Photo Credit: Roc Nation
Jay-Z promised a celebration of the anniversaries of two of his most iconic albums, and fans turned out for him at Yankee Stadium in record numbers.
Jay-Z is celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint plus the 30th anniversary of his debut, Reasonable Doubt, and he’s pulled out all the stops for his hometown during his headlining shows at Yankee Stadium.
He brought in a whirlwind of special guests, including his wife Beyonce and daughter Blue Ivy, as well as Nas, Eminem, Jaz-O, and Alicia Keys. Fat Joe, comedian Dave Chappelle, actor Anthony Mackie, and host and commentator Joe Budden were spotted in the crowd.
The second of the three sold-out nights, which kicked off on Saturday evening (July 11), set the record for the most tickets ever sold for a concert at Yankee Stadium with 45,832—breaking Jay-Z’s previous record from Friday night.
It’s an impressive turnout, made all the more impressive by concerns that the seats weren’t selling as expected just days before. But with whispers of Beyonce in the air and prices rapidly dropping, the fear of missing out won in the end, leading to some seriously packed and high-energy shows.
After an electrifying Friday night that featured Beyonce and a live band, Saturday night kept the momentum going with guest appearances by Eminem, Pharrell Williams, and Slick Rick, performing hits like “Renegade,” “Lose Yourself,” “Excuse Me Miss,” “I Just Wanna Love U,” “Frontin’,” and “Allure.” The previous night featured a special rendition of “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” “Dead Presidents,” “The World is Yours,” “N.Y. State of Mind,” and “Feelin’ It.”
Unfortunately, the third and final night was thrown into chaos when a security breach delayed the show by a few hours. A police source told ABC Eyewitness News that a large group broke through security, prompting a full lockdown of the stadium. Thousands of fans were outside the stadium waiting to get in, as no one was allowed in or out.
One attendee said they arrived a little after 8 PM for the show, which was scheduled to begin at that time, but they saw a group of people “bum rush” the gate.
“People went past security, were not checked, and [went] into the stadium. They closed down Gate 2; we went to Gate 4. Same thing happened,” they said. “We were at the suite section; they would not even let us in there.”
The gates ultimately reopened shortly before 10 PM, with police officers patrolling each entrance. At around 12:15 AM, Jay-Z finally took the stage for the final night of his Yankee Stadium celebration.