Drake begins “It’s All A Blur Tour” with poetry reading and a new album tease

Drake kicked off his "It’s All a Blur" tour in Chicago on Wednesday night with the rapper treating fans to a reading of his new poetry book as well as teasing a new studio album.

Drake making his way to the stage to open his set tonight in Chicago. #IAABtour #Night1 pic.twitter.com/aKKicdLIwp

— Word On Road (@WordOnRd) July 6, 2023

The date at Chicago’s United Center included a 50-song setlist pulled from across Drake's career, dating back as far as Thank Me Later and right up to last year's Honestly, Nevermind and Her Loss. The show maintained Drake's reputation for a visually stimulating live show with screens filling both the stage and the wall behind him while he performed. Both Drake and 21 Savage emerged boxer-like from the crowd before taking to the stage.

As Rolling Stone points out, Drake performed part of the show from a couch while reciting lyrics from a notebook. He recently published a book of poetry that has been compared to the work of Rupi Kaur. Drake also took the chance to hint heavily at his project, teasing, “I have an album coming out soon for y’all.”

21 Savage made his entrance to Fantasia’s “When I See U” and performed a brief solo set before Drake joined him to perform Her Loss tracks “Spin Bout U,” “Jimmy Cooks,” and “Rich Flex." The whole show concluded with Drake performing If You're Reading This It's Too Late song "Legend."

Drake opening the show tonight in Chicago with “Look What You’ve Done”. #IAABtour pic.twitter.com/EiQQqER561

— Word On Road (@WordOnRd) July 6, 2023

Drake performs “WAY 2 SEXY” in Chicago. #IAABtour #Night1 pic.twitter.com/qSKt8Dx0zG

— Word On Road (@WordOnRd) July 6, 2023

Drake will perform a second night at the United Center tonight (July 6) before performing two shows in Detroit, Boston, and Montreal respectively. The tour then runs through until early October when it wraps with two hometown Toronto dates. See below for the full schedule.

July 6 - Chicago, IL - United Center
July 8 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
July 9 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
July 11 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
July 12 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
July 14 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre *
July 15 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre *
July 17 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
July 18 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
July 2 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
July 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
July 23 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
July 25 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
July 26 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
July 28 - Washington, DC - Capital One Arena
July 29 - Washington, DC - Capital One Arena
July 31 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
August 1 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
August 3 - Milwaukee, WI - Fiserv Forum
August 12 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum
August 13 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum
August 15 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum
August 16 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum
August 18 - San Francisco, CA - Chase Center
August 19 - San Francisco, CA - Chase Center
August 21 - Los Angeles, CA - Crypto.com Arena
August 22 - Los Angeles, CA - Crypto.com Arena
August 25 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
August 26 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
August 28 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena *
August 29 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena *
September 1 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
September 2 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
September 5 - Glendale, AZ - Desert Diamond Arena
September 6 - Glendale, AZ - Desert Diamond Arena
September 8 - Denver, CO - Ball Arena
September 11 - Austin, TX - Moody Center
September 14 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center +
September 15 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center +
September 17 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center +
September 18 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center +
September 2 - New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center +
September 22 - Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center
September 25 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena +
September 26 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena +
September 28 - Miami, FL - Kaseya Center +
September 29 - Miami, FL - Kaseya Center +
October 1 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
October 2 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena +
October 5 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena *
October 7 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena *

* - 21 Savage not on this date.
+ - Rescheduled dates.