JAY-Z Brings Out Fugees, Celebrates Beyoncé’s Birthday at London 30th Anniversary Show

JAY-Z played the first of two nights at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday, September 4th, continuing the “JAŸ-Z30 Tour” marking 30 years since his the release of his debut album Reasonable Doubt and 25 years since The Blueprint. Actor Idris Elba opened the night with a spoken-word introduction pulled from American Gangster, before giving way to Hov as he launched into a career-spanning 36-song set. The Brooklyn rap legend began with “Pray” from American Gangster before pivoting to 4:44 for “Bam.” For the entirety of the show, he worked through his catalog backed by a 10-piece band and string section. Find JAY-Z Tickets Here For a run of shows built around the anniversary of his first album, the set notably leaned most on his sixth album. Six songs came from The Blueprint — “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “U Don’t Know,” “Never Change,” “Song Cry,” “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love),” and “Girls, Girls, Girls” — while just two came from Reasonable Doubt, with four tracks pulled from The Black Album. The night also saw JAY stitch together medleys of “Dead Presidents” and “Dead Presidents II,” “Where I’m From” and “Marcy Me,” and “No Church in the Wild” and “Grammy Family.” The set also...