On Wednesday night, July 5, Drake and 21 Savage’s winding It’s All A Blur Tour kicks off at Chicago’s United Center. Drake reminisced on his formative Degrassi days to hype up himself and fans for opening night, and the tour’s staging is reflective in an especially sentimental way.
“Our brother is watching,” Drake wrote to his Instagram Story atop a photo of a larger-than-life statue of the late Virgil Abloh.
NFR Podcast also tweeted, “Drake & 21 Savage’s tour stage design honors the late great Virgil Abloh with a statue [dove emoji] It pays homage to Virgil’s first Louis Vuitton fashion show in 2018!”
Drake & 21 Savage’s tour stage design honours the late great Virgil Abloh with a statue🕊️
It pays homage to Virgil’s first Louis Vuitton fashion show in 2018! pic.twitter.com/Tzotu4pOYw
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) July 5, 2023
Abloh was an artistic polymath. He died aged 41 in November 2021 after an intensely private two-years-plus battle with cancer. The Chicago-area native’s seemingly sudden passing was met with an outpouring of grief on social media from prominent figures in music, fashion, and entertainment.
In the immediate aftermath, Drake paid tribute by getting a tattoo depicting the same photo that the It’s All A Blur statue recreated.
Abloh served as the Artistic Director Of Menswear for Louis Vuitton until his death, and Pharrell Williams stepped into the vacant role earlier this year.
Drake and Savage’s It’s All A Blur Tour will return to the United Center on Thursday, July 6. They’re then set to perform back-to-back nights at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday, July 8, and Sunday, July 9.
The ambitious trek is scheduled to last into October. See all of the dates here.