Given the religious overtones scattered throughout Kanye West’s “Yeezus Tour” during its final North American stop in Toronto, it seems fitting to group Monday night’s tour-closer into two distinct parts: B.D. and A.D. As in, ‘Before Drake’ and ‘After Drake.'

When the Toronto-born hip-hop star emerged on stage during West’s take on the pair’s combined effort, “Forever,” the crowd revved up and even Kanye was forced to raise his level of intensity. As surprises go, Drake’s appearance wasn’t quite of the jaw-dropping variety, even if it was received that way. The two-song collaboration came after Drake and Kanye took over the Hoxton for an impromptu three-song set late Sunday night and after West guested at Drake’s most recent OVO Fest last August.

Surprise or no surprise, Drake’s appearance provided the momentum-turning spark that gave life to a show that had, to that point, been underwhelming. For much of his two and a half hour performance, West seemed more interested in showy performance art than his usual brand of raw, passion-fueled hip-hop.

Clad in a strange, jewel-encrusted mask, Kanye’s face didn’t even make its first appearance until the show’s second half. By then, the nearly 12,000 on hand had already seen West’s elaborate Mount Sinai-style mountain stage backdrop, a group of masked women in tight, skin-colored body suits, and an actor depicting the soon-to-be-birthday-boy, Jesus.

All the bells and whistles seemed to confuse the tone of the show. On one hand, there was the raw anger of a 20-minute rant about the music industry and his public perception that followed “Runaway.” On the other hand, there was the glittery spectacle that appeared more suited for Vegas than for a legitimized hip-hop star. In contrast to Kanye’s needlessly flashy showcase, Kendrick Lamar opened with a red hot 45-minute set that featured just the Compton-born rapper and a mic.

Drake’s arrival about 20 songs in helped to belatedly turn things around. His two tracks (they followed up “Forever” with a pairing on “All Me”) brought an energy that shone throughout the rest of the show, as an explosive crowd and impassioned Kanye was sustained through “All of the Lights,” “Good Life,” and the show closer “Bound 2.”

Still, it was hard not to wonder if those lucky enough to be on hand at the Hoxton on Sunday night had been already treated to the best of Kanye’s tour finale, minus the excess fluff.