Jay-Z surprises fans at Trafalgar Square pop up in London
Jay-Z surprises fans at a Trafalgar Square pop up in London celebrating his milestone tour and iconic albums.
Jay-Z brought the heat to the City of Love for his first and only anniversary concert in Paris, turning his show into another star-studded event with special guests Justin Timberlake, and Pharrell Williams.
The 25-time Grammy winner kicked off his concert at Stade de France in Paris around 9:16 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 10, as part of his “Jay-Z 30” concert series.
“Oh, it’s going to be one of those nights?!” he said, taking in the energy from the crowd as he kicked off his Paris show donning his signature New York Yankees cap and shades. “Wow! I want to thank you tonight. We got 75,000 people in here tonight!”
Jay-Z brought out a string of special guests including Williams and Timberlake, who appeared on the stage singing their 2013 hit, “Holy Grail.”
During the show, the rap titan flowed through massive hits spanning his 30-year career, including anthems like “Tom Ford,” “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem),” “Big Pimpin,'” “Izzo (H.O.V.A.),” “Run This Town,” “Family Feud,” “U Don’t Know,” “Dead Presidents,” “No Church in the Wild,” “Dirt off Your Shoulder” and more.
“This album changed my life,” he said. “I appreciate you guys for riding with us from day one. It’s amazing we could perform a 30-year-old album in front of a stadium.”
The string of shows commemorates the 30th anniversary of his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” released on June 25, 1996. This year, he is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of his sixth studio album “Blueprint,” released Sept. 11, 2001.
Justin Timberlake makes surprise appearance during Jay-Z Paris show
Timberlake joined Jay-Z onstage midway through the night to perform “Holy Grail.” Following the song, Jay-Z said “It’s Justin…make some noise,” and the crowd went wild.
After, Timberlake showed off his vocals, serenading the crowd with his massive tune “Until the End of Time.”
“Paris, thank you! I love you guys,” he said before leaving the stage.
Pharrell Williams Joins Jay-Z onstage in Paris
Williams was the first special guest to join Jay-Z onstage. The two performed multiple songs together, including “Excuse Me Miss,” “Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me),” and “Frontin’.” Before performing “Allure,” which was produced by Williams, Jay-Z told the crowd, “Listen to me, this is my favorite joint. Y’all gotta vibe with me tonight!”Williams also made an appearance during several other Jay-Z’s anniversary concerts in New York.
Jay-Z’s one night in Paris comes after he took the stage at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sept. 4 and Sept. 5. He also delivered a massive spectacle during those performances. On Friday, he brought out Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, DJ Khaled, Idris Elba and more. On the second night, his special guests included U.K. stars Dave and Sampha.
Jay-Z first kicked off his anniversary concert series with three massive hometown shows in New York in the summer.
He took to the stage at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on July 10 to celebrate “Reasonable Doubt.”
During the show, his eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, and wife Beyoncé made surprise appearances. On July 11, Jay-Z commemorated his “The Blueprint” album, bringing out more special guests onstage, including Eminem, Slick Rick and Pharrell Williams.
His last “EXTRA INNINGS” show took place on Sunday, July 12, combining both shows into a star-studded concert featuring surprise appearances from Rihanna, Swizz Beatz, Jeezy, Beyoncé, Fat Joe and others.
Looking forward, Jay-Z will head to Los Angeles for two final anniversary shows on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24.
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network’s Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.