Jay-Z In Detroit ROC City BP3 Tour Concert Review

As reported by Adam Graham / Detroit News

A sold-out Palace crowd of 15,000-plus was in a Jay-Z state of mind Sunday night, as rap's top performer brought his rousing BP3 tour to Auburn Hills (Sunday, March 14).

Backed by a massive 10-piece band that included a three-piece horn section and a wall of video screens fashioned into a city skyscape, Jay -- dressed in his standard-issue all black everything -- took the stage to "Run This Town," one of several hits lifted from last year's "Blueprint 3" album.

He rolled into his verse from "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," positioning himself at center stage, where he stood still, shifting his weight from his front to his back foot, motioning through the lyrics with his hands. A suite of "Blueprint 3" tracks followed, with Jay working both sides of the stage and looking customarily cool behind a pair of darkened shades.

As reported by Gary Greff / The Oakland Press

That wealth of material certainly worked to Jay-Z's advantage on Sunday, allowing him to survey an entire career of flavors and forms from the in-your-face material of his 1996 debut "Reasonable Doubt" -- including a particularly hot "Can I Live" -- to mainstream crossover fare such as the show-opening "Run This Town," "Empire State of Mind" and "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)." He mixed tight medleys with full-length song performances, confidently swaggering through favorites such as "On to the next One," "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)," "99 Problems," "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" and "Swagga Like Us" and issuing his trademark command -- "Bounce!" -- to keep the Palace crowd rocking from note one to the final bows. And he kept things even more "real" by ending several of the songs with forceful a capella raps

He had a little help, too. Memphis Bleek served as Jay-Z's hype man for about a third of the show, while opening act Trey Songz sang during "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and "Already Home." Young Jeezy's appearance during "Real As it Gets" led to a 25-minute solo set that somewhat stalled the show's momentum, but Jay-Z brought the energy back quickly with "My President."

Read each Detroit Newspaper full concert review here:
Detroit News - Jay-Z staying on top of his game
Oakland Press - Jay-Z's rap blueprint pays off at Palace

(Quality footage courtesy of 2 short skirts)

Jay-Z's BP3 2010 Tour dates:

Mar 16 Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
Mar 18 Chicago, IL - United Center
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
Mar 26 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center

Motown 50th Anniversary Recognized With NFL Halftime Thanksgiving Day Show

via NFL press release

NFL fans will be dancing in their seats at home and at Ford Field in Detroit during the 2009 United Way Thanksgiving Day Halftime Show: A Motown 50th Anniversary Tribute. The Motown tribute will take place during halftime of the first game of the NFL's Thanksgiving tripleheader when the Detroit Lions host the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, November 26 at 12:30 PM ET on FOX.

Bringing the unforgettable songs of Motown back to the Motor City are: Melanie Fiona, who brings together vintage grooves in her debut album; KEM, a leader in the neo-soul movement with two gold-plus albums and two No. 1 singles; international Top 10 hit singer/songwriter Shontelle; and the alternative rock/electronic six-man band Forever the Sickest Kids. The halftime show also features two newcomers: Vita Chambers, who honors Motown's classic era with a mix of rock, pop, and soul, and Hal Linton, who updates the great vocal tradition of Motown's Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder for the new century.

The halftime show set list will be taken from the golden era of Motown, the company founded by Berry Gordy that revolutionized contemporary music in the late Fifties through Seventies with its influential fusion of pop, blues, R&B, rock and gospel elements.

In addition, singer-songwriter Jadyn Maria will kick off the game in Detroit with the National Anthem. She also is a member of the Universal Motown family and was the first artist signed to Grammy-winner Ne-Yo's Compound Entertainment label.

Following the halftime performance, fans can visit NFL.com/Thanksgiving to find out how to download a copy of the halftime medley as well as music from each of the artists. Proceeds will benefit United Way.

Melanie Fiona, Kem, Hal Linton, Shontelle and Vita Chambers also will join United Way to volunteer at the Detroit Boys & Girls Club's "I Am Thankful" Dinner on Tuesday, November 24 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. CT. (source)

Black Milk On Artistic Originality & Creativity

Black Milk - Motivates Originality from Uneon on Vimeo.

Jay-Z Amps Up Crowd At Michigan Concert Show Recap

photo courtesy of Angela J. Cesere / Ann Arbor.com

Jay-Z at EMU Convocation Center - Ypsilanti, MI Wednesday, October 21.

via James David Dickson at Ann Arbor.com

Jay-Z's return to Southeast Michigan Wednesday night proved the rap legend still knows how to work a crowd.

The sold-out crowd at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center was game for whatever Jay-Z threw its way. No matter how old, the audience not only stood and danced in support, it sung along the entire way.

The 90-minute performance afforded Jay-Z enough time to rattle through most of his classics. It's not uncommon for artists who've been around as long as Jay-Z to forget a lyric here or there, but Jay-Z never did. From "Jigga What? Jigga Who?" to "Big Pimpin'" to "Death of Autotune," Jay-Z emptied his catalog.

Read more of the show review here:
Ann Arbor.com - Jay-Z a consummate showman live at Eastern Michigan University

Fan shot video below.





(video courtesy of DetroitFan100)

Jay-Z 'The Blueprint 3' World Tour dates:
Oct. 23 - The Wachovia Center - Philadelphia, PA
Oct. 24 – Dunkin’ Donuts Center – Providence, R.I.
Oct. 25 – Mullins Center – Amherst, MA
Oct. 27 – 1st Mariner Arena – Baltimore, MD
Oct. 28 – Value City Arena – Columbus, OH
Oct. 29 – John Labatt Centre – London, ON
Oct. 30 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC
Oct. 31 – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ON
Nov. 1 – Scotiabank Place – Ottawa, ON
Nov. 4 - Alexandra Palace - London, UK
Nov. 7 - Save Mart Center - Fresno, CA
Nov. 8 - Pauley Pavilion - Los Angeles, CA
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