Photo Credit: Fans wait outside Yankee Stadium during delayed Jay-Z concert / CNN via Facebook
Hundreds of fans who didn’t have tickets tried to force their way into Jay-Z’s last show at Yankee Stadium, forcing a several-hour delay on Sunday.
After thousands of fans were left waiting outside Yankee Stadium for hours before Jay-Z’s third and final anniversary show on Sunday, the rapper took the stage after midnight to explain the delay. Groups of fans without tickets tried to force their way into the stadium, leading officials to shut things down for several hours due to safety concerns.
Now, some fans who purchased tickets via StubHub say they were denied refunds over the delays since the concert ultimately took place. StubHub said it sympathizes with those fans, but the tickets remained valid because the show was not cancelled. The company also noted that it was not responsible for operating the event or communicating to fans about delays.
The show finally began around 12:15 AM and finished after 2 AM. It was scheduled to begin at 8 PM. Like the previous two shows, the concert featured a slew of surprise appearances by artists like Beyonce, Rihanna, Usher, and more.
According to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city will review what took place at Yankee Stadium to better understand the security response and determine whether changes need to be made for future events.
“Last night is something that we’re going to follow up on, because I know that there are many New Yorkers who were delayed after a breach of security by those who didn’t have tickets, and then it resulted in a multiple-hour delay for many others,” Mamdani said on Monday. “So, that’s something we’ll follow up on.”
Before the show began, Jay-Z apologized to the crowd for the delay, explaining that because folks had rushed the doors, he didn’t want to start performing and “have people get trampled.”
“Really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everybody was okay,” he told the crowd before kicking off another historic performance.
Yankee Stadium, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, and Live Nation released a joint statement explaining the delay, and that the stadium opted to shutter entrances out of an abundance of caution.