A Hot Mess at the House of Blues

Fight abruptly ends Drake show

By MARCUS RILEY

Updated 7:01 AM CST, Tue, May 19, 2009

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It had all the makings for a hot show Friday night at the House of Blues, but what resulted could only be described as a hot mess.

The place was packed and all the requisite local celebs were in the house, including several Chicago Bears occupying the box seats.

They were all there to see Drake -- a Canadian hip hop artist who doesn't have an album, much less a single, but has created a ton of underground buzz due to a widely-distributed mix tape and the stamp of approval from none other than Lil Wayne.

The doors opened at 11:30 p.m., with the opening acts scheduled to hit the stage at midnight.

But the crowd waited ... and waited ... and waited, until the first of FIVE opening acts hit the stage -- at 1:45 a.m.

"The crowd was pretty agitated. Instead of people being excited about the opening acts, they were booing and asking for Drake," said Cynthia Jemison, who attended the show.

Drake finally hit the stage at 3:15 a.m., after some fans had already left. He performed a few songs and that's when the trouble started.

Fight Breaks Out at Drake HOB Show

"A fight broke out close to the stage. Drake was pleading for order so he could sing one more song, but it was pretty much over at that point," Jemison said.

A Youtube video -- which logged more than 17,000 views over the weekend -- shows the commotion when the fight started, and an agitated Drake being held back on stage by none other than Chicago rap star Lupe Fiasco.

"I don't think he really wanted to get into that crowd. He must not know much about Chicago," Jemison said.

To make matters worse, a man was shot in the butt less than a block from the from the House of Blues at about the same time people were leaving the concert.

"When I came out, it was like CSI Chicago with all the yellow tape out there," Jemison said.

Police have not connected the shooting to the concert saying it's still under investigation. Representatives from the House of Blues did not immediately return a request for comment.

Those in the know say the fan-base for some of the opening acts and Drake did not mesh well, which could have led to some of the problems.

Local hip hop enthusiasts view it as another black mark that could have a negative affect on the availability of local shows. Consider this post from local hip hop blog Fake Shore Drive:

"I'm hoping our days aren't numbered, but what kind of incentive would a respectable venue have to do these events if all they get is bad press and people are scared to come out in fear of getting shot in the ass?"

Indeed.