The second show of Drake’s highly anticipated SiriusXM concert on Sunday was paused after a fan fell from the mezzanine balcony into the audience below.
The incident took place about an hour and a half after the “One Dance” singer took the stage at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York, according to Insider.
The rapper 21 Savage, 30, joined Drake, 36, onstage to perform tracks from their 2022 collaborative album “Her Loss,” but before they could start their performance, a man fell from the second-floor balcony into the orchestra pit.
A crew member ran onto the stage and told the rappers to delay the show.
“Just gotta make sure somebody’s OK,” Drake told the audience.
Both Drake and 21 Savage left the stage while the lights were turned on in the venue — though the fall did disengage some of the lighting — and security guards ran through the crowd toward where the man landed.
Venue staff could be seen treating the man and removing the damaged lighting rig, as well as securing cords that were hanging over the side of the balcony from where the fall occurred.
The concert was paused for about 15 minutes and an announcer informed the crowd that no one was injured.
Drake performs on stage at the Apollo Theater on Jan. 21, 2023, in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SiriusXM“Everybody is absolutely OK,” a man said over the loudspeaker. “They are being checked on. Nobody’s hurt. But I got even better news for you: We’re at the Apollo, so the show must go on.”
The rappers then continued the show and Drake exclaimed, “Let’s just make some noise that everybody’s OK.
“I feel like they had to wait, like, 10 minutes — we should go up a little more,” he added.
Drake’s highly anticipated SiriusXM concert on Sunday was paused after a fan fell from the mezzanine balcony into the audience below.TwitterEarly Monday afternoon, the venue tweeted about the accident, indicating that it was under investigation.
“Unfortunately, last evening an incident occurred with an audience member who landed in the orchestra from the lower mezzanine,” the post read.
“Apollo and SiriusXM halted the show immediately when learning of a potential fan injury and standard protocols were taken,” the statement continued. “They were seen immediately by EMS on site. The fan and other audience members reported that they were OK. No major injuries have been reported.
“The Apollo is investigating the situation further.”
Drake’s SiriusXM show was rescheduled three times before finally going ahead this past weekend, despite an ankle injury.Rick Davis / SplashNews.comAt the end of the show, Drake called the night “an evening of gratitude.”
“This crowd is an absolute 10 out of 10. I’m so happy with tonight. We apologize for the delays and all that s–t, but thank you,” he said.
Drake also confessed that he used to “dread” performing, but nights like that one reminded him why he loved it.
21 Savage and Drake joined up at The Apollo Theater in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for SiriusXM“I used to come up here and my heart used to beat out of my chest. I used to be side of stage, hoping some bad s–t would happen, like a f–king fire alarm would go off,” he shared. “I used to dread performing ’cause I just never really understood how it was just, like, me on one side and all of you on the other side.
“But it’s nights like these that let me know I have the greatest job in the world, and I feel like you, again, give me the confidence to know after all these years,” Drake continued. “After all the nos that we’ve heard, after all the doors that slammed in our face, it’s this exact group right here that lets me know that I’m exactly where I need to f–king be.”
Drake’s SiriusXM show was rescheduled three times before finally going ahead this past weekend, despite an ankle injury.
The concert was originally scheduled for Nov. 11 but was rescheduled due to the death of Migos rapper Takeoff, who was shot and killed on Nov. 1. It was then rescheduled for Dec. 6 and 7 but was postponed again due to production issues.
