![]() Hudson-featuring BP3 closer played, a mosaic of the faces of 9/11 victims streamed up the jumbotron. As “Young Forever,” the deeply regrettable Alphaville-sampling, Mr. It’s almost impossible to write with any critical acumen about songs like “99 Problems,” “Hard Knock Life,” and “Big Pimpin.'” They are ingrained in the strands of our cultural DNA by now. The mainstays slayed as they so often do. Mars” was a rare misstep too quiet and too obvious. As the third verse began to bore the audience, Jay and Swizz remained giddy onstage. And the deep, dank, bottomless Swizz Beatz production, “On To The Next One,” is one of the most off-kilter songs in his entire catalogue. “Already Home,” with a mewling but appealing Kid Cudi guest hook, features a blizzard of new flows and a recognizable bluster. The best parts of BP3 are experimental enough. Curious comments about Grizzly Bear and “the indie rock movement,” and his strange promise to make his BP3 follow-up the most experimental album of his career seemed to miss the point completely. Jigga has also caught flak for some perplexing statements during his suffocating press run the last two weeks. ![]() Jay-Z seemed most excited when performing new songs from BP3, which has been taking its lumps from serious fans since it leaked last week. Kanye, in particular, was maniacally animated during his post-bourgeois verse from “Run This Town,” perhaps the moment when he officially surpassed Jay as the most intriguing rap superstar working today this year Kanye verses have become events unto themselves. ![]() (No Drake, he’s still recovering.) Each were game, but only a handful seemed to understand the moment. Blige, Diddy, Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz, and so on. This was an event concert, ripe with stars too young and too old: Kid Cudi, Santigold, Mary J. The biggest moments of the night were chilling: Jay-Z entering - in all black everything - to the strains of “Empire State of Mind,” the most immediate song on his new album, The Blueprint 3 John Mayer bizarrely stealing the show with a brief but furious medley of Hov’s hits, fuckface fully intact Beyonce being Beyonce for four minutes Rihanna upstaging Beyonce with her now-blinding star power, stronger and meaner now since she got punched by Chris Brown Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Rihanna huddled together for “Run This Town,” a sort of fantasy baseball flash of unified fame. It’s hard to find grace amidst flashing camera phones. “We’re celebrating life tonight,” he told the audience. ![]() On Friday he welcomed a torrent of guests, and deftly handled the weird intersection of commerce and moroseness that colors any memorial tribute concert. Kinder, more inviting, willing to collaborate with the youth as he slips into middle age. Jay-Z likes to think of himself like Frank Sinatra, but he’s more like Tony Bennett. But despite the community-driven theme of the show ( Governor David Patterson sat all of three rows ahead of me), this was still very much a Jay-Z concert: pristinely designed, predictable but irrefutably fun, with dashes of genuine wonder. With all tickets at $50 a pop, the charity is looking at something pushing $1 million, a noble haul. But all proceeds from the sold-out event went to the New York Police and Fire Widows’ and Children’s Benefit Fund, and so good cause and all, a casual hiccup could be forgiven. Last night’s Answer The Call show was no Fade To Black moment. So… what’s that saying about diminishing returns? In 2009, on the occasion of the eight year anniversary of the single worst atrocity committed against America (and Jay-Z’s sixth album, The Blueprint), the Fuse network aired the concert live. That footage became Fade To Black, the single best concert film of the decade. In 2003, on the occasion of his retirement, Jay-Z recorded his MSG farewell concert on 35MM film. Jay-Z and Madison Square Garden have a little history between them.
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