The third and final night of Jay-Z's Yankee Stadium run did not begin until after midnight. The delay stretched more than three hours past the scheduled 9 p.m. start time after hundreds of people without tickets forced their way toward stadium entrances on Sunday evening, July 12.
Jay-Z addressed the crowd directly after finally taking the stage around 12:15 a.m. Monday morning. "Let me explain the delay to you guys. It was like 10,000 people outside, and we closed all the doors, and somebody rushed the door," he told the crowd, according to a video posted by XXL. "They closed the door for you guys' safety and everyone's safety outside. There's 10,000 people outside; I don't want to start the music and people get trampled. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everyone was OK. I appreciate your patience."
A joint statement from the Yankees, Roc Nation and promoter Live Nation described what happened outside the ballpark. "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," it read. "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."
Inside the stadium, the wait was rough. According to Rolling Stone, when the house speakers played Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" for a second time, it drew loud boos from the crowd. Rumors circulated that the show might be canceled entirely.
It was not canceled. Those who waited were treated to a show that ran until nearly 3 a.m., featuring a roster of surprise guests that rivaled the first two nights of the run. Rihanna made a rare live appearance, joining Jay on "Run This Town" before performing her own 2015 track "Bitch Better Have My Money." Beyoncé appeared again, this time on "Drunk in Love," having already joined the previous nights' shows. Usher came out for "Heart of the City (Ain't No Love)" and "Throwback." Pharrell returned for a second night, running through "Love U (Give It 2 Me)" and "Frontin'." Teyana Taylor joined Jay to sing the Mary J. Blige hook on "Can't Knock the Hustle," and The-Dream filled in for Frank Ocean on "No Church in the Wild."
The third show, billed as "Extra Innings," was not tied to a specific album anniversary the way the first two nights were. Friday's concert celebrated the 30th anniversary of Jay-Z's 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt, while Saturday honored the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint. The extreme demand those two headline-making nights created drove even larger crowds to gather outside the stadium on Sunday, contributing to the security breakdown.
Jay-Z performed in a pinstriped jacket, crisp jeans, a Yankee hat, and Timberlands, and according to Rolling Stone's review, did not use backing vocals or a prompter throughout the set. The show finally wrapped sometime around 3 a.m.
