Drake fans voice their opinions after OVO Fest failed to meet expectations
Drake’s OVO Fest finally took place this weekend, and according to fans, it simply didn’t live up to the hype.
The rescheduled Young Money Reunion was slated for 7 pm on Saturday, and little did eager fans know, it would be hours until a single performer would hit the stage.
“We waited longer for them to come out than the actual concert was, which was pretty absurd,” Lauren Meilen told Daily Hive.
“Many people in the crowd were frustrated that no performer hit the stage until 10 pm, although the stadium was packed since 7 pm,” Jermaine Wilson added.
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Even after enduring a several-hour wait in the summer heat, it wasn’t Drake who would appear when the lights finally went down.
At nearly 10 pm, Lil Wayne finally came out and warmed up the crowd, which was undoubtedly a moment for hip-hop fanatics, especially after the Young Money rapper faced border issues during previous show invites.
Even then, it was teased that Wayne may have been held at the border again, before the screen on stage read, “Luckily, Drake runs the border.”
It wasn’t until the conclusion of Nicki Minaj’s set that Drake would finally make an appearance, at around 11 pm.
@OVOSound/Twitter
Fans continued to voice their disappointment relative to the iconic OVO Fests of years past.
“Unlike previous years, this is one of the first OVO Fests where we didn’t see too many surprise guest appearances,” Wilson told Daily Hive.
“I felt like he could’ve performed much better songs out of his catalogue,” Meilen said.
Apart from the song selection and lack of special guest appearances, it was the overall vibe that seemed to be missing.
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“I feel like the last OVO Fest really had the energy that this concert was missing,” Alexi Gaza told Daily Hive.
“Artists should also be more mindful of their fans. Making people wait hours before they perform actually sucks,” Gaza added. “By the time they performed, the concession stands and liquor service closed.”
The frustration is understandable, especially considering the premium that fans had to fork up just to attend.
“Personally, I felt like it wasn’t worth the resale value,” Meilen said, adding that she paid $430 for a single lawn seat.
“The tickets were overpriced and didn’t allow loyal fans the chance to get tickets,” Gaza said. “I paid $750 for two lawn tickets.”
Naturally, fans took to Twitter to express their dismay.
I expected OVOFest to be waaaaay louder than that. That’s how you know it was bare pickney in there.
— Him Burton (@ThatDudeMCFLY) August 7, 2022
how did the Burna Boy concert have a better crowd than ovo fest? especially a ymcmb reunion in Drake’s own city at that. mad disappointing 🤦🏽♀️
— 𝓑❤️🔥 (@BBiancajada) August 7, 2022
Perhaps it was who attended or the product the fans were given throughout the show.
ovo fest young money reunion was giving the same energy as a bunch of popular kids giving an English Presentation pic.twitter.com/ZahTyj97Gd
— Shakil Jessa 🥳 (@ShakilJessa) August 8, 2022
Evidentially, the two-hour show, also falling short in terms of length compared to past OVO Fests, missed the mark. Other special guest appearances included Birdman, whom millennials may be too young to remember, and Smiley, who the majority of the crowd had not heard of before.
For those paying top dollar for surprise appearances, this concert just didn’t cut it.