Drake returns to Memphis: What to know about his It's All A Blur Tour with 21 Savage

On June 29, hip-hop superstar Drake will kick off his first tour in five years in Memphis. Drake's 50-plus date It’s All A Blur Tour will launch at Downtown’s FedExForum.

For Drake — the four-time Grammy-winning, multi-platinum rap-pop superstar — the show will bring him back to a very familiar Bluff City, where he has deep family and personal ties, but has not performed in more than a decade.

Drake will headline a bill that will also include his recent collaborator 21 Savage, in what is expected to be one of the summer’s biggest concert events.

Here are five things to know before you go.

Drake's Memphis ties

Born Aubrey Drake Graham, Drake’s dad is Memphis drummer Dennis Graham (who played with Jerry Lee Lewis, among others). His uncles include Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham and late Hi Rhythm guitarist Mabon “Teenie” Hodges.

Although he was raised by his mother in Toronto’s affluent Forest Hill section — where he was a successful child actor on “DeGrassi: The Next Generation” for eight seasons — Drake’s musical education came in the Bluff City, where he spent his summers with his father.

“I’d never fly to Memphis, my dad would always pick me up in Toronto and we’d drive, and it was like 21 hours,” Drake recalled in a 2010 interview with The Commercial Appeal. “On that drive, he would just play me the greatest music, and then bring me to Beale Street and drive around the city and I started to understand what it was about Memphis.”

Drake noted of the Bluff City that, “It’s really the first place I discovered what I love about music, which was the soul, the melody and the message in the lyrics.”

Drake would explore his ties to Memphis in the extended cut video for the 2014 track “Worst Behavior,” which featured Dennis Graham, as well as Three 6 Mafia members Juicy J and Project Pat, and was shot in and around Memphis, with locations including Royal Studios, The Four Way restaurant and Beale Street, among other spots.

Drake's Memphis shows

Drake's local performance history has been relatively limited, with his two most recent shows coming in 2010 and 2012.

His 2010 debut in town took place at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts. At the time, the young rapper had already been the subject of a multi-million-dollar record label bidding war, had released a series of singles and mixtapes, but had yet to drop his first proper studio album, “Thank Me Later.”

By the time Drake returned to town in 2012, this time headlining FedExForum in support of his multi-platinum sophomore record, “Take Care,” his star had grown considerably, and the concert felt like a homecoming triumph, one that he seemed to exalt in.

During his sold-out FedExForum set in 2012, part of his Club Paradise Tour, Drake paused to savor the moment and his memories of his time in Memphis.

“You know I spent a lot of today thinking,” Drake said, addressing the audience. “I was thinking about all the time I spent on that Shelby Drive, by the Southland Mall, getting that Piccadilly buffet… thinking about all that time I waited in the Jack Pirtle drive-thru line. Thinking about Whitehaven. Thinking 'bout that Orange Mound. Thinking about Memphis, Tennessee!

“Memphis taught me how to do this. Without Memphis there would be no Drake,” he said, giving shoutouts to his father, extended family and Memphis basketball legend Penny Hardaway who were all in attendance.

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Drake's It’s All A Blur Tour

The It’s All A Blur Tour marks Drake’s return to the road, five years after his last North American run, headlining the Aubrey & the Three Migos Tour in 2018.

While he’s largely been off the road, in that time Drake has been busy in the studio, having released four albums, including his most recent, “Her Loss,” a collaboration with 21 Savage, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard’s 200 chart and had all 16 songs debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 list. 21 Savage will be joining Drake as part of the current tour.

Although Memphis will serve as the opening stop for It’s All A Blur, it was one of the 12 cities added after the initial announcement of the tour, which is being presented by CashApp and Sprite.

What to expect at Drake's show

Because Memphis will be the first show of the tour, there’s no sure way to tell what the setlist or production of the concert will entail — though indications are the stage will be in the middle of the floor, with a 360-degree setup.

In general, Drake has kept relatively mum on what fans can expect. His few shows this year — mostly one-off festival appearances — have offered long setlists (nearly 30 songs), mixing material from across his catalog, as well as tracks off his latest album with 21 Savage.

In a recent Instagram Story, Drake bid farewell to Toronto, in anticipation of what looks to be a long summer on the road.

“Goodbye my beautiful city,” he wrote on his Instagram Story on June 12, over a sunset photo of Toronto’s CN Tower. “I haven’t left for this reason in over 6 years but I hope I can make you proud once again. I love you all. Have an amazing summer and pls try to take care of each other.”

Notably, Drake will kick the tour off in his second home of Memphis and close it with a run of shows in his hometown of Toronto in the fall.

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Are tickets still available for Drake's Memphis show?

Surprisingly, a recent check of Ticketmaster reveals, there are still a good number of seats available for Drake’s FedExForum performance.

While most, though not all, of the lower bowl tickets are gone, there is a smattering of excellent seats available near the stage, at a premium cost of $825 each. Unreserved general admission standing room floor tickets are also available for $675 each.

But those are tickets on the higher end. Good seats can be had for as little as $106.50 in the upper levels, while the lowest tickets start at $50.50.

To purchase tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Drake, 21 Savage tour to launch in Memphis: What to know