Jay-Z & Guests live review

Jay-Z & Guests @ Royal Albert Hall, London

28/09/2006

By Anna Nathanson

In 1996, I saw a young MC get up on stage at Brixton Academy and blow the crowd away. Fast forward 10 years and this man who once supported The Fugees is now one of the most powerful people in hip hop, with an empire to his name, a superstar girlfriend in the shape of Beyoncé and $320 million in the bank. Yet, he still retains that hunger and live energy that he did all those years ago, as he illustrated at this one off Royal Albert Hall date, earlier this month.

Supported by a full orchestra and a host of phenomenal guests, Jay-Z rocked the crowd as if it were his first show, going through an amazing back catalogue of hits, from his early ‘Reasonable Doubt’ days all the way through to dance floor classics such as ‘Dirt Off Your Shoulder’ and ‘I Just Wanna Love You’, captivating the crowd throughout. A genuinely touching moment came when he performed his remix of the now-classic Aaliyah track ‘I Miss You’, prior to which he paid homage to all the deceased greats who had graced the mic before him.

The 7000 capacity venue was packed to the brim with thousands of excited Jigga fans, and the energy was tangible. A tall figure wearing a larger than life gold chain soon entered the arena, someone I’d never expected to see live.

Needless to say, this was Nas, and when he performed ‘If I Ruled the World’ I was just glued to the spot in awe. As he got to the ‘walk right up to the sun’ bit, the vast venue turned to yellow as everyone joined in, with their arms outstretched. In fact, there were so many tunes that evening that had me exclaiming ‘Damn! I never thought I’d actually get to hear this live!’ but the funniest moment was when the orchestra suddenly burst into their own unique version of ‘Big Pimpin’!

As the intro to ‘Bonnie and Clyde 03’ rang out, a leggy Beyoncé suddenly materialised, and the pair sizzled as they performed ‘Crazy In Love’, followed by ‘Déjà Vu’. This was a spectacle in itself, and although it was Jay-Z’s night, it was definitely clear that Beyoncé was not going to be overshadowed by him and worked the stage like a true pro. She then strutted off stage, leaving Jay and the ever-present Memphis Bleek to run the rest of the show.

Just when we thought that that was it for the celebrity guests, Chris Martin from Coldplay made a cameo appearance! Considering we’d already been treated to brilliant performances from Kano, Akala and Lupe Fiasco before Jigga had even entered the building, this array of celebrity sightings was almost too much! Whatever next? Suddenly the lights fell onto a figure in the orchestra and it was none other than Gwyneth Paltrow, who surprised everyone with her actually quite good voice.

Despite Jay not performing any tracks from my personal favourite album ‘In My Lifetime: Volume 1’, I left feeling I’d witnessed history in the making.

A historical gig with an all-star cast for sure.

Return To Concert Review Archive

US Music | Clubs | Front Page | UK Music | Events


	Jay-Z & Guests @ Royal Albert Hall, London 28/09/2006 By Anna Nathanson In 1996, I saw a young MC get up on stage at Brixton Academy and blow the crowd away. Fast forward 10 years and this man who once supported The Fugees is now one of the most powerful people in hip hop, with an empire to his name, a superstar girlfriend in the shape of Beyoncé and $320 million in the bank. Yet, he still retains that hunger and live energy that he did all those years ago, as he illustrated at this one off Royal Albert Hall date, earlier this month. Supported by a full orchestra and a host of phenomenal guests, Jay-Z rocked the crowd as if it were his first show, going through an amazing back catalogue of hits, from his early ‘Reasonable Doubt’ days all the way through to dance floor classics such as ‘Dirt Off Your Shoulder’ and ‘I Just Wanna Love You’, captivating the crowd throughout. A genuinely touching moment came when he performed his remix of the now-classic Aaliyah track ‘I Miss You’, prior to which he paid homage to all the deceased greats who had graced the mic before him. The 7000 capacity venue was packed to the brim with thousands of excited Jigga fans, and the energy was tangible. A tall figure wearing a larger than life gold chain soon entered the arena, someone I’d never expected to see live. Needless to say, this was Nas, and when he performed ‘If I Ruled the World’ I was just glued to the spot in awe. As he got to the ‘walk right up to the sun’ bit, the vast venue turned to yellow as everyone joined in, with their arms outstretched. In fact, there were so many tunes that evening that had me exclaiming ‘Damn! I never thought I’d actually get to hear this live!’ but the funniest moment was when the orchestra suddenly burst into their own unique version of ‘Big Pimpin’! As the intro to ‘Bonnie and Clyde 03’ rang out, a leggy Beyoncé suddenly materialised, and the pair sizzled as they performed ‘Crazy In Love’, followed by ‘Déjà Vu’. This was a spectacle in itself, and although it was Jay-Z’s night, it was definitely clear that Beyoncé was not going to be overshadowed by him and worked the stage like a true pro. She then strutted off stage, leaving Jay and the ever-present Memphis Bleek to run the rest of the show. Just when we thought that that was it for the celebrity guests, Chris Martin from Coldplay made a cameo appearance! Considering we’d already been treated to brilliant performances from Kano, Akala and Lupe Fiasco before Jigga had even entered the building, this array of celebrity sightings was almost too much! Whatever next? Suddenly the lights fell onto a figure in the orchestra and it was none other than Gwyneth Paltrow, who surprised everyone with her actually quite good voice. Despite Jay not performing any tracks from my personal favourite album ‘In My Lifetime: Volume 1’, I left feeling I’d witnessed history in the making. A historical gig with an all-star cast for sure. Return To Concert Review Archive
	US Music \| Clubs \| Front Page \| UK Music \| Events