\n<\/p>\n
On Friday night, more than 45,000 people gathered at Yankee Stadium not to enjoy the national pastime, but a bucket-list New York one: seeing Jay-Z<\/a> perform in celebration of the 30th anniversary<\/a> of Reasonable Doubt<\/em>. It was the first in a three-night residency, with the Friday show dedicated to Reasonable Doubt<\/em> and the Saturday show reserved for The Blueprint<\/em>, which turns 25 this year. Across both nights, Jay-Z commanded an understated stage set up (\u201cI think the statement piece in a Jay-Z show is Jay-Z,\u201d Willo Perron, the performance\u2019s creative director, told Wired<\/em><\/a> recently) with support from guests including Beyonc\u00e9, Nas, Eminem, Slick Rick, and his daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Check out clips and full set lists from both nights below.<\/p>\n The residency\u2019s first night kicked off with a bang in the form of a surprise Beyonc\u00e9 duet. Mrs. Carter joined Jay-Z onstage to open the show with \u201cCan\u2019t Knock the Hustle,\u201d before Jay dove into a series of solo cuts including \u201cMade In America (Freestyle)\u201d and \u201cBrooklyn\u2019s Finest.\u201d Beyonc\u00e9 wouldn’t be the last guest to pop up throughout the night though, nor the last family member. Jay-Z\u2019s daughter Blue Ivy Carter\u2014who also recently danced on her mom\u2019s Cowboy Carter tour\u2014accompanied him on the piano to introduce \u201cFeelin\u2019 It.\u201d Other special appearances throughout the night came from Memphis Bleek, Jaz-O, Alicia Keys (because one doesn’t just play Yankee Stadium without dropping \u201cEmpire State of Mind\u2019), and Nas, who shared the stage with Jay for multiple songs.<\/p>\n The fanfare hadn\u2019t died down on Saturday, which was all about 2001\u2019s The Blueprint<\/em> and broke Yankee Stadium\u2019s ticket sales record. Performing for another packed-out crowd, the rapper kicked things off with a rendition of \u201cThe Ruler\u2019s Back\u201d with Slick Rick. Later in the night, Eminem also popped out to go toe-to-toe with Jay on their song \u201cRenegade.\u201d But the guest with the most stage time on Saturday was Pharrell, who accompanied Jay on five songs including \u201cExcuse Me Miss\u201d and \u201cFrontin.\u2019\u2019 \u201cHOV the greatest of all time,\u201d Pharrell quipped at one point. \u201cIt\u2019s not up for discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n Jay-Z will return to Yankee Stadium tonight for the third and final show in his residency, billed under the name Extra Innings. This fall, he\u2019ll also bring the anniversary production to London, Paris, and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n