To mark the occasion, Jay-Z partnered with the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund for the show, presented in conjunction with Fuse, Absolut and Live Nation. All proceeds from the event will go to the charity, and the performance will air commercial-free and stream online on Fuse's Web site. Tickets for the concert go on sale September 8 at 12 p.m. ET.
Monday's press conference was attended by a number of officials, including New York Governor David Patterson.
For Jay-Z, the experience is an honor he isn't taking lightly.
"I'm humbled by this whole entire process," he told MTV News after the conference. "Just my whole evolution coming to this place. It just all worked out this way. The first album came out on this exact day, I was in Los Angeles and couldn't help out physically. For it to come full circle and us to be here and play Madison Square Garden and 100 percent of the proceeds going to [the charity]. I'm just humbled by the experience."
After the press conference, a woman who lost her brother — a policeman — in the 9/11 tragedy handed Jay a bracelet that her brother wore.
"This makes it real," Jay-Z said while holding the gift. "Someone really lost their brother, he sacrificed his life for others. You're humbled by those types of acts of heroism. You only hope to live up to that type of courage and strength. I'm doing a concert, I'm entertaining. At the end of the day I'm doing a great thing, but it's not what this guy has done."
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