Kentucky
According to Cincinatti papers:
It was the first sold-out show at the Highland Heights arena, which opened last year. A crowd of 8,800 attended.
There weren’t any glaring technical glitches or errors in execution in what was the second stop on Jay-Z’s fall tour. The show is equally simple and sleek. The 39-year-old rapper, born Shawn Carter, operated at the front of an empty stage, with his 10-piece band arranged on risers in a semi-circle behind him.
Dressed in an all-black ensemble of leather jacket, t-shirt, jeans and sunglasses, Jay-Z rose through a trap door in the stage to start the show. After performing the opening number, the hit “Run This Town” off of “The Blueprint 3,” he asked a question related to the song as to his whereabouts: “I’m really confused. Who run the town? Is it Kentucky? Is it Cincinnati?” The latter received louder applause.
A fair share of the production budget went into a three-dimensional video screen towering behind the band. It offered all kinds of stunning visual possibilities, such as showing dozens of stage shots and music-video clips at once.
As the Brooklyn-bred rapper performed “Empire State of Mind,” the screen displayed pretty panoramic nighttime shots of the Manhattan skyline. Guest vocalist Bridget Kelly sang the Alicia Keys part of the tune, another hit from “The Blueprint 3.”
“I’m the new Sinatra,” Jay-Z boasted in the song. It’s a fair comparison, not just because each is portrayed as the coolest American pop megastar of his day. There are other parallels. One guy had Kennedy for a pal; the other has Obama. One guy was married to fellow celeb Ava Gardner; the other is married to Beyonce. One guy had Joey Bishop for a celebrity toady. The other has Kanye West.
“Empire State of Mind” and all of the material from “The Blueprint 3” resonated with the crowd as strongly as the old hits. “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” and “Young Forever,” two more “The Blueprint 3” hits, couldn’t have been more different. “D.O.A.” was one of Jay-Z’s typically potent blasts aimed at trend-following in hip-hop, while “Forever Young,” which he placed at the end of the set list, was a slice of good old-fashioned pop-music cheesiness.
Jay-Z saved many of his older hits for an extended encore. Joined on stage by fellow New York rapper Memphis Bleek during the encore, Jay-Z rolled through several signature tunes including “Can I Get A…,” “99 Problems,” “Big Pimpin’” and “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem).”
Vocalist Pharrell Williams was another guest, and he and Jay-Z performed their duet on “The Blueprint 3” called “So Ambitious.” Earlier in the night, Williams’ band N.E.R.D. played an opening set of synth-laden hip-hop that at its best was propelled by the complex beats of two powerhouse drummers. At its worst, N.E.R.D. took on ska a couple times and came out sounding like No Doubt.
Edmonton
According to Edmonton Sun:
Rap music sure has come a long way. Golly, just 30 years ago, it was underground, a voice from the underclass, a passionate expression of the "word on the street." Now it's an entertainment industry unto itself, whose biggest stars tend to celebrate little more than their own massive success.
Well, go on. They earned it. No one embodies this superstar mentality better than Jay-Z, who delivered a larger-than-life hip-hop spectacular at Rexall Place last night. This show had everything: Giant video screens, bone-rattling bass, a 10-piece band including horn section, the wailing back-up singer Bridget Kelly, the shouting back-up rapper Memphis Bleek, and front and centre: the richest rapper on the planet, the man who has more No. 1 hits than Elvis.
Jay-Z couldn't have earned a bigger response if he were A-Rod and Malcolm X rolled into one, which, in a way, he is. Jay-Z combines the bravado of a sports hero with the charisma of a political pulpit pounder -- even if his basic message is one of "put your hands in the air!" More than 9,000 fans who turned up last night seemed to agree.
It was fun show -- big and loud and sloppy and filled with fans screaming out the words to favourite songs, just like a rock concert. Tunes ranged from his roots back in the early '90s to stuff from his latest record, The Blueprint 3 -- all of it delivered at full throttle, with delirious excess. Bonus points for D.O.A. (Death of Autotune), a song about "keeping it real" that seeks to destroy that annoying vocal effect heard in half the songs on hit radio.
There's this idea that Jay-Z's lyrics are degrading and even hateful to women. The London Abused Women's Centre recently scrapped a plan to raffle off a private box for Jay-Z's show at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ont. on Oct. 29, concluding -- after a careful reading of his lyrics --that Jay-Z's music is misogynistic. Why, then, were there so many women at the show last night?
OK, so most of the crowd were guys, but there many fine ladies in the house, yes indeed. It was mentioned several times. Why, if Jay-Z is such a cad, is he still happily married to Beyonce, the most bootylicious diva of them all, who clearly won't take any guff from anyone? Just wondering.
A careful listening of Jay-Z's material last night reveals a fondness for fine champagne, fine women and his own fine self, hopefully combining all three in a hot tub filled with $100 bills. That's just the surface impression. Sexist? Hard to say. But hateful it's not.
Last night's show was an expression of pure joy. Even 99 Problems, coming early in the evening, with its line, "I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain't one," was brimming with positivity -- positive that the man has a fine woman who is not a bitch, obviously. Gimme That Funk is a simple call for sex, while Show Me What You Got is a simple call to show him what you got, such as waving one's arms like one doesn't care, and so on.
