Drake Suspends Apollo Concert After Fan Falls From Balcony Into Pit
The second show of Drake’s long-awaited SiriusXM concert on Sunday was put on hold after a fan fell from a mezzanine balcony into the audience below.
The incident came about an hour and a half after the One Dance singer took to the stage at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, Insider reports.
Rapper 21 Savage, 30, joined Drake, 36, on stage to perform tracks from their 2022 collaborative album Her Loss, but before they could begin their performance, the man fell from a second-floor balcony into the orchestra pit.
A crew member ran onto the stage and told the rappers to postpone their performance.
“You just have to make sure someone is okay,” Drake told the audience.
Both Drake and 21 Savage left the stage as the hall’s lights were turned on – though the fall did turn off some of the lights – and the guards ran through the crowd towards where the man had landed.
Employees of the establishment were seen treating the man and removing the damaged lighting fixture, as well as fixing the cords hanging from the side of the balcony from which the fall occurred.
The concert was suspended for about 15 minutes, and the announcer informed the audience that no one was hurt.
“Everything is absolutely fine,” the man said into the loudspeaker. “They are being checked. No harm done. But I have even better news for you: we’re at Apollo, so the show must go on.”
The rappers then continued to perform and Drake exclaimed, “Let’s just make some noise that it’s okay.
“I feel like they had to wait, like 10 minutes – we have to go up a little more,” he added.
Early Monday morning, venue accident tweetwhich indicates that it is under investigation.
“Unfortunately, last night there was an incident with one of the spectators who landed in the orchestra from the lower mezzanine,” the message says.
“Apollo and SiriusXM immediately stopped the show upon becoming aware of a fan’s potential injury and standard protocols were in place,” the statement said. “The ambulance immediately saw them on the spot. A fan and other viewers reported that they were fine. No serious injuries were reported.
Apollo is continuing to investigate the situation.”
At the end of the show, Drake called the night a “thank you night”.
“This crowd is an absolute 10 out of 10. I am so happy with tonight. We apologize for the delays and all that crap, but thank you,” he said.
Drake also admitted that he used to be “afraid” of performing, but nights like this reminded him why he loved them.
“I came here and my heart was beating out of my chest. I used to be close to the stage, hoping that something bad would happen, like the damn fire alarm would go off,” he shared. “I used to be afraid of performing because I just never understood what it was like, me on one side and all of you on the other.
“But it’s nights like this that let me know I have the best job in the world and I feel like you’re giving me the confidence to know again after all these years,” Drake continued. “After all the no’s we’ve heard, after all the doors that have been slammed on us, it’s this band right here that lets me know that I’m exactly where the hell I need to be.”
Drake’s SiriusXM show was postponed three times before finally taking place over the weekend despite an ankle injury.
The concert was originally scheduled for November 11 but was rescheduled due to the death of rapper Migos Takeoff, who was shot and killed on November 1. It was then rescheduled for 6 and 7 December but was again delayed due to production issues.
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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.
