Jay-Z brought his three-night concert series at New York’s Yankee Stadium to a spectacular close on Sunday night with an all-star lineup of surprise guests, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, Swizz Beatz, Jeezy, Fat Joe and several other music stars.
According to Billboard, the Grammy-winning rapper took the stage for the final anniversary concert at around 12:16am after a lengthy delay. Thousands of ticket holders had been left waiting outside the stadium for hours before the show. Addressing the crowd, Jay-Z apologised for the delay and explained that around 10,000 people were still outside the venue after a rush at one of the entrances prompted officials to close the gates for safety reasons. He said he chose to delay the performance to ensure no one was injured.
The concert eventually turned into a marathon celebration of Jay-Z’s career, running until about 3am. The show featured performances of some of his biggest hits alongside a series of surprise guest appearances.
One of the night’s biggest highlights came when Rihanna joined Jay-Z on stage to perform their hit Run This Town. She also performed her 2015 single Bitch Better Have My Money, drawing one of the loudest reactions from the crowd. The performance marked another rare live appearance for Rihanna, whose last studio album was released in 2016.
Beyoncé also made a surprise appearance, reuniting with Jay-Z to perform their 2013 hit Drunk in Love. The performance became one of the defining moments of the evening as fans erupted in cheers.
Beyoncé had also appeared during the opening night of the concert series on 10 July. She joined Jay-Z for Can’t Knock the Hustle, the opening track from his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt, singing Mary J. Blige’s original parts in the song.
The final show featured a long list of surprise guests, including Usher, Jeezy, Pharrell Williams, Teyana Taylor, Swizz Beatz, Clipse, The-Dream, Fat Joe, Jadakiss and Jermaine Dupri, turning the concert into a celebration of Jay-Z’s decades-long career and musical collaborations.
The three Yankee Stadium concerts marked the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt, while also celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint, released on 11 September 2001. The first concert featured Beyoncé, Blue Ivy and Alicia Keys, while the second included Eminem and Pharrell Williams. Sunday’s Extra Innings show combined highlights from both performances after overwhelming demand.
Jay-Z will continue the Jay-Z 30 concert series later this year with performances in Paris on 10 September, London on 4 September and Los Angeles on 23 October. His London concert, scheduled on Beyoncé’s birthday, has already fuelled speculation that she could make another surprise appearance.
