Although I consider myself a pretty big fan of hip hop, my knowledge of the genre pales in comparison to others. Jay, Em, and Ye are my favs, which by indie rock standards is like saying I dig Godsmack, Disturbed, and Justin Bieber. Mind you, I’m referencing only the artists’ respective popularity and not their actual talents, because if there’s one genre that has been able to keep the most talented in the forefront, it’s hip hop. It may be that hip hop, more than most genres, has always remained true to its roots and while marketability is important, so is talent. Sure, there are going to be the Soulja Boy’s and Ne-Yo’s of the world, but there are also the Jays, Ems, and Kanyes. Ask any budding MC who their biggest influence is and they’ll often give you a combination of the latter. On the other hand, I doubt Wavves, Dirty Projectors, and Owen Pallett would cite Godsmack, Linkin Park, or 3 Doors Down as their reason of existence. See what I’m saying?

This is why the Jay-Z and Eminem four-date, two-city swing this summer comprises the four most important concerts of 2010. It sees music’s two biggest and most talented players joining forces for gigantic, star-studded extravaganzas. They’re taking place at fucking baseball stadiums, for Pete’s sake. They promoted it with an appearance on Letterman, consequently shutting down blocks of New York City as if the Beatles had been reincarnated and were the ones playing the rooftop of the Ed Sullivan Theatre. This is an epic shared headline in a world where dreams of, say, Radiohead and Arcade Fire co-headlining sound about as insane as The Jackson 5 actually reuniting. You could make a case for Nas and Jay-Z, but they didn’t actually tour. The Big 4 have yet to make it past Europe. Bowie and NIN were decades ago. Gaga and Kanye got called off even before it started. So let’s just continue the rest of the review with the notion that these was the biggest tour dates since at least Justin Bieber was born. Ok? Good.

So as for the actual show? How’d it go? I was fortunate enough — yes, fortunate enough — to attend the duo’s first of two dates at Yankees Stadium and my experience can be summed up in one word:

Wow.

Yes, that certainly sounds trite, but really it’s the only word that works. Monday night was the first time I ever felt out of breath at a concert — the first time I was left without words. As I exited Yankee Stadium shortly after midnight, I texted CoS Staff Writer Jeremy Larson to tell him what had ensued. He responded asking “How the hell are you going to write about all that?” to which I responded “I don’t think I can.” But that would be the easy way out. So, buckle up and let’s begin:

After openers B.o.B. and J. Cole took turns warming up the audience with their 20 minute sets, Eminem emerged around 8:30, introduced against a background video detailing the last five years of his life and how this was his triumphant return to New York. The Detroit MC’s set began heavy in newer material (“Won’t Back Down”, “3 AM”, W.T.P.”) before he was joined by outfit D12 for, amongst other things, a tribute to the late MC Proof. An even bigger tribute followed with Eminem dedicating “Like Toy Soldiers” to Tupac and Biggie. From there is was on to a medley of hits including a Drake-less “Forever”, and then 50 Cent reprised his Detroit surprise appearance and performed “Patiently Waiting” and “In Da Club”. Oh yeah, and it’s worth mentioning 50 wore an outfit made out of glow sticks. It was rad.

“It’s a fucking honor and privilege to share the stage with Jay-Z,” Eminem declared about mid-way through. “Also, don’t think I don’t know where I am… I’m honored to be in the Bronx amongst these hip hop legends.” With that, the rapper launched into his classic song “The Real Slim Shady” and was appropriately joined by huge guest of the night #2, Dr. Dre, who then followed with “Nuthin’ but a G Thang”. Even as the performance reached nearer to its peak, it was all still part of Eminem’s all-encompassing theme of recovery, which came to a grand climax when he closed out the set with “Not Afraid”, aka his preserving anthem of sobriety. And while the song may not be as catchy as some of the rapper’s other hits, it seemed to draw the biggest response from the crowd — that was until Eminem returned to perform “Lose Yourself” for an encore.

Eminem’s set was absolutely spectacular and on any other night, it’d be one for the ages. But this was Jay-Z’s city and Jay-Z’s night, and by the mere appearance of a clock counting down the legendary rapper’s hometown arrival, all of Eminem’s hard work quickly became a distant memory.

