Jay-Z was almost entirely truthful to the source material for his 25th anniversary Yankee Stadium show on Saturday to celebrate “The Blueprint,” setting guests artists to high wattage but low frequency as he trotted out Eminem, Pharrell Williams and Slick Rick for a curtailed 90-minute set.
The Brooklyn native had already established a tall precedent on Friday to commemorate the 30-year milestone of “Reasonable Doubt,” his 1996 debut that elevated him from hugging blocks to topping charts. The first of three shows was all bells and whistles right from the start, with his wife Beyoncé coming out for “Can’t Knock the Hustle” as a table-setter for guests like Nas, Jaz-O and Alicia Keys.
The Brooklyn legend opened with “The Ruler’s Back” before bringing out Slick Rick for “La Di Da Di” and “Children’s Story,” setting the tone for a night built entirely around one classic body of work. The 90-minute set moved fast, sticking close to the original tracklist Jay built with Kanye West, Bink and Just Blaze back in 2001. Eminem walked out next, joining Jay-Z for “Renegade,” the only feature on the original album and a song that’s carried plenty of debate since Nas took aim at it on “Ether” back in 2001. Em stuck around to perform “Lose Yourself” for the crowd before Jay pushed forward into “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “Song Cry,” and “Takeover,” working through the tracklist track by track.
Night two was reportedly the most in-demand of the three shows, and it’s easy to see why given the guest list and the history behind “Renegade.” Fans who caught the Yankees gear and hometown energy from Friday’s opener, where Beyoncé, Nas and Blue Ivy all made appearances celebrating Reasonable Doubt’s 30th anniversary, got a very different, more stripped-down show for round two.