On Friday night, more than 45,000 people gathered at Yankee Stadium not to enjoy the national pastime, but a bucket-list New York one: seeing Jay-Z perform in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt. It was the first in a three-night residency, with the Friday show dedicated to Reasonable Doubt and the Saturday show reserved for The Blueprint, which turns 25 this year. Across both nights, Jay-Z commanded an understated stage set up (“I think the statement piece in a Jay-Z show is Jay-Z,” Willo Perron, the performance’s creative director, told Wired recently) with support from guests including Beyoncé, Nas, Eminem, Slick Rick, and his daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Check out clips and full set lists from both nights below.
The residency’s first night kicked off with a bang in the form of a surprise Beyoncé duet. Mrs. Carter joined Jay-Z onstage to open the show with “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” before Jay dove into a series of solo cuts including “Made In America (Freestyle)” and “Brooklyn’s Finest.” Beyoncé wouldn’t be the last guest to pop up throughout the night though, nor the last family member. Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy Carter—who also recently danced on her mom’s Cowboy Carter tour—accompanied him on the piano to introduce “Feelin’ It.” Other special appearances throughout the night came from Memphis Bleek, Jaz-O, Alicia Keys (because one doesn’t just play Yankee Stadium without dropping “Empire State of Mind’), and Nas, who shared the stage with Jay for multiple songs.
The fanfare hadn’t died down on Saturday, which was all about 2001’s The Blueprint and broke Yankee Stadium’s ticket sales record. Performing for another packed-out crowd, the rapper kicked things off with a rendition of “The Ruler’s Back” with Slick Rick. Later in the night, Eminem also popped out to go toe-to-toe with Jay on their song “Renegade.” But the guest with the most stage time on Saturday was Pharrell, who accompanied Jay on five songs including “Excuse Me Miss” and “Frontin.’’ “HOV the greatest of all time,” Pharrell quipped at one point. “It’s not up for discussion.”
Jay-Z will return to Yankee Stadium tonight for the third and final show in his residency, billed under the name Extra Innings. This fall, he’ll also bring the anniversary production to London, Paris, and Los Angeles.
