Jay-Z’s second Yankee Stadium concert of his three-night residency sold 45,832 tickets on July 11, breaking the venue’s concert attendance record set just 24 hours earlier, according to complex.com.
The rapper’s Saturday show, part of his Blueprint anniversary residency, featured guest appearances from Eminem, who joined him for “Love Yourself” and “Renegade,” and Pharrell Williams, who performed “Excuse Me Miss,” “Frontin,” “I Just Wanna Love U” and “Allure”. Dave Chappelle, Coco Jones, Jayson Tatum, Gabrielle Union, The Dream and Joe Budden were among those in the audience.
The opening night on July 10 drew a separate roster of celebrity attendees, including Kevin Hart, LeBron James, Megan Thee Stallion, Fabolous and Leonardo DiCaprio. That performance began with a video of Beyoncé cutting Jay-Z’s hair, followed by a rendition of “Feelin’ It” featuring his daughter Blue Ivy Carter on piano. Nas, with whom Jay-Z had a well-documented rap rivalry in the 1990s, joined him for a medley of “The World Is Yours,” “Dead Presidents” and “N.Y. State of Mind”. Alicia Keys, Jaz-O and Memphis Bleek also made appearances.
Jay-Z used the first night to address ongoing criticism of his partnership with Target, referencing the controversy in a freestyle after performing “Politics As Usual”. He also responded directly to accusations that he had “sold out,” telling the crowd he had indeed sold out, three nights running at Yankee Stadium.
The residency marks Jay-Z’s continued return to the venue, following previous reports on ticket demand and setlist expectations ahead of the shows.