Photo by Luiz Silveira
Opening his 9/11 Answer the Call benefit Jay-Z asked the audience to pledge our allegiance to the United Sates on the symbolic day, and in doing so converted fans into disciples of the Roc Nation.
The first song of the evening had Jigga and the pitch perfect Alicia Keys pay homage to the big city with Empire State of Mind, and the big man telling us that we were celebrating life. “They believed that it would weaken us; they were sadly mistaken,” he said. “I saw the strength and resiliency that made New Yorkers New Yorkers. Now we stand here eight years later even stronger. This is our town. We run this town, New York City. New York City, we run this town.” Before breaking into a defiant rendition of the Run This Town with Rhianna and the ever-exuberant Kanye West joining him on stage.
The gig ran like a role call of who’s who in hip-hop/R’n’B
When the legendary Mary J Blige graced the stage the crowd blew up knowing that they would be taken “all the way back to ‘96” with the infamous Can’t Knock the Hustle. The soul hip-hop Queen was then given the opportunity to perform her latest single The One, solo. The only other performer Jay emptied the stage for was his wife Beyonce, who performed Diva with trademark big hair and backing dancers.
John Mayor provided a surprisingly relevant accompaniment with rocked up versions of Cuts from the Black Album. He apparently also designed the graphic on the charity T-shirts on sale – the only merchandise available at the gig.
Jay Z Shouting out to his hometown throughout the night we were “Cookin raw with the Brooklyn boy”, who got big noise every time he mentioned his roots. Another highlight was seeing Santigold provide the chorus to Brooklyn We Go Hard, which went down very well with the home crowd.
Answer The Call Received 100% of the Concert Proceeds
All his special guests, including Pharell, Diddy, Swiss Beats and Kid Cudi thanked Jigga for allowing them to be there and reminded the audience that 100% of the proceeds went to Answer The Call, New York Police and Fire widows’ and children’s benefit fund. The big man called for a moment of [almost] silence to remember these brave men and women lost during 9/11 as well as paying tribute to the King of Pop using the ABC sample for Izzo.
The show ended with a moving tribute to all those lost in the attacks only eight years back. With a lit graphic behind him, images of the 9/11 victims rolled up the screen to take on the shape of a city skyline. Using the last song off the new album, the UK’s Mr Hudson 80’s sample in Forever Young filled the expansive MSG. The only lines from the rap that Jay uttered were “let the best of your today’s be the worst of your tomorrow’s” before letting the chorus loop to the images.
Showcasing his definitive sound, accompanied by the endorsement of several celebrity collaborations, Jigga re-affirmed his place as the greatest rapper alive with yet another slick performance. It doesn’t get any bigger than Jay-Z selling out Madison Square Garden and we all felt privileged to be there. The man didn’t let us down; throughout the epic show he was respectful to the past, yet optimistic for the future. I pledge my allegiance to the Roc Nation.
All Points West photos by Christian Pielow (last picture by Luiz Silveira):
