Jay-Z Closes Yankee Stadium Residency With Epic Late Night Show Featuring Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, Teyana Taylor and More

“We’re going to go until like 5 a.m., so don’t be scared,” said Jay-Z not long after he started the third and final show of his Yankee Stadium residency on Sunday night, the concluding chapter to a weekend that paid homage to the 25th and 30th anniversaries of his seminal albums “The Blueprint” and “Reasonable Doubt,” respectively. The remark was made around 1 a.m, roughly 40 minutes after he started a concert that had been plagued by hours-long delays as fans waited both inside the stadium and on the perimeter of the venue, stuck in lines that didn’t budge. Surely, the 5 a.m. comment was made in jest — it had to be, right? Indeed, it was, but not entirely far off from when the curtain was lowered at 3 a.m. on the trio of shows that reinforced the majesty of Jay-Z across a nearly three-hour spectacle. The Sunday night concert, added after the initial pair was announced and billed as “Extra Innings,” suggested that Jay was free to explore his catalog without centering an entire performance on one specific album. Speculation flew over what the night would constitute: the release and premiere of a new record, as suggested by Beyoncé buzzing off his hair — a self-care act that typically marks the end of a Jay-Z recording cycle — in a video shown at the start of both the first and third nights? A B-sides show not unlike the one he played at Webster Hall in 2015? A no-holds-barred parade of guests and hits that he hadn’t revisited in the nights prior? What Jay made up for in a patience-testing delay was a grand performance that was one for the history books. It was a ceaseless tour of his discography accented and enhanced by a rotating cast of guest artists that, to do justice, is best laid out as a plain list: Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell Williams, Clipse, Teyana Taylor, Swizz Beatz, Jeezy, Fat Joe, Jadakiss and The-Dream. But Jay was the master of ceremonies, the nucleus of a performance that, admittedly, didn’t look like it was going to happen. The Friday and Saturday shows had started in the 9 o’clock hour, but it quickly became clear that Yankee Stadium was having issues with fans getting in as throngs of attendees stood in static lines outside the stadium. Videos on social media circulated of a trickle of people getting in one gate, leading to hours and hours of the concert being pushed back. After the clock struck midnight, Jay’s band took their places, but it wasn’t until 12:20 a.m. that Jay finally emerged with a justification in hand: “It was like 10,000 people outside and they closed all the doors and somebody rushed the doors and they closed the door,” he said. “But your guys’ safety and everybody’s safety outside, it’s 10,000 people outside, I don’t want to start music and people get trampled. So I’m really sorry for the inconvenience but I had to make sure everybody’s OK. So I appreciate your patience, we’re going to have a good time tonight. I got some shit for you, I promise you.” That promise held up as Jay ran through almost 50 — yes, 50 — songs over the course of nearly three hours. Much of the set was made up of songs that he’d performed as part of his “Reasonable Doubt” and “The Blueprint” shows, right down to the song segues and clever arrangements (the pipe-in of Destiny’s Child’s “Girl” on “Girls, Girls, Girls,” mashed with “’03 Bonnie & Clyde,” hit just as hard as it did on Saturday night). But the set stood strong for the crowd of more than 40,000 people who hadn’t given up hope on a historic evening, very late bedtimes be damned. Jay traipsed decades and eras with ease, from the classics (“Dead Presidents,” “Can I Live”) to decidedly more recent fare (“Clique,” “FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt”). But the show was as much a fete of Jay as it was his guests, and there were plenty. Teyana Taylor filled in for Mary J. Blige’s hook on “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” which was handled by Beyoncé as the marquee opener for night one. Beyoncé herself returned to the stage for a saucy rendition of “Drunk in Love.” Rihanna claimed that she “missed this shit” after she slung the hook on “Run This Town” and ran through “Bitch Better Have My Money.” Usher did hook duties on “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” and sang “Throwback.” Pharrell came out, as he’d done on Saturday, for a medley of their collaborations. The-Dream played Frank Ocean’s part on “No Church in the Wild.” Clipse delivered “Grindin.” Fat Joe and Jadakiss came out at the end for “New York.” Jeezy was on hand for “Seen It All” and “Go Crazy.” Swizz Beatz assisted Jay through some of the many smash singles they’ve made together. But in the end, it was Jay, as comfortable on stage as ever, as though it hadn’t been nearly a decade since his last album. He’s still the consummate showman we’ve come to know over the years, and he didn’t shy away from it. As he slid into the final moments of the night, he rapped an acapella version of “Dear Summer,” released as a farewell around his early 2000s faux-retirement, and concluded with “Encore.” Fireworks streamed across the New York sky as the clock ticked towards 3 a.m. Yes, tomorrow would be ruined, but not an ounce of regret could be felt as the lights flicked on at Yankee Stadium. Dynasty IntroBrooklyn’s FinestDirt Off Your ShoulderI KnowU Don’t KnowCan’t Knock the Hustle with Teyana TaylorMoney Ain’t a Thing with Jermaine DupriSeen It All with JeezyGo Crazy with JeezyHola HovitoHeart of the City (Ain’t No Love) with UsherThrowback with UsherNever ChangeSong CryIzzo (H.O.V.A.)Beach Is Better (Interlude)FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotItN— What, N— WhoNo Church in the Wild with The-DreamCliqueRun This Town with RihannaBitch Better Have My Money with RihannaDead PresidentsCan I LiveGirls Girls Girls99 ProblemsRuff Ryder’s Anthem / Welcome to the Jungle / So Appalled / Jigga My N— / On to the Next One with Swizz BeatzAin’t No N—Excuse Me Miss / La La La / I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) / Frontin’ / Allure with Pharrell WilliamsGrindin’ with Clipse and Pharrell WilliamsDrunk in Love with BeyoncéN—s in Paris b/w Big Pimpin’Public Service AnnouncementNew York, New York (Frank Sinatra cover)Empire State of MindNew York with Fat Joe and JadakissDear SummerLuciferEncore

Read the full report at Variety ↗