From the opening seconds of his performance, Jay-Z was determined to give those in attendance a show they’d remember for the rest of their lives. Show-stopper Kanye West who, less than 24 hours prior delivered a masterful performance in Los Angeles for the VMAs, emerged from the depths to join his “big brother” on the set’s second song, “Run This Town”. If that weren’t enough, West and Jay-Z then premiered two tracks — “Power (remix)” and “Monster” — from their forthcoming collaborative EP Watch the Throne. Nick Minaj showed up for the latter and, like in “Monster” itself,  stole the show. Even more, Jay-Z and West then proceeded to play “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “Good Life” and, at least for a moment, it felt like this was to be Kanye’s evening. But as big brothers typically tend to do, Jay would ultimately one-up Kanye.

The next hour went something like this: more hits and more guests. Memphis Bleek then joined for “D.O.A.” and Eminem emerged for a joint performance of “Renegade”. We were also witnesses to two rather fascinating spectacles. The ginormous and insanely impressive video screen “blew up” during “D.O.A.”, serving as a rather appropriate metaphor for Jay-Z’s entire performance. Also, and perhaps consequently, the audience appeared so exhausted and/or emotionally drained by the time Eminem made it on stage that their performance received little reaction. Jay-Z wouldn’t have any of this though. He quickly reminded us “this is like a historic night you all” and then launched into a Biggie tribute of his own, which featured covers of “One More Chance” and “Juicy’” against a giant portrait of the late rapper filling the video screen. Yeah, then we got our second wind. Thank goodness too, because Coldplay frontman Chris Martin then came on stage — no, really — to perform “Heart of the City”, “Most Kingz”, and the never before heard live “Viva La Vida” remix. Drake, who failed to show for Em, had a guest spot too, joining Hova for “Miss You” and a premiere of “Light Up”. Oh, and then like it was no big deal, Beyonce appeared to perform “Forever Young” with her husband.

Again, all this really happened. And that was just the main set. Jay-Z returned for an encore and though it lacked the most expected guest of the evening, Alicia Keys, we did hear renditions of “Empire State of Mind”, “Jigga That Nigga”, and “Dirt off Your Shoulder”.

So to recap, Eminem and Jay-Z, along with guests D12, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Memphis Bleek, Chris Martin, Drake, and Beyonce, performed amid a sold-out crowd at Yankees Stadium and it was unforgettable. Like, a once in a life time experience. Like, a performance where “Wow” is the only appropriate description.

Photos courtesy of Feeworldorder.com.

Eminem Setlist:
Won’t Back Down
3AM
Square Dance
W.T.P.
Kill You
No Love
So Bad
Cleanin’ Out My Closet
Say I Am
Fight Music (feat. D12)
Purple Pills (feat. D12)
My Band (feat. D12)
Airplanes Part 2 (feat. B.o.B)
Stan
Sing For The Moment
Like Toy Soldiers
Forever
Patiently Waiting (feat. 50 Cent)
I Get Money (feat. 50 Cent)
Beamer, Benz, Bentley (feat. Lloyd Banks)
In Da Club (feat. 50 Cent)
Till I Collapse
Cindarella Man
Love The Way You Lie
My Name Is
Still D.R.E. (feat. Dr. Dre)
Nuthin But A G Thang (feat. Dr. Dre and 50 Cent)
Crack A Bottle
Real Slim Shady
Without Me
Not Afraid
———
Lose Yourself

Jay-Z Setlist:
Dynasty/Intro
Run This Town (feat. Kanye West)
Power Remix (feat. Kanye West)
Monster (feat. Kanye West & Nicki Minaj)
Can’t Tell Me Nothing (feat. Kanye West)
Good Life (feat. Kanye West)
On to the Next One
D.O.A.
Lucifer/Free Mason
Renegade (feat. Eminem)
Takeover (Intro)
U Don’t Know
99 Problems
Jigga What
Big Pimpin’
Hard Knock Life
One More Chance
Juicy
A Dream
P.S.A.
Heart of the City (feat. Chris Martin)
Most Kingz (feat. Chris Martin)
Viva La Vida (feat. Chris Martin)
Miss Me (feat. Drake)
Light Up (feat. Drake)
Forever Young (feat. Beyonce)
———
Already Home
Empire State Of Mind (feat. Bridget Kelly)
Thank You
Jigga My Nigga
HOVA
Best Of Me
You, Me, Him, Her (Snippet)
Where I’m From
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
I Just Wanna Love You
Numb/Encore

———

“Heart of the City” (w/ Chris Martin)

Eminem + Jay-Z – “Renegade”