I fear that Jay-Z is one of the last of a dying breed of musicians.
Some of us might get out of breath climbing a couple of flights of stairs, but the stamina it takes to rap live with no backing track for two hours in your late 50s is a feat only Shawn Carter could master.
He’s an artist who, while naturally gifted, evolved from an era where consciously crafting your art was the bare minimum, not the burden. So watching him headline Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last night in celebration of his 30th anniversary, I saw the journey.
Jay-Z is a man who now has it all: a billion or two in his back pocket, more accolades than any of us could reel off and a lifestyle that only the 1% could afford. He could easily turn his back on music and sail off into the sunset on a luxury yacht, but music is in his blood, or as he told us last night: ‘It saved me.’
This is clearly why he still performs with the same vibrancy as the young man from Marcy who had a dream.
When you have a catalogue as extensive as Jigga’s that spans three decades, it would be easy for an anniversary tour show to turn into a greatest hits karaoke session. We did all sing and rap our hearts out to robust classics like U Don’t Know, 99 Problems and Big Pimpin, but this night was so much more than a performance by the numbers.
At least mother showed her face kinda 😭 @Beyoncé #jayz #tottenham #hiphop #pop #popmusic
Every song on the carefully curated setlist had its place, and it felt like an authentic experience, traversing throughout Jay-Z’s glittering career. Hits like Excuse Me Miss and Run This Town were clear crowd-pleasers, while Dead Presidents and Song Cry were among the reflective cuts still powerful enough to stir your soul.
Musically, he’s hardly ever put a foot wrong (Death of Auto-Tune aside), and that’s reflected in what was presented to us on the first night of his two London shows.
You could argue that a couple of notable songs were missed – where on earth were Can’t Knock the Hustle and Renegade hiding? – but the problem is just that the man simply has too many hits to squeeze into two hours. He could also be saving those for night two when certain guests, ahem, Beyoncé or Nas, might join him.
Speaking of, it can’t be ignored that we were all expecting his talented wife to surprise us with an appearance on her 45th birthday. Instead, Jay-Z won husband brownie points by shooting fireworks from the rafters of Tottenham’s stadium and led the packed crowd in a singalong of Happy Birthday while the spotlight shone down on Queen Bey.
It was disappointing to not see them share the stage again, but that’s the point – why should we expect it? This is after all Jay-Z’s celebratory tour and, while it would have been nice to get another rendition of Drunk In Love, he’s still an artist in his own right and proved that he could largely hold it down alone.
We were, however, treated to a few special guests like the legendary Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and South London’s very own landlord Giggs, who brought Jay-Z in for his iconic hit Talking the Hardest. Sir Idris Elba also opened the show with his American Gangster intro, making for a particularly rare and special moment.
A true marker of his professionalism, Jay-Z didn’t let a few sound and technical issues hamper his performance, but it felt minimal enough to still enjoy the show – it’s all about the recovery.
It’s remarkable that he’s still performing at this level after so many years and at the age of 56. Where does he go from here? The man of mystery will keep us in suspense, no doubt, but somehow, it doesn’t feel like the end. Give the man the Encore he deserves.
Jay-Z full setlist at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – night 1
Intro featuring Sir Idris Elba
Pray
Bam
Jigga My N***a
Beach Is Better
F**kwithmeyouknowigotit
Jigga What, Jigga Who
Run This Town
On To The Next One
Empire State Of Mind
Family Feud
U Don’t Know
Dead Presidents
Where I’m From
Hard Knock LIfe
Lucifer
No Church In The Wild
Can I Live
99 Problems
Girls, Girls, Girls
Excuse Me Miss
La-La-La
Give It To Me
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
Never Change
Song Cry
God Did and Talking the Hardest (DJ Khaled and Giggs)
Heart Of The City
Ready Or Not (Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean)
Killing Me Softly (Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean)
Fu-Gee-La (Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean)
N****s In Paris
Big Pimpin
PSA
Numb/Encore
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