Jay-Z Was Right On Time In Canada

Friday, 30 October 2009 10:26 MsRoc

Fan written article: As the man says, "I'm a work of art. I'm a Warhol." After being skeptical yesterday that Jay-Z would make it all the way from the World Series pre-game to the John Labatt Centre, I can only say wow. He did.

Police escorts in NYC and London may have helped (how did they get around the L-Town roads we have so carefully prepared for the star's arrival) . . . but Jay-Z clearly did not leave his game at the new Yankee stadiium.

Toward the end of the 90-minute plus show, he actually urged the audience to applaud itself for being excellent. Having tried a similar move myself on various occasions, I know that when it doesn't work, it bombs.

Like many other things he does, it came across as confident, serene, sincere. I never thought I would say this but I am happy the Yankees won Game 2 & he looked terrific in a Yankees cap in NYC as seen on TV and last night's/early this morning's encore.

I also loved the Phillies caps sported by a few cool presences in N.E.R.D. You gotta stick with your team.

Loved the band, too . . . a baritone sax at the John Labatt Centre . . . James Brown, Harry Connick, how many others might have had baris.

I was v. impressed by the audience myself. Up there with Green Day for the energy of intensely young forever idealists, partyers, joyfinders, searchers. Almost everybody was late teen to 20s, so it may be that a 10:30 p.m. start is just right.

The videos kept showing the crowd . . . v. diverse group within that age range. Dancers & shakers & movers to rival Sunfest's best.

I have pretty dismal recollections of 50 Cent tossing a Knights' jersey into the crowd as the visual highlight of his show at the arena . . . & comical ones of the badly organized Desert Storm tour.

By contrast, Jay-Z's stage machinery & style is so honed he can pause & talk (the fans always wanted a record of Elvis just talking) & then resume the drive.

Warhol is one of Jay-Z's own choices for where he is as an artist . . . that NYC celebrity-high art-huge price-pop culture-fame-genius is one connection.

My own suggestions? Griot. Mr. JB. PFunk. Tiger Woods. Elvis. Sinatra. Bob Marley. August Wilson. Cotton Comes to Harlem.

The best rapper alive. That's what he said.

I don't see nearly enough of them to judge. No argument here & congrats, Jay-Z, for making a major-league move (7:40 or so in NYC, 10:35 or so on stage on London) seem so effortless & artistic.

The best rapper alive. We can stop there.