Drake’s Sydney show was always going to be a spectacle. But instead of fans raving about the setlist or production, the internet is stuck on something else.
Namely, a sea of desperate, hand-scrawled signs begging the rapper for money. Mortgage repayments, engagement rings, dog vet bills. Quite literally nothing was off-limits.
A now-viral photo from his Qudos Bank Arena show on Wednesday night captured the bizarre trend. Dozens of fans ditched the ‘play this song’ signs in favour of direct financial requests. “Papi help pay off my mum’s mortgage” read one. Another simply asked, “Help my boyfriend buy me an engagement ring.” Someone else went for the classic “Need money for my bachelorette party in Ibiza.” And while I admire their directness, it feels quite odd.
Drake, to his credit, has encouraged this culture. At his Melbourne show he handed out $25,000 to a woman holding a sign that read “Adonis for President”. In Sydney, he gave $30,000 to a pregnant fan in the mosh pit, upgrading her to VIP and telling security to “get that baby out of the pit ASAP.”
These kinds of stunts, while undeniably generous, have turned his concerts into something else entirely. There’s always been a transactional nature to fandom—buying merch, paying for overpriced drinks, even screaming for an encore—but this is a different beast entirely. People aren’t just hoping for a good show. Here they’re showing up with the expectation that Drake might foot the bill for their next big expense.
Reactions online have been mixed. Some fans love it, seeing it as Drake using his wealth to make a difference. Others have called it “dystopian”, pointing out how surreal it is to see a stadium full of people essentially crowdfunding their personal expenses through a megastar.
Drake has a few more stops in Australia before he heads to New Zealand, and odds are, the begging signs won’t be going away anytime soon. The only real question is: how much more is he willing to hand out before the show feels secondary to the spectacle?
MORE IN Music
