This weekend was marked by a series of highs and lows for the denizens of Toronto. There was jubilation expressed at both CMW kicking off and at the prospect of the Toronto Raptors winning a playoff series—a feeling which ultimately crashed after four quarters of play that saw the rival Brooklyn Nets advance to the next round. A dense fog of disappointment hung over the city, as the anticipation of celebrating was quickly sucked out of the air as Paul Pierce's decrepit corpse blocked Kyle Lowry's game-winner. And so, it was with a heavy heart that fans attended Bun B's The Trillest Tour as it made its stop at the Hoxton, many of them still wearing Raptors memorabilia out of either respect or sympathy.
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Rumours circulated as to which special guests would appear, but many of those in attendance seemed to be there for Bun himself. Texas-themed t-shirts and UGK memorabilia was scattered throughout the crowd as people crowded towards the front of the stage in anticipation of the King of Trill's performance. Thugli opened up the show, playing a trendy rap set that included enough Young Thug and Migos to keep the mosh pit from ever standing still, but were kept on longer than anticipated due to the fact that they were "waiting for the special guest." At roughly eleven o'clock, Cory Mo took to the stage in a valiant effort to transfer some of his own energy into the planted crowd. A signee of Talib Kweli's label, Cory was an unknown figure to most of those in the crowd, but after jumping out and commandingly performing a salvo of songs in succession, he was able to make a significant fraction of the crowd into hand-waving fans.By the time Cory Mo finished, it was clear that the VIP wings of the bar had become increasingly populated. A cursory look revealed a number of OVO hoodies and owl pendants, plus a stretched out figure who would go on to be identified by Bun B as Patrick Patterson. Bun B took the stage before midnight, and performed with a veteran swagger that was impressive. Parsing down his own extensive discography to a 30-minute set that covered both recent work and his UGK greatest hits must have been a chore for Bun B, but the end result paid off as the crowd reacted positively to everything from "Murder" to Bun reciting his verse on "Big Pimpin'". The show ended as Bun B walked off the stage and the lights dimmed, and people braced themselves for the least surprising suprise ever. The DJ asked the dark room if they were ready for some UGK, and Bun came back out to perform "International Player's Anthem" as Drake walked onstage wearing a Sidney Crosby jersey and doing that 'opera conductor' thing with his hands.
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On most occasions, this would be a cause for celebration, but the crowd didn't whip into the frenzy that normally accompanies the presence of The Beige God. Perhaps, after a gruelling series that saw us represented by Drake and his brilliant lint rollers, the city was feeling some Drake fatigue. Too much of a good thing wears down the appeal of anything, and as Drake is the ambassador for Toronto, he's been unavoidable for the past few weeks, both with the Raptors, and with the lyrical subtweets about (allegedly) Jay Z. In years past, Drake showing up would have caused at least three people to get trampled at the front of the stage, but the mood seems to have shifted ever so slightly. You may be able to the place blame on the crowd's under exuberance on over exposure, or on our lack of basketball success, but the truth likely lies somewhere in the middle. Based on the whispered hushes that were exchanged between the Bun B's DJ and the club's promoter, it seemed as if Drake was ready to perform but changed his mind. Maybe the problem lies in the fact that as much as he'd like us to forget the fact, Drake is still human. He's still a kid from Toronto who has cheered for the Raptors his entire life, and he's likely still as upset as the rest of the city that we didn't beat Brooklyn. And maybe on nights like this, you just don't feel like performing, and people are okay with that, because they don't feel like celebrating.
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