You could argue that the entire commercial rap genre is sexist, and as its spiritual leader, Jay-Z has to at least help set the agenda or people will get suspicious. In any case, he was very convincing last night: veering expertly between pure party anthems to more sensitive songs dealing with the hard road from the ghetto to rap superstar, and even a dash of politics. He also sang of fine champagne and good weed -- at one point lamenting to the crowd about Canada's "border cops" -- and of beautiful women and great towns. Several songs seemed to focus on his own name, confusing, but understandable given how many he has: Jay-Z, Hova, Jigga or Shawn Carter. Jigga What was one of those massive crowd participation songs that helped clear it up.
The show opened with sets by D.C.-area rapper MC Wale and rock-rap-jazz fusion combo N.E.R.D. Both groups used a live band with varying success. Both paid tribute to rock favourites, Wale on Nirvana, N.E.R.D. quoting the White Stripes.
Wale's outfit pounded out a sloppy, choppy funk sound, apparently known as "go-go" in D.C. funk circles. N.E.R.D. did all this and more -- with two drummers, four MCs up front, great groove, big sound. As front man Pharrell Williams explained, "We're known for chaos, that's what we do." Wale seemed to come by chaos naturally, though he stood out for songs like Pretty Girls and Party Party Party, which explain themselves. The far more experienced, mature and sophisticated N.E.R.D. -- which has recently added a female member to its ranks -- was notable for songs like Rock Star, She Wants to Move and Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing In Line for the Bathroom).
Which also explain themselves, I guess.
Calgary
According to Calgary Sun:
He’s the king of hip hop braggadocio — with good reason.
Jay-Z has been at the top (or at least near the top) of the hip-hop heap for almost 15 years. He’s sold millions of albums, enjoyed massive mainstream success with singles such as Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem) and 99 Problems; he’s an entrepreneur who snagged his own Dream Girl, Beyonce, and on top of that he’s already retired and made a critically acclaimed comeback.
But perhaps his greatest feat in recent years was headlining England’s traditionally rock-oriented Glastonbury Festival last year.
Despite angry protestations from veteran Glasto-goers —and one very perturbed Noel Gallagher of Oasis — Jay-Z’s set was considered one of the highlights of the music festival.
After seeing his show at the Saddledome last night, it’s no surprise Jay-Z won over a crowd of diehard rock fans so easily.
Jay-Z’s live performance takes more from the over-the-top stage artistry of Nickelback or U2 than the laid-back, rather unorganized style of say, Snoop Dogg.
But unlike Nickelback, Jay-Z doesn’t overdo it. His entrance was dramatic, of course, rising up from beneath the stage to greet the 9,500 excited fans who took in the concert.
A cluster of long rectangular screens jutted out from the stage, creating cool video and lighting effects.
Casually dressed in a black shirt and black skater pants and sporting sunglasses, Jay-Z quickly engaged the audience with direct communication and his enviable charisma.
He first asked the crowd whether or not he should call Calgary “Cowtown.” The chorus of boos answered that question pretty quickly.
But the hisses soon turned to cheers as Jay-Z performed a tight and energetic set of hits including 99 Problems and Hard Knock Life and newer tracks such as the Death of Auto-Tune from his latest CD, The Blueprint 3.
Whereas some hip-hop shows consist of one MC rhyming over a DJ while 15 other baggy-jeaned fellas wander around aimlessly throwing in the odd ‘Yeah! Yeah!’, Jay-Z makes sure his live show means live.
A stellar 10-piece band that included a three-piece horn section gave the performance a classic-rock show feel and the songs were punchy and bright thanks to back up rapper Memphis Bleek, who joined Jay-Z onstage after the opening song.
Singer Bridget Kelly also joined Jay-Z and Memphis onstage for a few tracks.
There aren’t too many mainstream rappers you can call eloquent and articulate, but Jay-Z breaks the mould with his carefully constructed lyrics.
There are MCs with faster flow and more vocal flair, but Jay-Z’s style is accessible enough for both hardcore hip-hop fans and those with just a passing interest in the genre.
When he raps, “Wasn’t born hustlers, I was birthin ’em,” and, “Can’t leave rap alone, the game needs me,” during Izzo (H.O.V.A), it’s more than just in-your-face bravado. Beneath all the over-the-top posturing lies an admirable poetic sensibility, which is often overlooked.
Opening act Wale crammed as much as he could into his short 30-minute set. Though people were still filing in as the D.C. rapper did his thing, Wale made sure those who were paying attention were rewarded with a cool set of bass-heavy neo-funk and groovy hip hop.
Backed by a fine collection of musicians, Wale blended louder rock elements with danceable soul and even a dash of world music.
Wale was able to get those in the floor seats up on their feet, but it wasn’t until N.E.R.D. hit the stage that the rest of the crowd followed.
Led by uber-producer Pharrell Williams, N.E.R.D. is one of the more musically sophisticated and creative groups in hip hop.
Featuring double drummers, four MCs, guitar, bass and keyboards, N.E.R.D. —which is an acronym for No one Ever Really Dies — offered up a delicious plate of funk, pop and hip hop.
Though anchored in hip hop, N.E.R.D. isn’t afraid to throw in ska or, in the case of the single Soldier, delve into a little hardcore punk.
While the audience seemed to appreciate N.E.R.D.’s unique approach to the genre, they reacted best to recognizable radio hits such as the sexy stomp, She Wants to Move.
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