Drake briefly paused a performance in New York over the weekend after a concert attendee fell from an upper level of the city's Apollo Theater.
During the second of the artist's two SiriusXM-sponsored shows (January 22), a man dropped from the venue's second floor into the middle of the orchestra pit, per Insider.
The publication says the fall, which was inadvertently captured in the fan-shot footage below, took place about 90 minutes after Drake took the stage, interrupting the appearance of Her Loss collaborator 21 Savage.
During the second of the artist's two SiriusXM-sponsored shows (January 22), a man dropped from the venue's second floor into the middle of the orchestra pit, per Insider.
The publication says the fall, which was inadvertently captured in the fan-shot footage below, took place about 90 minutes after Drake took the stage, interrupting the appearance of Her Loss collaborator 21 Savage.
Drake reportedly told the audience before leaving the stage, "Just have to make sure somebody's okay." Insider notes that while the falling concertgoer knocked loose a light fixture, which was subsequently removed, the venue would announce no one had been injured in the incident.
A representative for the Apollo Theater shared the following statement with Pitchfork:
Unfortunately, last evening an incident occurred with an audience member who landed in the orchestra from the lower mezzanine. Drake, Apollo, and SiriusXM halted the show immediately when learning of a potential fan injury and standard protocols were taken. 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.
Questions of audience safety were raised further upon footage emerging of the NYPD recording concertgoers leaving the venue. Footage shared by American journalist and music critic Jon Caramanica shows a uniformed officer pointing a mobile device at the crowd exiting the main entrance of the Apollo.
Concerns were raised on social media about the NYPD's continued monitoring and surveillance of rap music and culture via the Enterprise Operations Unit — known colloquially as the "hip-hop police."
In a statement to Consequence, a spokesperson for the NYPD's Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Public Information wrote, "The officer depicted in the video is a Community Affairs officer involved with the 28th Precinct's social media team. The officer was taking video for an upcoming Twitter post that will highlight local community events. The video will not be utilized for any other reason."
