the statue.
Drake Pays Homage To Virgil Abloh
Upon its reveal on Wednesday night’s show, Drake issued a heartfelt message about Abloh. “Please make some noise for one of the most important people I’ve met in this industry,” he said on stage. “Make some noise for one of the greatest minds that we’ve ever seen.” He continued, “Our brother, our family, he goes by the name of Virgil Abloh. Let’s pay some respect.” Of course, this isn’t the first time Drake showed love to Abloh’s brilliance, having dedicated 2022’s Honestly, Nevermind to the Off-White founder.
The It’s All A Blur tour already feels like it’ll create some incredible moments this year. The opening night shared some insight on the setup, which includes Drake running through a greatest hits-like setlist before 21 Savage emerges on stage. The two then joined forces to deliver a few cuts off of Her Loss before Drake appropriately closed the night off with “Legend.” But besides the tribute to Virgil, Drake also opened the show with “Look What You’ve Done” next to a hologram version of his younger self. Check his tribute to Abloh above.