Eminem and Jay-Z Run This Town

Sometime between 11:30 and midnight last night, long after we waited to get past the metal detectors and the cops with big guns, long after an aroma of inhaleable substances (legal and otherwise) began to permeate a crowd which encompassed fans from all fifty states and countries besides, Jay-Z encouraged his home town crowd to bounce; they did, and the visual effect on a full stadium was breathtaking:

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I’m not a music critic, I don’t even listen to hip hop or rap all that often, but the atmosphere at Yankee Stadium last night was staggering.

I took videos from last night, and they can but only hit at the actual experience. (With apologies for the, uh, bounciness, of them)

Concert Opening

Lose Yourself

Run This Town

Empire State of Mind

Among the guests, and I will forget some: B.o.B. opened, 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, Drake, Kanye West, Beyonce, Chris Martin, Nicki Minaj….

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Although I’m a little nervous about the state of the outfield grass–we remember what it looked like after the Stadium Slugfest–the concert was such a success, I have to wonder what they will do to top it.

Hip Hop was born in the Bronx; Jay-Z and Eminem are arguably the most recognizable names in that genre today–certainly, in New York, it’s Jay-Z that, well, runs this town.

And, as they say, there’s nothing like going home again…