The city’s most iconic landmark was “frozen” Thursday night as Drake made a surprise announcement that he will be dropping three albums at midnight, including “Iceman.”
The “freezing” of the CN Tower, which involved the use of 75 projectors, occurred during the livestream of “Iceman Episode 4,” which played the songs from the albums.
At the beginning of the stream, the “Iceman” truck is seen driving on the Don Valley Parkway, making its way to the CN Tower.
Thousands of people online and those who gathered downtown then watched as the CN Tower turned icy blue from the bottom to the top.
According to Drake’s team, the total light output was 2,572,000 lumens, with 138,240,000 pixels. The team also used 11 media servers, which were synced over air fibre.
Hundreds of fans gathered at the base of the CN Tower and watched the light show following hours of speculation that Drake was planning another promotional event in the city.
“I feel just electrified to see the city here,” one fan said. “You can’t buy moments like this. This is the city, this is love.”
Called a “visual album,” the rapper’s newest record “unfolds as a theatrical interpretation of Drake’s thoughts and experiences over the past two years.”
City hall, Downsview Park explosion featured
Drake’s son Adonis was featured in a video for one of the songs. The huge explosion that produced a massive mushroom cloud at Downsview Park, which caught many residents by surprise last month, was also seen on the live stream.
Drake also showcased parts of the CN Tower that are not open to the public, including its hollow interior and the bubble-shaped radome. He is even seen walking at the base of the tower’s antenna.
In another song, Drake is seen inside city hall, including the city council chamber and the mayor’s office, while wearing the chain of office.
At the end of the stream, Drake announced that in addition to “Iceman,” he will be dropping two other albums, “Maid of Honour” and “Habibti,” at midnight.
The livestream concluded with a 10-minute fireworks show from Harbourfront Centre.
Drake has been behind a number of promotional events around Toronto ahead of the album release, including a giant ice sculpture installed in a downtown Toronto parking lot last month.
The ice sculpture was mobbed by fans and was eventually melted with the assistance of firefighters after one of them found a package inside that contained the date of the release.
