photo courtesy of austin360

there’s a very minute amount of room for an introduction when it comes to something like this. it’s jay-z. those 11 number one albums have made him someone that cannot be paralleled within this particular generation. he’s influenced countless artists since coming out in ’96 as an overshadowed protégé of the notorious b.i.g and will continue to do so as long as hip-hop’s still around. everyone knows his music and is sure to have enjoyed at least one of his songs.

he’s currently out promoting his latest of the aforementioned 11 albums, the blueprint 3, on a tour of college campuses around the country, which i personally thought was the most humble and unexpected types of tour i’d expect from a multi-millionaire like jay.

review’s after the jump.

-grizzly

photo courtesy of austin360

as the date grew nearer, it’s safe to say that i was feeling just a tad on the anxious side, due to the fact that i’d be seeing one of my personal musical heroes. i’ve been listening to jay-z since 1998, making him the artist i’ve listened to for the longest period of time without having seen him perform. eventually, that chapter would come to a close as jay-z headlined the frank erwin center, home of the texas longhorns basketball team (who ain’t too shabby either). and it didn’t hurt that the lineup was equally promising.

photo courtesy of austin360

roc nation’s latest signee, j cole, would have the night’s first set. there’s something about this up and comer that shows an unbelievable amount of promise as a future great. drowned in the sea of xxl’s freshman, j cole has been often overlooked and overshadowed by the likes of kid cudi, asher roth and b.o.b. after 2009’s mixtape, the warm-up – cole managed to make a small dent in the blog universe, turning heads with his lyrical precision and prowess. unfortunately, we weren’t able to see any of it, as we would arrive to the venue a bit too late.

[ed note: the tour’s next opener was none other than wwm favorite wale, who did not perform due to previous engagements. his album had dropped the same day, and after seeing his intense promo runs on television shows it’s on with alexa chung, 106 and park and jimmy fallon’s late night show, it would be a bit too obvious that he wouldn’t be gracing the arena that night.]

photo courtesy of austin360

we finally settled into our top-tier arena seats while n.e.r.d was bringing the house down. you know, the usual business. this would be their first tour after adding a fourth member, a songbird by the name of rhea. equal parts endearing and earnest, rhea added a nice female flourish to classic and fan favorites “lapdance,” “rock star” and “she wants to move.”

the conviction in pharrell and company’s live-show presence goes unrivaled in the hip-hop community. their live dynamic is an entity of it’s own, boasting two of the most intense drummers the genre has to offer. the rock-band mentality of n.e.r.d. shows through constant drum solos and like previous shows, a drum-off. the crew previewed and played two new songs as well. the gritty “soldier,” [sans santigold of course] and an even newer song, “radio (w.t.f.)” that will be a shoe-in contender for the leadoff single of their would-be fourth studio release. it’s almost over now – ending in a typically packed-club fashion, n.e.r.d. invited their momentarily-hired-army of bad, bad ass women to come dance for “everybody nose,” where pharrell even integrated his verse from the remix.

photo courtesy of austin360

in minutes, the priors of the show became insignificant – which was signaled and ushered in by a ten minute countdown on the venue’s screens that hung over the stage. you began to take notice of everyone standing on their feet in their assigned sections. cut the lights and count down from :20. it’s the roc. pledge your allegiance. the entire arena, for lack of a better word, erupted with a hysterical energy that i personally haven’t seen at a show since the last two kanye west shows.

jay-z rose from a riser in the middle of the stage as the opening hook of “run this town” blared over the system. within seconds of beginning his verse, jay-z – backed by ‘the roc boys,’ was here to take the reigns of the entire venue. when you have 11 albums, it’s hard to imagine that choosing a setlist is a wieldy task. hova managed to pick a setlist that spanned his nearly two-decade career. the only albums without a presence on the set were reasonable doubt, volume I and surprisingly, american gangster.

fans of the blueprint (ahem) were treated to the loudest possible rendition of “u don’t know” and one of the most important fan favorites, “heart of the city.” personal favorites went to a brooding hushed version of his verse from the “diamonds (from sierra leone)” remix, which flew into the class “jigga my nigga,” off of 1999’s ryde or die compilation. other obvious standouts were “p.s.a.” (hey, i nearly fell down due to how hype i was.) and likewise with “encore.”

photo courtesy of austin360

the blueprint 3 is by no means a phenomenal ‘jay’ effort. overshadowed by timeless greats like reasonable doubt, the original blueprint and the black album isn’t an easy task by any artist. however, it is still a great record that comes to life on stage. maybe it’s me, but i appreciated the little tweaks, such as turning “a star is born” into a ballad, or doing the third (and most volatile) verse of “thank you” a capella or having a call and response for the final verse of “already home.” i mean hell, he even made “on to the next one” and the putrid “venus and mars” sound great.

nevermind hip-hop, it’s hard to deny jay’s imprint on the music industry. he’s the only guy i know who could get away with saying “elvis has officially left the building” to a crowd in austin, texas. touring this extensively is an illustration of his love for his work. there’s isn’t a reason in the world that would push a damn-near 40 year old who is in a billion dollar relationship with beyonce knowles to travel across the united state and play hour and forty five minute sets besides that, and it was hard not to notice jay’s general appreciation of how the industry has been to him (how could he not?) and boasting a true connection between him and his fans.

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setlist:

run this town
d.o.a.
u don’t know
99 problems
i just wanna love u (give it to me)
diamonds from sierra leone (remix)
jigga my nigga
izzo (h.o.v.a.)
jigga what, jigga who
p.s.a. (interlude)
heart of the city (ain’t no love)
already home
empire state of mind
a star is born f. j cole
so ambitious f. pharrell williams
dirt off your shoulder
—
encore:

thank you

on to the next one
change clothes
03 bonnie and clyde
venus vs. mars
lucifer
swagga like us
can i get a…

encore
young forever

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to end with a quote from my last review:

“my whole childhood came around full circle. i am in love with nostalgia.”