Jay-Z has always been one to wear Brooklyn proudly on his sleeve, but last night as he performed the first of an eight-show run at the Barclays Center, it was a weight that threatened to overwhelm him and the venue’s highly anticipated inaugural event.
A potted history of Brooklyn’s 300-year legacy prepared the crowd of 19,000 for Hova’s arrival, and when the Marcy Houses’ most famous son finally emerged at 9:40 p.m., his dramatic entrance from behind a slanted backdrop prompted the kind of roar only reserved for a homecoming king. The heaving opener “Where I’m From” resounded around the venue with an enormity that suited the evening, but Jay failed to capitalize, deciding instead to slow up the proceedings by paying overly sentimental tributes to his hometown.
“I’ve been on many stages, been all around the world, but nothing feels like tonight,” he explained early on. As an acknowledgment of the occasion, it was perfectly apt. But Jay also insisted on a moment’s silence for Notorious BIG, name checked Barclays Center developer Bruce Ratner and generally gave the impression of being utterly overwhelmed by the house that he helped build.
As a show of humility, it was impressive, but it also resulted in a disappointingly stop-start spectacle.
But Jay-Z didn’t rise to the top by being a choker and he quickly got a grip. There is no party known to man that can resist the swagger of “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and the Jigga responded to the heightened excitement by finding that magical flow that his fans came to hear. From that point on, Jay-Z found his stride and never looked back. The hits and anthems such as “I Just Wanna Luv U” and an ecstatic “Public Service Announcement” came thick and fast, melding into each other to create a thrilling blur of beats and braggadocio. His ability to command a stage solo is undisputed, but it did feel like an oversight that Jay decided not to invite some of his closest and most loved musical collaborators on stage. So while “Run This Town” and “Empire State Of Mind” sounded impeccable, they felt emotionally incomplete without the addition of Rihanna and Alicia Keys, respectively.
Even so, Jay-Z’s desire to play homage to his roots does at least result in an encore performance from Big Daddy Kane — the rapper who is still regarded as the forefather of all Brooklyn hip-hop. It’s not hard to understand why either. For just a few fleeting minutes, Jay made himself scarce and Kane burned through a small selection of verses from classics such as “Warm It Up, Kane” and managed to hype the crowd into a frenzy with his high energy dance moves.
Of all of Jay-Z’s gestures of respect, bringing on Kane was the most electrifying and made his baptizing of the Barclays Center feel complete. Brooklyn may have made him, but Jay-Z can say that he has helped remake Brooklyn both with his beats and rhymes, and with bricks and mortar, too.
Thanks for the housewarming party Jay, we love what you’ve done with the place.