The O2 Arena was built as the Millennium Dome in 1999 and has hosted gigs for decades.
The O2 Arena was built as the Millennium Dome in 1999 and has hosted gigs for decades.

Following the launch of BRIT-award winning rapper Dave’s UK tour at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena, Storm Eunice hit resulting in two of his London shows having to be cancelled.

As hype grew across social media, with clips of performances in Nottingham and Birmingham gaining hundreds of thousands of views, fans were eagerly awaiting the biggest shows of the tour in Dave’s hometown venue, which was sold out across two nights.

@aadirakhit

dave. 😮‍💨😮‍💨 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage

♬ original sound – aadi

But, as Storm Eunice swept across the southern half of the UK on Friday 18th February, severe damage was done to the O2 Arena, with the outer fabric of the roof being torn off in the high winds.

This led to the unfortunate, but inevitable, cancellation and rescheduling of the gigs, as they have been moved to the end of the tour on 28th February and 1st March 2022.

LockdownT is a Dave fan who runs a TikTok page with over 80 thousand followers based around the UK Rap scene, with a focus on Dave and his lyrics. He had planned to host a pre-show meet for likeminded fans to hang out before the London shows.

“When I saw the rip in the O2, I didn’t think anything of it.”

LockdownT, TIktok creator & Dave fan

“I was going to go on the 22nd,” he explained.

“And I was excited to see it at face value, I wanted it to be a surprise but at the same time on social media, you’re always going to see things. [The videos online] made me appreciate what I was going to see more, rather than increase my expectations,” he added.

Dave fan lockdownT told CBJ Spotlight how he felt when Dave’s shows were cancelled.

Despite being bitterly disappointed by the postponement, lockdownT decided to use his following of Dave fans to continue ahead with his pre-show gathering, as he wanted to still give the people something to enjoy.

Footage from the fan linkup before the cancelled Dave gig in London. Credit: lockdownT

“I wanted to give the fans and the Dave community an alternative, to turn up and enjoy Dave’s music,” he explained.

At the 2022 BRIT Awards, Dave won the award for Best Hip-Hop/Grime/Rap Act – as well as being nominated for MasterCard Album Of The Year (We’re All Alone In This Together), Artist Of The Year and Song Of The Year (Clash).

Dave then delivered a jaw-dropping performance of In The Fire, with guest appearances from Giggs, Ghetts, Meekz and Fredo, and a giant gospel choir. This ended with a stunning flamethrower electric guitar solo to cap off a multi-instrumental showcase that included acoustic guitar and piano also.

Dave performs on a flamethrower-accessorised electric guitar at the 2022 BRIT Awards. Credit: Gareth Cattermole via Getty Images

“I’m going to do a pre-show linkup again on 28th February and 1st March. I wanted to use this as a trial and to see who would be down for coming and who supports me – because now it’s not about going to see Dave… it was just purely about coming to my linkup,” added lockdownT.

Dave announced the rescheduled dates on Twitter, and it’s hoped by all fans that no more disruptions will occur to the tour.