CENTRAL PARK, New York — Jay Z would have been enough. Actually, Hov would have been more than enough.
On a day that featured performances by No Doubt, Carrie Underwood, fun., Sting, Tiesto, Alicia Keys and the Roots, Jay Z’s headlining set was the icing on an already spectacular lineup for the many thousands in attendance at the Global Citizens Festival on Saturday (September 27).
But then he brought out Beyoncé. And, naturally, everyone lost it.
It was towards the end of his time on stage, but that didn’t matter. The power couple made every second count. And for those of us (like me) that didn’t catch the On The Run Tour, this was a welcomed little taste.
To start, Bey belted Justin Timberlake’s part on “Holy Grail,” with powerful yet delicate vocals that reminded (in case you somehow forgot after her tour de force at the VMAs) what she’s capable of. For their second and final song, the two volleyed vocals for “Forever Young,” commanding lighters and cellphones to the sky for a picturesque moment with the New York City skyline as the backdrop.
Don’t get it twisted, though. Before Bey entered, Jay was solo with the backing of a live band steering a classically Hovian set. After Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” played to a crowd eager with anticipation, Jigga emerged to “Empire State of Mind” (in a very un-Hovian move, however, he appeared to stumble through the lyrics of the third verse — but the fans had his back).
From there, it was hits on hits. From “Big Pimpin’” to “99 Problems” to “N—as in Paris,” the Brooklyn native ran through a half dozen smashes.
And then, of course, he had to touch some fan-favorites — the album cuts that always go off when he does them live. Tracks like “U Don’t Know” and “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” each had everyone (or, at least me, but it seemed like everyone else, too) infused with a burst of energy as if we hadn’t been standing for more than five hours.
But that exhaustion was for a noble cause. The third annual Global Citizens Festival was organized to help raise awareness and create action towards eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. With a park packed with fans, tons of celebrities participating, and a live broadcast, you can bet they raised awareness.
At one point, Jay told the crowd to put their hands up, and then down, and proclaimed it “the most incredible thing” he had ever seen. Hyperbole? Maybe. But even so, it was one of a number of incredible moments on an incredible night for an incredible cause.
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