Jay-Z Friends - StoryConcert Review Print
Written by Keith ID288   
Sunday, 31 October 2004 04:44

 

“Jay-Z and Friends will perform, No R. Kelly!” that was the announcement I heard on my way to The Madison Square Garden.  Like many other fans up until that point I wasn’t even sure there would be a show!

The show did go on! Maybe not the way some had expected or the way the crowd from Friday night remembers. Approaching the Garden I saw a few groups of ladies sporting there R.Kelly gear walking in the opposite direction of the arena. Fans that had tickets that were only interested in seeing R. Kelly were offered refunds for their tickets. After seeing the whole show I would like to let the people that went for the refund know you made a big mistake!

Funk Master Flex started the show by spinning and getting the crowd real hype in the normal Funk Flex style. The show its self kicked off about an hour late.

The set was the normal Best of Both World set. Two tour buses that looked like they had crashed on to the stage. From what I have read that played apart of the way the show would open. But not tonight! Instead the intro to tonight’s show started with  Jay-z sitting back smoking a cigar as a concert promoter begged him to perform.

Jay-z opened the show with a small set by himself performing hits from back in the day right up to today’s hit “99 Problems”.  The crowd was definitely still feeling it despite all the controversy surrounding the show. After that Jay-Z stopped to address the crowd. Taking a good look around the arena he said, “Take a look at this place everybody! See one monkey can’t stop a show, Nigga!”  The place went crazy!

The rest of the ROC came out to join Jay-z on stage for a couple more tracks. As they headed off a voice you can’t mistake hit the mic! Shouting “New York City!”  Busta Rhymes & Spliff Start hit the stage! Busta can really hold it down! He is definitely one of my favorite live performers. If you ever have the chance to see Busta live, you have to check it out! Busta closed his set by bringing out Mariah Carey to perform their song “Baby if you’ll give it to me”.

Jay-Z and the ROC crew took back the stage to perform a few more tracks. The last track they brought out T.I. When they were finished the crew left Jay-Z on stage to bring out hip-hop queen Mary J. Blige. Together they performed “Cry” when they were done Mary stayed to perform a set by herself.  Taking it back in the day with hits like “You remind me”, “Real Love” and closing her set real big! The beat for “All I need” came on and anyone sitting was up real quick looking all over the stage. That’s when the tour bus door flew open and Method Man hit the stage. This was probably one of the craziest parts of the show! Method Man was walking through the whole arena getting nothing but love! He took over the set and brought out none other than Redman for a couple of tracks!

Jay-Z returned for another set this time with another big surprise. He brought out Foxy Brown to do “Aint no Nigga”. 

Jay-Z then performed a really good R.I.P set. He got the crowd involved in remembering & saying Rest in Peace to B.I.G., Pac, JMJ, Big Pun, Left Eye and Alliyah. This set was different form other times I have seen it done. He had the DJ play “Hail Mary” as Pictures of Tupac and the Death Row Logo flashed all over the screens on the stage.  The crowd sang “Juicy” as the same happened for B.I.G. He also took time out to really address JMJ because it was a day after the 2 year anniversary of his death. He closed up that set by performing the track he did when Alliyah had passed “Missing You”.

Jay-Z addressed the crowd to let everyone know how hard he worked to put together show that would give his hometown fans a show that was worth their money. He thanked all the artists that came out to support him. Telling the crowd that the next group had not performed together in over 5 years & that he had put together their reunion for this show. “This was what I needed to take this show over the top” Jay-Z said. P. Diddy took the stage with Mase to follow. This had to be the highlight of the show. You could feel the building shake under your feet & the noise level got deafening. They tore the roof off with hits like “All about the Benjamin’s” and “Mo Money Mo Problems”. Mase performed “Breathe, Stretch, Shake” and they closed the set by bringing out Black Rob for tracks like “Whoa” and “Bad Boy for Life”.

The final set included a few more tracks By Jay-Z & the ROC before everybody that performed hit the stage for “Big Pimping”. In Jay-Z’s final statement to the crowd he closed the show by saying “By the way, there is no guns in the building” which got a good laugh out of the whole crowd.

So that’s how the show went down! I would like to thank R. Kelly and I m sure I speak for many others that went to the same show I did for playing himself on Friday night. If it wasn’t for him screwing up yet another show on what should be a great tour I would have seen him perform instead of the crazy line up of Jay-Z and friends.

The concert was great, definitely one of the best concerts I have ever seen! So I can’t speak much for the Best of Both Worlds tour, if there still is a tour? But I can tell you that if Jay-Z and friends ever throw a party like they did last night in your area, you’d have to be a fool to miss it!