Jaÿ-Z Turns Yankee Stadium Into a 3-Night Hip-Hop Landmark with Beyoncé, Nas, Eminem and More

Yankee Stadium spent the weekend functioning less like a baseball park and more like a hip-hop archive with a live crowd. Jaÿ-Z marked three decades of his career across three consecutive nights in the Bronx, building each show around a different slice of his catalog and stacking the stage with guests who helped turn the run into something closer to a rolling history lesson.

The whole sequence began before the first show had even properly started on Friday, July 10. Jaÿ-Z screened a video of Beyoncé cutting his hair while he sat in the stadium stands, restoring the low Caesar he made famous. It was a small gesture, but one that fit the night’s larger frame: a full performance of Reasonable Doubt in honor of the album’s 30th anniversary.

That opening set leaned into the record’s legacy, but it was anything but solitary. Beyoncé opened by taking Mary J. Blige’s part on “Can’t Knock The Hustle,” Nas came out for “Dead Presidents” and a stretch of other songs, and Blue Ivy, the couple’s first-born, played piano on “Feelin’ It.” Memphis Bleek and Jaz-O also appeared, while Alicia Keys returned near the end for an encore of “Empire State of Mind.”

Night two, held on July 11, arrived right on the dot at 9:11pm and was built around the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint, the album released on Sept. 11, 2001. Jaÿ-Z worked through much of the record, though he notably left out “The Takeover,” the Nas-diss track that has long lived in the background of his catalog whether he performs it or not.

Elsewhere on the second night, Slick Rick joined him for “The Ruler’s Back,” Eminem appeared for “Renegade,” and Pharrell Williams stepped in for a medley of collaborations that started with “Excuse Me Miss.” It was also the shortest of the three performances, landing just under two hours. Still, it made an outsized mark: the show drew 45,832 tickets, setting a new record for the most ever sold for a concert at Yankee Stadium. That number beat the 44,916 tickets sold the night before, which had already reset the stadium’s benchmark.

The final night, billed as Extra Innings, shifted from album-specific nostalgia to a broader sweep through Jaÿ-Z’s biggest records and hits. It also came with a messier beginning. A security breach outside the stadium, after fans rushed the gates, forced officials to lock down the entrances and caused a long delay. Once the show finally started, Jaÿ-Z apologized and told the crowd that safety came first and that he did not want anyone trampled.

He did not take the stage until well after midnight, but the payoff was a marathon set that ran for more than two hours and pulled from Reasonable Doubt, The Blueprint, The Black Album and beyond. Night three also carried the longest guest list of the run, with appearances from Jeezy, Teyana Taylor, Usher, Jermaine Dupri, The-Dream, Pharrell Williams, The Clipse, Swizz Beatz, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Fat Joe and Jadakiss.

Setlists and highlights from the three nights

Night 1 opened with “Can’t Knock the Hustle/Love On Top” featuring Beyoncé and ran through “Politics As Usual,” “Dead Presidents” featuring Nas, “Feelin’ It” with Blue Ivy on piano, “Coming Of Age” featuring Memphis Bleek, “Bring It On” featuring Jaz-O, and “Empire State of Mind” featuring Alicia Keys, before closing with staples including “N**gas In Paris” and “Big Pimpin’.”

“Can’t Knock the Hustle/Love On Top” featuring Beyoncé
“Politics As Usual”
“Made In America (Freestyle)”
“Brooklyn’s Finest”
“I Love The Dough”
“Dead Presidents” featuring Nas
“The World Is Yours” featuring Nas
“N.Y. State of Mind” featuring Nas
“Where I’m From” featuring Nas
“Feelin’ It” featuring Blue Ivy on piano)
“D’evils”
“No Church In The Wild”
“Can I Live”
“Jigga My N**ga”
“Ain’t No N**ga”
“Excuse Me Miss”
“22 Two’s”
“Friend Or Foe / Friend Or Foe ’98”
“Coming Of Age” featuring Memphis Bleek
“Cashmere Thoughts”
“Allure”
“Bring It On” featuring Jaz-O
“Regrets”
“Encore”
“Empire State of Mind” featuring Alicia Keys
“U Don’t Know”
“Best Of Me”
“Blow The Whistle”
“La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again)”
“Beware of the Boys”
“Change The Game”
“Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)”
“You, Me, Him and Her”
“Roc Boys (And The Winner Is…)”
“Public Service Announcement”
“N**gas In Paris”
“Big Pimpin’≈

