Drake’s UK Tour Announcement Crashes Ticket Sites – But It Was His Handwritten Note to Adele That Broke the Internet 📉💌🎤
On June 3, 2025, global music icon Drake sent shockwaves through the industry with the announcement of his Some Special Shows 4 UK EU tour, his first European venture in six years. The 24-date arena tour, set to launch on July 20, 2025, in Birmingham, UK, and conclude in September, sparked such intense demand that it crashed major ticketing platforms like Ticketmaster and Live Nation within minutes. Yet, while the frenzy for tickets dominated headlines, it was Drake’s unexpected handwritten note to Adele, posted on Instagram on July 14, 2025, that truly “broke the internet,” igniting a social media storm and overshadowing even the tour’s chaotic rollout.
A Tour Announcement That Shook the Web
Drake’s return to the UK and Europe, following his electrifying three-night residency at Wireless Festival in London (July 11–13, 2025), was a cultural moment. The Some Special Shows 4 UK EU tour promises a spectacle, with stops in Manchester, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Milan, and more, featuring Canadian rapper PARTYNEXTDOOR as the supporting act. The setlist is expected to blend classics like “Hotline Bling” and “God’s Plan” with fresh tracks from Drake’s collaborative album Some Sexy Songs 4 U, released earlier this year. The announcement, made via a sleek video on X and Instagram, came hot on the heels of Drake’s Wireless performance, where he drew over 150,000 fans across three unique sets, setting a new attendance record for the festival’s 20th anniversary.
The response was immediate and overwhelming. When presale tickets went live on June 5, millions of fans flooded Ticketmaster and Live Nation, causing servers to buckle under the strain. Social media erupted with frustration, with fans posting screenshots of error messages and endless queues. One X user lamented, “Drake’s UK tour broke Ticketmaster faster than my heart when I saw the prices.” Another wrote, “I’ve been in the queue for 3 hours, and now it’s sold out? Drake, why?!” The chaos echoed the 2016 meltdown during Adele’s 25 tour ticket sales, where 10 million fans vied for just 750,000 tickets globally. Drake’s team quickly added extra dates in Birmingham, Manchester, and Amsterdam, but scalpers inflated secondary market prices, with some tickets listed for over £1,000.
Live Nation called the demand “unprecedented,” noting that the tour’s presale set a record for the fastest sell-out in their UK history. VIP packages, offering premium seating and exclusive lounge access, vanished almost instantly. Despite the technical hiccups, excitement for the tour remains sky-high, with fans anticipating a production that rivals Drake’s 2023 North American It’s All a Blur tour, which grossed over $200 million.
The Handwritten Note That Stole the Spotlight
While the ticketing chaos dominated news cycles, Drake’s handwritten note to Adele, shared on his Instagram Story on July 14, 2025, sent the internet into a different kind of frenzy. The note, written in Drake’s distinctive scrawl, was a heartfelt tribute to the British superstar, who recently wrapped her Weekends with Adele residency in Las Vegas. “Adele, your voice is a gift to the world,” he wrote. “Your music carried me through tough times, and your realness is unmatched. London’s your city, but I’m hoping we can share a stage someday. Much love, Drizzy.” Accompanying the note was a throwback photo of Drake at Adele’s 2016 Wembley Stadium show, holding a tour program where she famously left handwritten notes for fans.
The gesture struck a chord, especially given Adele’s own history of vulnerability. In 2017, during her Wembley performances, she included notes in programs confessing her struggles with stage fright and hinting she might never tour again, writing, “Touring doesn’t suit me. I’m a real homebody.” Fans saw parallels between Adele’s candor and Drake’s emotional transparency in songs like “Marvin’s Room.” The internet exploded with reactions, with #DrakeXAdele trending globally. One X post read, “Drake writing a love letter to Adele is the collab we didn’t know we needed.” Another user gushed, “This is peak Drizzy—pouring his heart out to Adele like she’s his muse.”
The note sparked speculation about a potential collaboration. Adele has previously praised Drake, calling his 2015 mixtape If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late “genius” in a 2016 interview. Drake, in turn, has cited Adele as an inspiration, attending multiple shows on her 25 tour. Fans on X began fantasizing about a duet, with one tweeting, “Imagine Drake and Adele on a heartbreak ballad. The world wouldn’t survive.” Others noted the timing, as Adele is rumored to be working on her fifth album, potentially aligning with Drake’s tour schedule.
Why the Note Resonated
Drake’s note wasn’t just a celebrity shoutout—it tapped into a broader cultural moment. In an era of polished PR and curated social media personas, the handwritten gesture felt raw and authentic. Fans compared it to Adele’s own tradition of leaving personal notes, which endeared her to millions during her 25 era. The note also came amid Drake’s tumultuous 2024, marked by his high-profile feud with Kendrick Lamar and a lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us.” The vulnerability of the note humanized Drake, shifting focus from his legal battles to his artistry.
Social media amplified the moment. On X, fans shared side-by-side images of Drake’s note and Adele’s 2017 Wembley letters, praising their shared authenticity. One user wrote, “Drake and Adele are cut from the same cloth—real artists who wear their hearts on their sleeves.” Others speculated that the note was strategic, designed to keep Drake’s name trending ahead of his tour. Whether calculated or genuine, it worked: within hours, the note had been screenshot and shared millions of times, outpacing even the tour announcement’s reach.
The Bigger Picture: Drake’s Cultural Moment
The tour announcement and the Adele note underscore Drake’s enduring influence. At 38, the Toronto rapper remains a chart-topping force, with Some Sexy Songs 4 U debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. His ability to pivot from controversy to cultural moments—like his Wireless Festival triumph and the Adele tribute—shows why he’s one of music’s biggest stars. The Some Special Shows 4 UK EU tour is poised to be a blockbuster, with analysts predicting it could gross $150 million, despite ticketing challenges.
Meanwhile, the note to Adele has sparked broader conversations about artist vulnerability. In a music industry often criticized for inauthenticity, Drake and Adele stand out for their willingness to bare their souls. Fans on X have called for more artists to follow suit, with one posting, “Drake’s note to Adele reminds us music is about connection, not just streams.” The possibility of a collaboration remains a tantalizing prospect, with fans eagerly awaiting any response from Adele, who has been quiet on social media since her residency ended.
What’s Next?
As the Some Special Shows 4 UK EU tour approaches, fans are bracing for more surprises. Will Adele make a cameo in London? Will Drake address the note in his performances? For now, the internet remains captivated by both the ticketing chaos and the emotional resonance of Drake’s words to Adele. One thing is clear: whether he’s crashing ticket sites or breaking hearts with a handwritten note, Drake knows how to keep the world talking.
