Jay-z Review Vancouver: He Is So Big They Call Him Mister

According to the Vancouver Sun:

To use a classic candy bar slogan, when you're this big they call you "Mister."

Well, Mr. Shawn Carter -- aka Jay-Z -- is more than just big. Jay-Z is so big that his body of work and career arc have defined the progress of an entire genre of music. Albums like 2001's The Blueprint and 2003's Black Album shaped a decade of hip-hop. He was instrumental in launching the careers of superstars like Kanye West and Rihanna. He co-owns a basketball team (the New Jersey Nets), was the president and CEO of Def Jam Records, created clothing line Rocawear and is worth an estimated $150 million.

Jay-Z is the Don of hip-hop (sorry, Kanye, you're still just the Louis Vutton Don), and when the Don gets mad, he doesn't just get even -- he rectifies.

Fed up with all the warbly, fake vocal nonsense that has overtaken rap over the last few years (thanks, T-Pain), Jay-Z recently went on the offensive with the vitriolic jam D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune), where he proudly declared, un-effected, "This ain't for iTunes, this ain't a sing-along," adding his stuff should make you want to "go and commit felonies."

And so this is where we found ourselves on Friday night: in the grips of a re-energized, re-invigorated Jay-Z, proclaiming loud and clear that gangsta rap -- especially the "real school" kind he just released on The Blueprint III -- was the solution, the offer no one could dare refuse.

As the countdown trickled down to zero, chants of "HOVA! HOVA!" filled GM Place, the 13,500 fans erupting when Jay-Z rose through a trap in the stage floor.

Hitting the ground running with Run This Town, Mr. Carter theb paused for a word with his fans.

"If anybody in here is being boozy or being fake," he said, "I want you to sing them this."

Chants of "na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, goodbye would then lead into Jay-Z's latest manifesto, the aforementioned D.O.A., the cityscape at the back of the stage bursting into a spectacle of flashing lights.

The vibe was obviously pushed into full-on party mode from the get-go, the crowd following every line, beat and blast with hands-a-waving, plumes of smoke a-rising, which prompted another word of advice.

"If a cop gives you trouble because you're smoking weed," Jay-Z said, "just whisper this."

The rapper then dropped a red-hot 99 Problems ("but a certain something ain't one"), turning the cityscape into a mass of booming speakers. There was nary a moment to pause between each track, Jay-Z hopscotching from hit to hit without a moment's respite.

Backed by a full band, Jay-Z dominated the stage, the entire building shaking from both the insane bass blasts -- we're talking real loud here -- and the swaying, jumping and dancing of a frenzied crowd hanging onto his every word.

The only complaint could've been that each song was turned into a snippet of its former self in order to cover as much territory as possible -- Izzo (H.O.V.A.) felt much too short. But for those who know Jay-Z inside out and wanted to hear as many tracks as possible, this was actually a bit of a treat.

Mr. Carter would eventually linger a bit longer on certain songs from The Blueprint III notably the shiver-inducing Empire State of Mind, which finally transformed the stage cityscape into New York City proper. With singer Bridget Kelly filling the duties originally handled by Alicia Keys, the song was a momentous ode to Jay-Z's hometown.

"Let's hear it for New York! New York! New York!"

Amazing.

Other guests would include Pharrell Williams on a heartfelt So Ambitious.

Williams and his N.E.R.D. gang had set up the stage for Mr. Carter earlier, bringing a double-drum, four-emcee frenzy to the stage. The group's bumptacular jams -- Spaz, in particular, complete with some nasty drum solos -- and their fusion of rap, metal and electro instantly sparked the first wafts of green smoke to come emanating from the floor.

It has to be said Pharrell Williams' bunch sounds a whole lot heavier live than it does on record, the pounding bass and devastating guitar crunch hitting hard, especially on crowd favourites like Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing in the Line for the Bathroom).

For a hybrid act that could easily fall flat (is that a hint of Limp Bizkit I hear?), N.E.R.D. sure got the party started off right. (But what's up with bringing up a bunch of girls from the audience on stage to dance and then leaving them standing there for half the set? Awkward.)

But back to Jay-Z -- imagine this is where he took a short break -- there would be plenty more Blueprint III in the mix, including Thank You and a devastating On To the Next One ("Would someone bring me back some money please?"), which probably registered on a seismograph somewhere in Mexico.

For roughly an hour and a half, Jay-Z was the boss, the Don, the guy in charge, and the crowd was drinking (and smoking) it all in. From Big Pimpin on, it was "HOVA! HOVA!" again and again.

Jay-Z then spent over 10 minutes at the end of the show to pretty much thank every fan in attendance individually -- "You in the red shirt, you with the Yankees hat..."

"I appreciate everyone in this building," he said before closing with a lighter/cellphone-speckled Forever Young. "I'm not jaded, I don't take it for granted."

Who could ever refuse something like that?