On Friday night, more than 45,000 people gathered at Yankee Stadium not to enjoy the national pastime but a bucket-list music one: seeing Jay-Z perform all of Reasonable Doubt in celebration of its 30th anniversary. It was the first in a three-night residency at the venue, with the Saturday concert reserved for the rapper’s 2001 LP The Blueprint, and a Sunday night set for additional hits in his catalogue. Across three shows, Jay-Z commanded an understated stage set up (“I think the statement piece in a Jay-Z show is Jay-Z,” Willo Perron, the performance’s creative director, told Wired) with support from guests including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Nas, Eminem, Jeezy, Pharrell, and Slick Rick. Check out clips and full set lists from across the run below.
The first night kicked off with a surprise Beyoncé duet, as Mrs. Carter joined Jay onstage to sing Mary J. Blige’s hook on “Can’t Knock the Hustle.” Later, Blue Ivy Carter—who recently danced on her mom’s Cowboy Carter tour—accompanied Jay on the piano to introduce “Feelin’ It.” Other special appearances included Memphis Bleek, Jaz-O, Alicia Keys (one doesn’t just play Yankee Stadium without “Empire State of Mind’), and Nas, who shared the stage with Jay for multiple songs.
On Saturday, Jay’s The Blueprint set broke Yankee Stadium’s ticket sales record. Performing for another packed crowd, the rapper began with opening cut “The Ruler’s Back” alongside guest Slick Rick, though he notably skipped the album’s second song, “Takeover,” a diss track aimed at former foes Nas and the late Prodigy of Mobb Deep. Later in the evening, Eminem popped out to go toe-to-toe with Jay on their collab “Renegade.” The guest with the most stage time on Saturday was Pharrell, who accompanied Jay on five songs including “Excuse Me Miss” and “Frontin.’’ “HOV the greatest of all time,” Pharrell said at one point. “It’s not up for discussion.”
The third night of the residency, billed under the name Extra Innings, was temporarily delayed. Fans were barred from entering Yankee Stadium after a group of people without tickets caused “a security breach,” prompting a full lockdown of the venue, reported ABC 7 News. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Roc Nation added “hundreds of individuals in large groups — who did not have tickets to tonight’s performance — stormed over peaceful ticketholders, and in some cases, breached security.” Yankee Stadium reopened its gates shortly before 10 p.m. local time while police monitored the entrances. When Jay finally took the stage just after midnight, he explained that the decision was to prioritize the safety of fans to avoid trampling, and to ensure they didn’t miss any of the planned performance while stuck outside. The show featured guests Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, and Teyana Taylor, among others.
This fall, Jay-Z will also bring the anniversary production to London, Paris, and Los Angeles. He has yet to reveal specific details or potential cameos for those concerts.