{"id":287072,"date":"2025-07-24T05:09:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T05:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/287072\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T05:09:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T05:09:21","slug":"drake-lit-up-the-utilita-arena-in-birmingham-and-i-had-the-time-of-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/287072\/","title":{"rendered":"Drake lit up the Utilita Arena in Birmingham – and I had the time of my life"},"content":{"rendered":"

I can still hear the echo of barking chants ringing through Birmingham\u2019s Utilita Arena whenever I close my eyes. When news broke that Drake<\/a> was returning to the UK for his 2025 tour \u2013 Some Special Shows 4 UK \u2013 I was already planning my trip to the Midlands. With only arena dates in Birmingham and Manchester following his headline slot at Wireless earlier this month, this fleeting UK stopover felt too special to miss.<\/p>\n

I managed to snag a last-minute ticket via Live Nation for night one of the Birmingham shows \u2013 the Canadian artist\u2019s first stop on tour. Naturally, I had the only appropriate reaction: I messaged my friend with, “Who\u2019s calling my phone?” in all caps, buzzing with excitement.<\/p>\n

\"Drake\u00a9 InstagramDrake performed at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what went down when I jumped on a South Western Railway train from London and made my way to the flame-lit stage at Birmingham\u2019s Utilita Arena.<\/p>\n

\"Tickets\u00a9 InstagramTickets via Live Nation
\nDrake’s grand return after six years<\/p>\n

In true Drake fashion, the artist casually sauntered onto the stage, marking his return to the Midlands after six years. Drake shared he felt like he “owed everything” to Birmingham and reminisced about his first-ever gig in the city with Jay-Z. The star admitted he only had a small space on the stage, but his Birmingham fans “still came out to see me do my thing”.<\/p>\n

About 15,000 fans erupted in cheers as Drake kicked off the show with “Gimme A Hug”. He then invited the crowd to take a trip down memory lane, performing hits like “Marvins Room”, “Teenage Fever”, and “Jungle”. Next, he declared it was time to “turn all the way up” with “What Did I Miss?” as fireballs blasted from the stage.<\/p>\n

\"Drake\u00a9 Getty ImagesDrake is currently in the UK<\/p>\n

The musician sported a body protector-style vest emblazoned with the phrase \u201cStay Cocky,\u201d paired with burgundy leather pants. Drake then transitioned into “Headlines”, “Know Yourself”, “Nonstop”, and “SICKO MODE”.<\/p>\n

Mic on the floor<\/p>\n

With a square-shaped stage surrounded by a sea of standing fans, Drake confidently made his way around the catwalk. My jaw dropped when he suddenly stood right in front of me. During his performance of “SICKO MODE”, the 38-year-old put his mic to the ground so the whole arena could feel and hear the roar of the audience. With a burst of energy, he jumped and shouted, “Louder!”<\/p>\n

Drake then transitioned into hits like “Laugh Now Cry Later”, “Gods Plan”, and “In My Feelings”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Performing his old songs in the crowd<\/p>\n

The star climbed onto the DJ booth to perform “Controlla”, “Find Your Love”, and “Hold On, We\u2019re Going Home” right in the midst of the crowd, creating a performance that felt both intimate and nostalgic. I turned to my friend and said, “Drake is forgetting he\u2019s Drake, he has no fear,” as the entire crowd, including me, went wild.\u00a0<\/p>\n

PartyNextDoor
\n \"PartyNextDoor\u00a9 Getty ImagesPartyNextDoor and Drake<\/p>\n

Drake was then joined by PartyNextDoor, with whom he recently collaborated for $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. The pair lit up the stage together with their performances of “CN Tower”, “Something About You”, and “Die Trying”.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Final songs<\/p>\n

The musician closed the night with a bang, seamlessly transitioning through “Fancy”, “Hours in Silence”, “Hotline Bling”, and “You Broke My Heart.” But my highlight came with his undeniably catchy “Nokia”, as the crowd’s screams of “Babygirl” echoed throughout the arena.<\/p>\n

\"Drake\u00a9 GettyDrake at the GRAMMY Awards in 2019
\nFarewell speech<\/p>\n

Before leaving the stage, Drake opened up to his fans, sharing that he\u2019s where he is today because he always tries to be a good person. “Every time I come out here it just reminds me that I should not stay away for so long,” he said.<\/p>\n

Judging by my lost voice and watery eyes, it was clear it had been a truly unforgettable night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I can still hear the echo of barking chants ringing through Birmingham\u2019s Utilita Arena whenever I close my…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":287073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,4082,25144,393,4884,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-287072","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-celebrity-news","11":"tag-drake","12":"tag-england","13":"tag-great-britain","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114906488204883781","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=287072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}