Jay-Z Tottenham review: ‘An unforgettable spectacle from a musical savant’
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“Thank you all for coming and celebrating 30 years. This place holds a special significance in my career, so tonight I want to turn it all the way up,” Jay-Z declared as he recalled his first visit to London back with his mentor Jaz-O in 1989. The 56-year-old remained true to word as he gave 50,000+ fans a reminder of his genius with a sensational performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday night.
The performance marked the start of a two-night residency at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and served as a historic night for Jay-Z. It marked his first solo show in the UK since 2013’s Magna Carta tour and continues the celebration of the 30th anniversary of ‘Reasonable Doubt’ and the 25th anniversary of ‘The Blueprint’ following his record-breaking residency at Yankee Stadium in New York.
That eight-date run has only added to an impeccable legacy that has seen Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, transform hip-hop from a counterculture genre into the dominant force in global pop culture, fashion, and corporate business. He launched the Roc Nation empire, which covers everything from talent management, music publishing, record labels, philanthropy and TV and film, helping him become hip-hop’s first billionaire. Carter has also signed and mentored some of music’s most influential artists in the 21st century, ranging from Kanye West, Rihanna and J. Cole. He integrated hip-hop into the fine art world, and ‘The Blueprint’ is widely regarded for pioneering hip-hop’s pivot away from futuristic synthesisers back to warm, soul samples. This eight-date tour has provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate his timeless legacy, honour the aforementioned ‘Reasonable Doubt’ and ‘The Blueprint’ albums, and give back to the fans.
Friday night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium certainly had an "I was there” feeling from the moment Idris Elba introduced the show, performing the opening track from Carter’s ‘American Gangster’ album. From there, an inspired Jay-Z stepped on stage, opening the mammoth two-hour-long set with ‘Pray’. “London, are you ready?”, he asked. ‘Bam’ and ‘Jigga My N****’ were emphatic statements of intent that set the tone for a spell-binding performance. ‘Izzo’ was reimagined in a live setting, delivering it with thumping drums, rich, atmospheric strings and horn punches. “I know I’ve been away too long, but I am back tonight,” the artist stated, seemingly making up for lost time and he brought with him a muscular backing band, featuring a rhythm guitarist and bassist, a strings section, drums and horns, helping Carter create a powerful wall of sound.
It’s a testament to Carter’s creative genius that he has found different ways to evolve and provide his songs with an extra dimension in live settings. The performance also served as a testament to his exceptional respiratory stamina, breath control, technical skill and vocal maintenance over the years, rapping every single bar without a hype man in unison, underlining that Jay-Z is like a fine wine and simply getting better with age.
‘Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit’ featured a blend of steady, driving drumming and pulsing synths as well as providing a rich, cinematic visual of the artist performing in the past. ‘N****What, *N****Who’ sparked a raucous singalong, ‘Dead Presidents’ and Dead Presidents II’ featured thick, double bass, intricate drumming and string swells and ‘Song Cry’ blended rich keyboards with delicate strings, allowing Carter’s vocals to soar inside the stadium. The 56-year-old also took the audience through a cinematic trip through his home state of New York on ‘Empire State of Mind’ and on ‘Where I’m From, which featured visuals of Brooklyn. He later paid homage to his beloved New York Knicks on ‘Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love),' with cinematic visuals of the Knicks hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy on their championship-winning parade.
A video package of Beyonce doing Jay-Z’s hair inside a stadium sparked pandemonium inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, an on-stage collaboration between the pair didn’t come to fruition on Friday night. The 56-year-old joked that he didn’t want Beyonce to work on her birthday. However, Carter encouraged the audience to sing ‘Happy Birthday To You’ as cameras panned to his wife sitting in the audience, and they didn’t pass up the opportunity. It was a memorable moment made even sweeter as fireworks filled the London skyline, honouring his wife with a thoughtful tribute on her 45th birthday.
As was customary at his Yankee Stadium residency, where the likes of Eminem, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Alicia Keys and Rihanna made guest appearances, the surprises continued at Tottenham Hotspur. The arrival of Giggs saw Jay-Z take a backseat as the Brit performed ‘Talkin’ The Hardest', complemented by an urgent yet spacious keyboard, tight drumming, horn stabs and rich, driving strings.
The arrival of Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean sparked euphoria inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as they performed ‘Ready Or Not’, ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ and ‘Fu-Gee-La’, in what was a fitting moment for the pair. Fugees notably took Jay-Z on his first-ever European tour in 1996, and are also celebrating the 30th anniversary of their ‘The Score’ album, providing a fitting touch on an evening that honoured Jay-Z’s timeless legacy and honoured those who he has worked closely with throughout the decades.
“I’ll never forget this night, London,” he stated as he brought the performance to a close with ‘Numb’ and ‘Encore’. Don’t worry, Shawn. We won’t be forgetting it either. No matter where you are watching Jay-Z, one thing is always certain: you’ll be treated to an unforgettable spectacle from a musical savant.
Tickets for night two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are available here.