As reported by Jeff Miller at the Orange County Register
Still don’t believe the Democrats’ party line about a post-racial America? Then obviously you weren’t at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion Sunday night for Jay-Z’s absolutely outstanding show.
You can’t make this up: in one row, right by the stage, sitting next to each other, were a pair of very young white kids, bumping up and down and singing every word of “Empire State of Mind” and “Hard Knock Life” … alongside a bearded man in a turban attempting to both impress his date and pretend to ignore his next-door neighbors … who happened to be an interracial couple, basketball player Rick Fox and actress Eliza Dushku … plus a Latina too busy taking pictures of the superstar rapper to even pay attention to her tabloid-royalty seatmates.
With Michael Jackson’s passing, there may be no other entertainer in the world able to unify such a diverse audience. And Jay-Z –- the Brooklyn-born hip-hop prince who has managed to maintain an impressively lengthy career unheard of for a genre filthy with flashes-in-the-pan –- isn’t one to let such an opportunity pass him by.
But what Jay-Z’s best at is connecting with his audience, and here he did it in one of the most literal ways I’ve ever seen. As the band vamped its way through some funk towards the end of the show, he asked for the house lights to go up, took off the sunglasses he wore throughout the rest of the set, and literally thanked audience members one by one –- 40 or so of them, anyway.
“You in the USC shirt? You have a good time? Good luck getting out of here.”
“Hey, little guy -– your first Jay-Z show? You enjoy yourself? Thanks so much for coming!”
As reported by Gerrick Kennedy at the Los Angeles Times
Not quite midway through the show, Rihanna, draped in black and standing on an elevated riser, emerged from underneath the stage to sing her vocal on Jay-Z's summer hit, "Run This Town," from his 11th studio album, “The Blueprint 3.”
Young women in the audience jumped onto their chairs, camera phones in hand, for a better glimpse, their screams ringing out in near unison over the arena. One fan nearby turned to her friend and screamed, "Oh my God, is that really her?"
It was the first time the pop star had performed since breaking her nearly nine month silence last week about being assaulted by former boyfriend Chris Brown in February.
Armed with a newfound swagger, she sang on "Run This Town," then treated the crowd to the new single "Hard" (sans Young Jeezy) from her upcoming album, "Rated R," due Nov. 23. Jay-Z nodded his head in approval -- from the side of the stage.
He was equally generous when it came to spotlighting the other performers on the bill. J.Cole, the first act signed to Jay-Z's label Roc Nation, opened the show and joined the rapper later for their collaboration "A Star Is Born."
Up-and-comer Wale was embraced by the sold-out crowd, who rapped along with every word of the Washington, D.C., native's hit "Chillin" from his studio debut, "Attention Deficit," out Tuesday. No stranger to the mix-tape circuit, Wale appeared every bit the seasoned performer, delivering a high-energy, engaging set.
When it came to high energy, though, it would have been difficult for any of the acts to compete with N.E.R.D. The band, fronted by the Neptunes' Pharell Williams, doesn't have the same album sales as the artists it produces, but group's fan base is loyal, judging by how easily concertgoers transformed the arena into a raucous mosh pit.
Playing for an hour, the genre-bending rockers ran through such hits as "Lapdance" and "Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing in the Line for the Bathroom)," with Lupe Fiasco joining them on the latter track. Williams' raspy falsetto was sometimes lost in the massive mix, but the presence of female vocalist Rhea added a strong, sexy edge to the songs.
More fan shot footage below.
Read the full show reviews here:
Orange County Register - Jay-Z wows again in L.A. with help from Rihanna
Los Angeles Times - Live review: Jay-Z at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion
Related:
Jay-Z Bounces To The Beat At UCLA's Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles Show Recap
Jay-Z 'The Blueprint 3' World Tour dates:
Nov. 12 – University of Illinois – Assembly Hall – Champaign, IL
Nov. 13 - Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN
Nov. 17 - United Spirit Arena - Lubbock, TX
Nov. 19 – Tingley Coliseum – Albuquerque, N.M.
Nov. 20 – Don Haskins Center – El Paso, TX
Nov. 22 – Frank Erwin Center Arena – Austin, TX
And the second leg of the tour starts in 2010 with Young Jeezy opening the show.
Feb. 22 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
Feb. 23 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
Feb. 25 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Arena
Feb. 27 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
Feb. 28 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum Complex
Mar. 03 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
Mar. 07 - Norfolk, VA - Norfolk Scope Arena
Mar. 11 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
Mar. 16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
Mar. 19 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
Mar. 20 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
Mar. 22 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
Mar. 24 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion At San Jose
Mar. 26 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
(videos courtesy of OPiiE562, shahanamama2you, masterkkoosh, cLark & moviebruin)
Haha - I was that guy wearing the turban sitting next to Rick Fox.
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