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Fans waited over three hours for the finale of Jay-Z’s three-night stand at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Now, the rapper has addressed the delay.
On Sunday, fans gathered at Yankee Stadium for the third and final show in Jay-Z’s three-night stand in his hometown. But the rapper didn’t take the stage until three hours later, as people rushed past security and thousands more waited outside. Unsurprisingly, the show was pushed back to prevent crowd safety issues.
“Let me explain the delay to you guys,” said Jay before kicking off the show shortly after midnight on Monday. “It was like 10,000 people outside, and we closed all the doors, and somebody rushed the door. They closed the door for you guys’ safety and everyone’s safety outside. There’s 10,000 people outside; I don’t want to start the music and people get trampled. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everyone was okay. I appreciate your patience.”
Attendees were understandably frustrated by such a long delay, but seemingly understood, as the audience was incredibly enthusiastic once the show finally got started. The show was scheduled to begin at 8 PM but didn’t kick off until after midnight, wrapping up around 2:45 in the morning with fireworks launching over Yankee Stadium.
Besides Jay-Z, Roc Nation, Yankee Stadium, and Live Nation released a joint statement about the delay: “The Yankees, Roc Nation, and Live Nation express our deep gratitude to the NYPD and to Yankee Stadium security personnel for their leadership and direction throughout the evening, putting the welfare of attendees above all other considerations.”
Despite a rocky start to the finale, the three shows made for a historic hometown event at Yankee Stadium, with the hip-hop mogul bringing a slew of guests. The final night featured Beyonce, Rihanna, Teyana Taylor, Usher, and Pharrell Williams.
But the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Jay-Z’s The Blueprint and the 30th anniversary of his debut, Reasonable Doubt, isn’t over yet. Hov will also be performing in London, Paris, and Los Angeles in the coming months. He’s also got a Rick Rubin-directed docuseries coming to HBO in the fall.