Eminem & Jay-Z Detroit Concert 1st Night Play By Play Minute By Minute

2nd night in Detroit is under way, let's review last night's festivities.

via The Detroit Freepress

7:30 P.M.: Jay-Z Bailing Afterward?
Word among show personnel is that Jay-Z will be immediately exiting the stadium upon completion of his set -- in other words, no appearance during Eminem's set. He'll be headed to his waiting Gulfstream jet to fly home to New York, then return for the second show. Wife Beyonce is here in Comerica Park.

Jay-Z is waiting for darkness before taking the stage, to accommodate film crews who are chronicling the show. NOTE: Sources later said Jay-Z might have stayed backstage after all.

8:30 P.M.: A Fleet Of Escalades
With the Beastie Boys cranked on the stadium PA, there are seven minutes until Jay-Z's set. The rapper and his posse just arrived in a caravan of Escalades behind the right-field wall.

8:37 P.M.: Heavyweights Expected
Among the expected guests during Eminem's set: 50 Cent, Dr. Dre and Drake.

8:40 P.M.: The Countdown
Curtains have come down, lights are off. An onscreen countdown clock gets fans roaring: 50 seconds 'til Jay-Z hits the stage.

8:45 P.M.: Jay Starts Rocking
With a blast of lights and an epic, squalling rock lick, Jay-Z took the stage at 8:40 p.m., alone at center stage delivering lines from the opening of his 2000 album "The Dynasty: Roc La Familia."
Upon the song's conclusion, he urged show directors to bring the house lights up. "Just give me two minutes -- I've gotta take this all in," he said, grinning as he took in the crowd of 40,000-plus. "This is hip-hop music and this is how far we've come."



9:40: Frenetic Set Pauses To Honor Fallen Stars
Jay-Z, dressed in black and wearing a Yankees cap, has been whipping through a loud, fast-paced set, backed by a tight live band and a massive high-def video screen.
This is his stage, but he's been happy to share the spotlight: Young Jeezy and Memphis Bleek have already joined him for onstage collaborations, and Jay devoted a lengthy segment honoring fallen music stars such as Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur and Detroiters Proof and Aaliyah.
Hot songs like "Big Pimpin'" and swaying numbers like "Forever Young" have been interspersed with abbreviated medleys of tunes such as "Hard Knock Life" and "A Dream." With taupe-tinted Detroit images projected behind him, he delivers a jazzy rendition of "Thank You."

10 P.M.: Entering 'Empire State Of Mind' -- 'I'm Going To Take You Home'
Jay-Z heads into the homestretch with an appropriately epic-sized "Empire State of Mind."
"I'm going to take you home -- my home," the New York star tells the receptive Detroit crowd.
Minutes later, grinning wide, he closes up his set with a jazz-laced performance of "Numb."
"I had an incredible time with you," Jay tells the Comerica Park crowd. "This was one of the best experiences of my entire life."

10:05 P.M.: Jay-Z Killed It; Eminem Up Next
Jay-Z has left the stage. Everything is about 15 minutes behind -- Eminem is expected to go on at about 10:45 p.m. There's a low buzz around the ballpark as fans take in what they just witnessed: an impressively energetic set that found Jay-Z killing it onstage.

10:35 P.M.: First Eminem Performance In A While
Lost in the buildup to this week's shows was an important reality: Eminem hasn't spent much time on a concert stage lately. Until Thursday night, the self-confessed studio hermit had played just four full sets since his Comerica Park show in 2005 -- all festival appearances. This first hometown show in half a decade presented a vastly different sort of challenge.

10:36 P.M.: Eminem Builds Ferocious Energy
Eminem, a Detroit Tigers hoodie draped over his ballcap, hits the stage for a fierce performance of his new "Won't Back Down." It's already a different vibe than the one set by Jay-Z : sharper, grittier, darker.
He's got the microphone gripped tight as he tensely paces the stage, occasionally glancing out to soak in the sea of bodies in front of him. You can practically feel his heart and adrenaline coursing as he takes in the moment.

10:47 P.M.: Trick Trick Joins For 'Welcome To Detroit'
A grinning Trick Trick, clad in white, has bounded onstage to join Em for a bumping version of "Welcome to Detroit," a montage of Motor City imagery rolling on the big screen behind them.

11:10 P.M.: D12 Helps Em Walk Through The Catalog
About 30 minutes in, it looks to be an eclectic, career-spanning set, as members of D12 occasionally make their way onstage: Em quickly dips back in time, ripping through 1999’s “Kill You” with slinky backing from the live band behind him. He jumps through the years, placing older tunes (“Cleaning Out My Closet”) next to songs from his new “Recovery.”



11:12 P.M.: An Assured Pace; B.O.B., Drake Come Out
Opener B.O.B. has returned to the stage for his Eminem duet "Airplanes II." The songs are rolling one after another now: "Kill You," "The Way I Am," "So Bad," "Stan."
Eminem is locking into a confident groove. The early tension is growing into a self-assured command of the stage, as the rapper pumps his fists to exhort the crowd.
A clean-cut Drake is the next guest out, joining Eminem for a run through their hit "Forever."



11:25 P.M.: Working Hard With 50 Cent
The stars are definitely out on a Thursday night in Detroit : Now it's 50 Cent onstage with Eminem, working through a head-bobbing rendition of 50's "Patiently Waiting."
The stage lights drop to reveal 50's illuminated jacket. He continues his cameo with a booming "In Da Club" and the night's latest exhortation that fans put their hands up.
Em has certainly put in a shift: It's a gorgeous, mild night in Detroit, but his gray T-shirt is completely drenched in sweat.



11:40 P.M.; No Rihanna, But Lady Gaga Expected Tomorrow
Eminem launches into the summer's biggest single, "Love the Way You Lie." Ironically, it might be the first disappointment of the night for some fans: confirmation that studio partner Rihanna is not on the night's guest list.
But another female star is expected to be here for Friday night's show: Lady Gaga. The pop star is in Milwaukee tonight, but is headed this way for her Saturday show at the Palace. Folks behind the scenes say she'll spend her Friday night here at Comerica Park, though it's unknown if that's onstage or off.

12:07 P.M.: Encore Ends With Fireworks
Having closed his regular set with the anthemic "Not Afraid," Eminem has begun his encore: a pulsing rendition of "Lose Yourself." With the city skyline glowing behind him, the biggest Detroit music act of the past quarter-century rolls through his signature song.
It's the biggest moment in a night of big ones. The self-empowerment of "Lose Yourself" couples neatly with the strength-through-humility of "Not Afraid," and with a shot of colorful fireworks, Eminem ends his show on a potent, inspirational note.

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After tonight's 2nd Detroit show it's off to Yankee Stadium NYC September 13th & 14th.

more footage below.






(video courtesy of kontraband2, Radio One Detroit, hillzskillz69 and teezynoble)