Canadian rapper Drake stunned fans by hosting an intimate warm up gig for his Australian tour on Thursday, as the God’s Plan hitmaker covered all costs on the bar, invited 25 Miss Universe contestants, and set one rule: ‘No phones.’
Drake played a 90-minute set at Le Club in Melbourne, posting four videos of the performance to Instagram which make it appear as if he surprised fans by popping up at a local watering hole unannounced.
In reality, the 38-year-old rented out the entire venue – where he dined with his entourage earlier that day – and invited about 100 local socialites and influencers to attend.
A procession of black cars pulled up outside chef Chris Lucas’ new modern French restaurant, Maison Bâtard, on Thursday evening and it was close to midnight when Drake took the stage.
The rapper decided to ‘get the party started’ after renting out the private upper terrace of the three-level venue with his $700,000 winnings from Crown Casino for lunch.
According to the Herald Sun, Drake opened the bar and covered all costs of the evening, including martinis, champagne, and shots for his young female guests, as well as 30 of his private entourage and security personnel.
He treated his group of 10 staff to oysters, caviar and lobster to start, a spokeswoman for the restaurant told Daily Mail, ‘followed by our signature Rotisserie Chicken with Green Olives.’
‘He met with the chef after lunch to rave about the food, and was a delight to have in!’ she added.
Le Club is a late night supper club in the basement of Chris Lucas’ restaurant, billed as a place to ‘wine and dine (and play)’ until very late.
Drake performed some unreleased songs, plus some crowd pleasers including Faithful, Pipe Down, Trust Issues, and Rich Baby Daddy – which he called ‘Melbourne karaoke’ in the caption of his videos.
‘One man, 100 females,’ a fan commented on the video of Drake bopping along to the backing track of his hit song, as the crowd belted out the lyrics: ‘Bend that ass over.’
‘Hell of a ratio at this venue,’ said another, as the clip showed the crowd of women leaning over the stage.
Chef Chris and his wife, and her two daughters, attended the performance, as well as Melbourne ‘It’ girls Bianca Roccisano and Amanda Smorgon.
All of the guests checked their phones at the door, and according to the Herald, Drake’s security extended invitations to 25 Miss Universe contestants to dine privately with the music mogul and his team on the terrace.
The newspaper reported the private party lasted well into the early hours of Friday morning.
Drake told the crowd in the candelit room that he ‘loves an intimate setting.’
‘We were very excited, they all had a great night, everything else is confidential,’ a spokeswoman for the restaurant told Daily Mail.
Maison Batard opened in November 2024, and she added Drake’s appearance is ‘a testament to it being a world class venue.’
Plenty of fans lost it over the performance.
‘That karaoke night Drake is doing in Melbourne is too sick, proper musician fr.’ one wrote.
Another suggested: ‘Wowwww the luckiest crowd. It’s giving Tiny Desk and I’d like to see it.’
A third said: ‘Best concert rehearsal in the world lol.’
Not everyone was impressed, though, as others pointed out the convenient timing of the rapper’s tour in Australia – his first in eight years.
Drake’s first concert will take place on the same day as the American Super Bowl, with rap rival Kendrick Lamar reportedly set to play diss track Not Like Us during his halftime performance.
‘Bruh had to leave the country before the Superbowl. soft,’ one fan said.
Another suggested: ‘I guess he’s scared of the Grammys too, because the Super Bowl isn’t for another week … Any way. be careful Australia.’
A third wrote: ‘Drake performing In someone’s basement while Kendrick is going to the Superbowl!’
Drake and Kendrick’s rap beef went nuclear in recent months, when Not Like Us went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and Drake responded by taking the battle to the courts.
He is suing Kendrick Lamar for ‘falsely accusing him of being a sex offender, engaging in pedophilic acts, harbouring sex offenders, and committing other criminal sexual acts.’
He’s also since sued his own record label Universal Music Group, who distribute both men’s music.
