Drake pushes New York City shows back to 2023, citing “production delays”

Drake has postponed his upcoming shows in New York City for a second time, with a statement from the promoter citing “production delays that are just out of our control”.

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The rapper had initially booked a single show, set to go down at the iconic Apollo Theater, for the night of Friday November 11. It was postponed the Monday prior (November 7) so that Drake could mourn the loss of Migos rapper Takeoff (who died on November 1), with that news being accompanied with the announcement of a second show. 

The new dates were locked in for Tuesday December 6 and Wednesday 7, however both have now been axed to allow more time for the shows’ production. 

In a joint statement from Drake, SiriusXM and Sound 42, it was explained that the team behind the shows “have been working around the clock” to deliver “an experience our fans deserve”, but just days out from the events taking place, they’ve been hit by “some production delays that are just out of our control”.

The statement continued: “After many difficult meetings and conversations trying to navigate these challenges, we are forced to make the unfortunate decision to push these shows out a little further to allow the necessary time for the work to be completed.”

Drake’s two New York shows have now been rescheduled to Saturday January 21 and Sunday 22, respectively. They’ll still go down at the Apollo, as it’s noted in the statement: “The Apollo has been so incredibly gracious throughout this process and we look forward to bringing a legendary show to this legendary stage.”

Stressing the shows’ significance, they added: “These upcoming shows for SiriusXM are so incredibly special for us. If you are going to play the world famous Apollo Theater, it has to be a world-class production.” Tickets for both shows have sold out.

The shows come in support of Drake’s recent ‘Her Loss’ album – a collaborative effort with 21 Savage, which earned a three-star review from NME – as well as June’s ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ (which also earned three stars).

Meanwhile, it was revealed earlier this week that Future‘s Drake and Tems-assisted ‘WAIT FOR U’ was the third-highest-streamed song on Apple Music this year.

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