Jay-Z live at Madison Square
Update 9/26/09–all of the video clips have been removed from YouTube. I knew it was only a matter of time before this happed, I hoped you got a change to view them before they were yanked, or got the chance to see the concert.
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I believe it goes without saying that Jay-Z is the pre-eminent MC in the rap game today. And trust me, I don’t say that lightly as I am very hard on the Hip Hop and Rap genre of today (just ask the hubby–we get into it all the time about it). I have fundamental issues with what some Hip Hop “artists” call music, including the overwhelming negative images they choose to glorify constantly, the lack of respect they show for any and all things different than them or from what they’re accustomed to
Yet, I digress. I will not get into that discussion today.
Today I want to talk about the musical genius that is Jay-Z. The hubby had been eagerly awaiting the release of Blueprint 3, so the minute his pre-ordered copied downloaded, he’s been listening to it. After getting his initial impressions, I decided to listen to it once I got home that day. But of course I got sidetracked and didn’t get around to it. Then I was reminded that Jay-Z 9/11 concert was on TV, so I tuned in to get my first look at Jay in concert and to get my first glimpse of The Blueprint 3.
And keep in mind that while I do like Jay-Z, I still have a lot of strong negative feelings and prejudices against rappers in general, and its sometimes hard for me to get past that.
So, I tuned into the concert and was amazed and blown away by his performance. I’ve never seen Jay-Z in concert so all of the live appearances I’ve seen of him have been on award shows and such, where everyone tends to have over the top performances and stage designs. And Jay-z is not known for the visual performances at his shows (i.e. dancers, complicated sets, changing clothes, etc.) so I was a bit concerned (but only for all of 2 secs) of what a Jay-Z concert would be like.
I LOVED it.
Who needs dancers, special effects, and pyrotechnics when you have great music being performed by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Kanye, and John Mayer? I’m a big fan of good music, regardless of genre, and this was a great show. I can only image how charged the atmosphere was at the Garden that night. When you have a talented artist who’s a fan of good music, who’s an outstanding lyricist, and one that is not afraid to make a statement with his work, you’re in for one hell of a show.
Here are just a few of my fav performances from the concert. And while you’re viewing these, check out the crowd. Jay-Z sold out the Garden and attracted a highly diverse audience in the process. I’m telling you, we all bond over good music.
Of course, first up is Jay-Z featuring John Mayer. I LOOOOOOOVE me some John Mayer, as most of my friends very well know. John’s makes his intro at the :26 mark, but the real jam session starts around the 2:45 mark which segues into the DOA performance at 4:32. Try not to get too excited and jump around too much (or wait, that may just have been me-lol)
Here’s Jay performing one of my favs from the new album ”Home”, featuring Kid Cudi. The performance starts at the 1:08 mark
Ok, and last but not least in the line of great performances from the show, here’s my fav song off the new album:
And I would be remiss if I did not include this touching tribute from Jay. This is, of course, the entire reason behind this concert. Seeing the pictures of those that lost their lives that day made a huge emotional impact. The 9/11 tribute starts at the 7:20 mark:
The concert is re-airing tonight (9/13) on Fuse. Tune in if you missed it the first time around.
