Drake Live in Birmingham: A Night of Chaos, Fire, and Frustration
When Drake rolled into Birmingham’s Utilita Arena for his “$ome $pecial $hows 4 U” UK tour, fans were ready for a night of spectacle — and they certainly got one. But while the Canadian rapper delivered plenty of fire on stage, the experience as a whole was overshadowed by poor organisation, safety concerns, and a disjointed performance that never quite found its rhythm.
Getting In: Confusion from the Start
The chaos began long before the lights dimmed.
As thousands of fans arrived at the arena, many were left wondering where to go. There were no clear signs, minimal stewarding, and an overall lack of crowd management that left people queuing in the wrong places or not queuing at all. The entire entry process felt unplanned — a big misstep for a major arena show.
A Fiery Start with a Local Tribute
Once inside, things kicked off with serious flair. As a tribute to Birmingham’s own Ozzy Osbourne, the opening sequence featured Iron Man booming through the speakers while flames and lasers filled the arena. It was a bold entrance — and a clever nod to local music heritage — as Drake emerged on a massive two-tiered stage.
He opened with fan favourites like Marvins Room and Passionfruit, then shifted gears into a string of harder-hitting tracks like Sticky, Rich Flex, and SICKO MODE. The production was huge: screens, lights, pyro — the full package. Visually, this was stadium-level stuff.
When the Show Became a Safety Issue
But just as the excitement reached its peak, the evening took another awkward turn.
As Drake’s entrance loomed, fans who’d stepped away from their seats were suddenly told they couldn’t return — not until he was physically on stage. This led to crowded walkways, blocked staircases, and serious bottlenecks all around the arena. Hundreds were stuck in limbo, crammed together in tight spaces with limited visibility and no clear direction. It felt unsafe, and frankly, unnecessary.
It was a poor decision by event staff and security — and one that could’ve been easily avoided with better planning.
A Setlist That Couldn’t Quite Settle
Drake’s setlist was massive — 36 tracks spanning over a decade of music. And while there were moments that reminded you why he’s one of the biggest artists in the world, the show lacked flow.
The set bounced between genres and moods: from moody slow jams to intense trap bangers, then back again. Instead of feeling dynamic, it sometimes came across as disjointed. Fans would be vibing one minute, then unsure what to do with the next. It felt more like a shuffled playlist than a carefully curated performance.
Guest appearances, including one from PartyNextDoor, didn’t do much to lift the energy either. Rather than enhancing the show, they added to the sense of stop-start pacing that ran throughout the night.
The Verdict
There’s no doubt Drake still knows how to put on a show. His energy was tireless, the visuals were top-tier, and when the music hit, it hit hard.
But everything around the performance — from the chaotic entry to the unsafe crowd control, to the clunky set transitions — made the night feel far less polished than it should have been. For a tour this size, these kinds of issues shouldn’t be happening.
Final Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
A night of moments, but not the moment.
