Nothing is ever done simply when Jay Z is involved, and the same applies to his week long concert series at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, inaugurating the venue.
No opening act, no intermission, just one and a half hours of pure Hova.
Although he owns just a small percentage of the building itself, in addition to the Brooklyn Nets, Jay was adamant in reminding the crowd that this is a huge moment for Brooklyn and had every intention of making that clear throughout his performance.
His performance was fluid and natural, whilst wearing his own Carter 4 Nets jersey proudly. A very emotional side of Jay-Z surfaced as he constantly reminded the crowd about his inability to put his feelings about the show into words.
The Barclays Center itself is a modern and sleek venue, filled with numerous food options and video screens beyond end.
Early on in the set, Jay paid tribute to Biggie with “Kick in the Door” and “Juicy.” The set list was an array of Jay-Z’s biggest hits, mainly from the “Reasonable Doubt,” “The Blueprint,” “The Black Album,” and “The Blueprint 3” albums. The show proceeded as a well thought out arrangement of his works, with the band intricately adding to the performing talent that is Sean Carter. At around the hour mark, Jay seemed to ‘end’ his performance for the night with “Encore” leaving much of the audience wanting more. Moments later he returned to begin his encore set after feeling that he, “just wanted some people to leave before starting again.”
Towards the end of the night, Jay took the time to give his appreciation to the city of Brooklyn and the impact it had on his life. He went on to further say that he felt as thought there is a “genius-level talent” residing within everyone, including himself. With that thought in mind, and knowing that he was only on night three of eight consecutive shows, Jay-Z closed out his performance with “Young Forever.” This performance featured a different Jay: one that completely let his guard down, while reflecting on how far he’s come through his own eyes.