Night 2 featured “The Ruler’s Back” with Slick Rick, “Renegade” and “Lose Yourself” with Eminem, and a Pharrell-heavy stretch including “Excuse Me Miss,” “LA-LA-LA (Excuse Me Again),” “I Just Wanna Love You (Give It 2 Me),” “Frontin’” and “Allure.”

“The Ruler’s Back” featuring Slick Rick
“Takeover”
“Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”
“Girls, Girls, Girls / ’03 Bonnie & Clyde / Jigga That N**ga”
“U Don’t Know”
“Hola Hovito”
“Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love)”
“Never Change”
“Song Cry”
“All I Need”
“Renegade” featuring Eminem
“Lose Yourself” featuring Eminem
“Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)”
“Empire State of Mind”
“Excuse Me Miss” featuring Pharrell
“LA-LA-LA (Excuse Me Again)” featuring Pharrell
“I Just Wanna Love You” (Give It 2 Me) featuring Pharrell
“Frontin’” featuring Pharrell
“Allure” featuring Pharrell
“Public Service Announcement”
“N**gas In Paris”
“Big Pimpin’”

Night 3 stretched furthest, moving from “Intro (The Dynasty)” and “Brooklyn’s Finest” through guest spots from Teyana Taylor, Jermaine Dupri, Jeezy, Usher, Rihanna, Swizz Beatz, Pharrell and Beyoncé, before ending with “Empire State of Mind,” “New York” featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss, “Dear Summer,” “Lucifer,” “Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Reprise)” and “Numb / Encore.”

“Intro (The Dynasty)”
“Brooklyn’s Finest”
“Where I’m From”
“Dirt Off Your Shoulder”
“I Know”
“U Don’t Know”
“Can’t Knock the Hustle” featuring Teyana Taylor
“Money Ain’t A Thang” featuring Jermaine Dupri
“Seen It All” featuring Jeezy
“Go Crazy” featuring Jeezy
“Hola Hovito”
“Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” featuring Usher
“Part II (On The Run)” featuring Usher
“Never Change”
“Song Cry”
“Izzo (H O.V.A)”
“Beach Is Better”
“Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit”
“N**ga What, N**ga Who” (Originator ’99)
“No Church In The Wild” featuring The-Dream
“Clique”
“Run This Town” featuring Rihanna
“B*tch Better Have My Money” featuring Rihanna
“Dead Presidents”
“Can I Live”
“Girls, Girls, Girls”
“’03 Bonnie & Clyde”
“99 Problems”
“Ruff Ryders’ Anthem / Welcome to the Jungle /So Appalled (Interlude)” featuring Swizz Beatz
“Jigga My N**ga” featuring. Swizz Beatz
“On to the Next One” featuring Swizz Beatz
“Ain’t No N**ga”
“Excuse Me Miss” featuring Pharrell
“La La La (Excuse Me Again)” featuring Pharrell
“I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)” featuring Pharrell
“Frontin’” featuring Pharrell
“Allure” featuring Pharrell
“Grindin’” featuring Clipse & Pharrell
“Drunk in Love / Tom Ford” featuring Beyoncé
“N**gas in Paris”
“Big Pimpin”
“Public Service Announcement”
“Empire State of Mind”
“New York” featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss
“Dear Summer”
“Lucifer”
“Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Reprise)”
“Numb / Encore”