As I stood on line for more than two hours in front of the Events Center with my suitemates, huddled together to keep warm and watching out for people attempting to cut in front of our group, I wondered if the Drake concert would be worth all the hassle. It was.

The only thing at the concert better than the light show was Drake himself. I’m not referring to Drake the performer, but the man behind the performer.

When he addressed the audience after his initial performance, he included that some of the audience members may remember him from ‘Degrassi.’ Certainly playing a character on a popular Canadian teenage television drama does not earn anyone major street-credit as a rapper.

When most rappers address their rise to stardom, they include tales of gangs, drugs, jail time, dodging gun shots and stabbings and the struggle to take care of their families. Hip-hop artists’ tales of surviving years of inner city strife earn them reputations for being licentious and violent, characteristics which manifest themselves through their music.

However, the fact that Drake referred to his not-so-humble-beginnings as a teen actor suggests not only that he acknowledges his past and the faithful followers he had when the world knew him as Jimmy, but it also shows that his immediate success as a mainstream hip-hop artist after starring on ‘Degrassi’ has not altered his perception of his vulnerability as a person.

It is refreshing to see an entertainer who hasn’t developed the ‘greater than God’ complex. Usually once an artist has achieved mainstream success, the fame causes his ego to explode. Unlike how Lady Gaga sees her loyal fans as ‘little monsters,’ Drake seemed to be much like his fans in the crowd ‘ young, alive and real.

Even his attire for the concert lacked flare or any indication that he had any kind of superstar status. Unlike his Young Money counterpart, Tyga, who chose to adorn himself with chains, Drake chose to wear a plain black T-shirt, camouflage army pants, sneakers and a denim jacket.

The energy in the Events Center was so grand and intense that it seemed more tangible than the celebrity on stage. The event ‘ the lights, the sounds and the audience ‘ was bigger than Drake.

The worst part of the concert was when he invited the 19-year-old girl to come on stage. She received not only a new Blackberry but also kisses courtesy of Drake. Why was that the worst part of the concert you ask? I kind of secretly wish it had been me, but so did everyone else.

The best part of any good concert is when both the artist and the audience come to the realization that the event is more than just people coming to see someone perform. When the concert becomes a shared experience between the two parties, both basking in the music and the atmosphere, it makes the hours spent screaming lyrics and standing without respite worth it. Drake was one of those concerts.