The Legends of The Summer Tour, headlined by Jay Z and Justin Timberlake made its stop in NYC over the weekend [July 20-21] for two packed-out shows at the famous, Yankee Stadium. Featuring a DJ set to get the party started by DJ Cassidy, he spun tunes from the 70s to present, making sure he peeked the interest of all fans in attendance, ranging from teens to grandparents alike.
The main show began at approximately 9:20 PM, devoid of any openers (aside from the DJ). Little did the crowd know from that moment, what a musical treat we would all be in for. How were JT and Jay Z going to perform? Will they do separate sets? Will they perform together? This anxiety was lifted immediately when Jay and Justin hit the all-red stage together for “Holy Grail” off of Jay’s Magna Carta…Holy Grail album. Featuring two large video screens on either side of the stage and a full band, the crowd was treated to amazing visuals, including European sculpture, amazing light transitions, and more. Justin showed off his instrumental talents on the song, playing the famous guitar riff made popular by Nirvana in the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, which was sampled for the track.
The evening continued to be a track for track battle of hits, both Justin and Jay Z performing songs from their entire catalogs of work. The show was broken up into three basic parts.
One being the time where both Jay and JT shared the stage for songs like
“I Just Wanna Love You (Give It To Me)”
“Excuse Me Miss” (with Justin singing the hook)
“I Want You Back”/ “Izzo”
“Heart Of The City” (with Justin singing the hook and playing keys)
“99 Problems” (with Justin on guitar, voice of cop)
and “New York, New York”/ “Empire State of Mind”
The second section being a segment of Justin solo tracks including
“Tunnel Vision”
“Pusher Love Girl”
“Summer Love”
“Cry Me A River”
and “Sexy Back” which included a special guest appearance by Timbaland on night two
And the third segment being the Jay Z show, including tracks like
“Hard Knock Life”
“Dirt Off Your Shoulder”
“N*ggas In Paris”
“Tom Ford”
and “Encore”
WATCH JAY Z & JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE PERFORM ‘SUIT & TIE’
The show concluded with Jay and Justin coming together for none other than “Suit & Tie”, clad in crisp blazers with untied bow-ties, and a glass of champagne in hand. They dedicated their final song, “Forever Young”, to Trayvon Martin and his family. It was a peaceful moment in an otherwise action filled show, where the crowd came together and put their lighters/phones up in solidarity.
In short, Jay Z and Justin Timberlake put on an amazing show for the 50,000 plus fans that filled Yankee Stadium in the midst of the NYC heat-wave on either night. There was never a dull moment; just a time filled with singing, dancing, and overall, good music.
( PHOTOS: KEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE)