Last night Detroit, MI played host to one of the biggest hip hop concerts that ever was as hometown boy Eminem and NYC’s Jay-Z played the first of their Home and Home Tour shows at Comerica Park (home of the Detroit Tigers baseball team) in downtown Detroit:
The whole night was just beyond huge … I’m having a hard time processing everything that went down because A LOT of shizz went down in Detroit Rock City last night. After the jump, check out photos of Jay-Z‘s concert set as well as Eminem‘s closing concert set which included guest performances by Drake, D12, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre — additionally, you can read a report on last night’s show from the Detroit Free Press and check out a couple videos from last night’s fun …
B.o.B. opened the show and put on a great performance. I’m not too familiar with his music but he reminded me a bit of Outkast, which I really enjoyed. Here in Detroit, Jay-Z took the stage first (at the NYC shows, Eminem takes the stage first) … here are a few photos from his 90 minute set:
I can’t even tell you how impressed I was with Jay‘s performance. I’ve never seen him live before but I deffo plan to see him again. He was just phenomenal. To be honest, tho, I was most impressed with how much respect he showed for Detroit. He gave countless shout-outs to the crowd and thanked the audience for their kind acceptance of him. Jay-Z proclaimed that last night’s show was the most important concert performance of his life … he was very proud to be a Hip Hop artist headlining a stadium show with another Hip Hop artist.
After Jay‘s set, Eminem took the stage the blew the non-existent roof off of Tiger Stadium:
The songs were time-tested, the faces familiar Thursday night at Comerica Park. But if you were sitting among the crowd of 42,000 for the first of two shows by Eminem and Jay-Z, it was hard to escape the realization that this was something new. Something just a little different. It was a night of big and bigger at the Detroit ballpark: huge hits from a pair of superstars on a massive stage. The buzz had been heavy for weeks, in part because we weren’t sure exactly what we’d get. What we got was an evening that may well go down as a milestone for hip-hop. Rock ‘n’ roll has its enduring concert superstars, its Springsteens and Stones. But for hip-hop — whose live legacy has been comprised mostly of flash-and-burn young acts and retro-circuit oldies — Thursday night’s confident, high-quality production represented something unique. It was loud, resounding evidence that hip-hop can do the larger-than-life thing, too. Em and Jay-Z had been building to a breakthrough like this for many years, securing their place in the larger pop culture and pulling hip-hop to a transcendent new level. Jay-Z, recognizing the magnitude of the moment, paused his set and urged the show’s directors to bring up the house lights. He took in the roaring crowd. “This is hip-hop music,” he said, “and this is how far we’ve come.” He’d begun his set at 8:40 p.m. to a blast of lights and squalling rock, alone at center stage to rap the intro from his album “The Dynasty.” From there it was a fast-paced, at times poignant, set of hits and medleys that led to a closing climax of “Empire State of Mind” and “Numb.” Backed by a tight live band, Jay welcomed guests Young Jeezy and Memphis Bleek and paid tribute to fallen stars, including Detroit’s Proof and Aaliyah. It would be Eminem’s hometown crowd to own a half-hour later. Tightly gripping his mic and tensely pacing the stage in his Tigers hoodie, he launched into a fierce performance of “Won’t Back Down,” instantly converting Jay-Z’s warm vibe into a sharper, darker tone. Before him in Comerica Park was a predominantly white crowd composed of Eminem’s original crop of fans — now in their 30s and 40s — and many who were just toddlers when he was working Detroit clubs down the street. They’d come armed with ample enthusiasm. Some had waited in line since early morning, rushing to the field when gates opened at 6 p.m. It was an eclectic, career-spanning set: Em quickly dipped back in time, ripping through 1999′s “Kill You” with slinky backing from the live band behind him. He jumped through the years, placing older tunes (“Cleaning Out My Closet”) next to songs from his new “Recovery.” For all the nostalgia of the older material, it still came with a bite. Em’s new live band brought organic textures to vintage fare like “Without Me,” “Stan” and “The Way I Am,” the last as potent Thursday night as it was 11 years ago. Tens of thousands of fists pumped in unison for the anthem “Not Afraid,” the song proclaiming Eminem’s recent rebirth. As he gazed out from the stage, you sensed it was an emotionally powerful personal moment.
And then came the stream of guest performers during Eminem‘s set … including Drake, 50 Cent, D12, Jay-Z and the biggest surprise of the night, Dr. Dre:
Last night was … INSANE. It was so cool to see Em back in action with his mentor, Dr. Dre. Check out this video from their performance together:
I’ve seen some big shows in my time … but last night’s may be the biggest one of them all. That it all took place in my beloved Detroit Rock City, I can’t even tell you how amazing it was. Em profusely thanked his fans for their support and showered Detroit with love … and he will do so again tonight at the second Comerica Park show. If you can see this concert, get your ass downtown. If you’re in NYC, make sure you see one of those 2 shows next weekend … Epic doesn’t even describe how big a show Em and Jay-Z put on.
As you can prolly tell, my friends and I had a blast last night:
It was a good night in Detroit, y’all. I’m so happy I was able to be a part of it.
Tonight, I’m meeting up with Tracey and Zakiya for a belated birthday celebration with Princess Z. Happy Friday and Happy LONG Weekend, y’all!! Enjoy it!!
[Source, Source, Source]
