The hours-long delay at Jay-Z’s Yankee Stadium show Sunday night was caused by hundreds of gatecrashers storming the venue’s entrance points to gain access to the sold-out concert, a representative for the rapper confirmed to Rolling Stone.
“On Sunday evening at various fan entrances at Yankee Stadium, hundreds of individuals in large groups — who did not have tickets to tonight’s performance — stormed over peaceful ticketholders, and in some cases, breached security,” said a joint statement from Roc Nation, The New York Yankees and Live Nation.
“As a result, gates at all entrances of the Stadium were closed for an extended period of time. With the thoughtful guidance of the NYPD, gates were reopened cautiously and carefully to ensure the safety of those inside and outside. The Yankees, Roc Nation and Live Nation express our deep gratitude to the NYPD and to Yankee Stadium security personnel for their leadership and direction throughout the evening, putting the welfare of attendees above all other considerations.”
There were rumblings that the third night of Jay’s New York shows to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, might be cancelled after what was supposed to be a 9:00 p.m. start time stretched past midnight.
But Jay came out on stage around 12:15 a.m. with an apology and explanation for the situation. “There were, like, 10,000 people outside,” he said. “I didn’t want to start the music and people get trampled…. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. We’re gonna have a good time tonight. I got some shit for you.”
Indeed he did. Until wrapping up shortly before 3:00 a.m., Jay played some of his biggest hits, including “99 Problems,” “FuckwithmeyouknowIgotit” and “Brooklyn’s Finest.” And in keeping with his first two shows, he brought out a cast of familiar faces in Rihanna, Usher, Jeezy, Swizz Beatz and, of course, wife Beyoncé for “Drunk in Love.”
