New York | Thursday, February 9th, 2012
Jay-Z’s momentum just keeps gaining. We can’t help but post about this talented new fathers endeavors once again. In early December, Haute 100 lister Jay-Z announced two consecutive performances at Carnegie Hall, which would serve as fundraisers for his non-profit, the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, and the United Way of New York City.
This week–on Monday night and again on Tuesday night, Jay-Z performed with a 30 plus-member orchestra and a band. He opened with “P.S.A.,” wearing a white tux with black bow tie and shades, holding a bottle of Ace of Spades. Along with some of his own greatest hits, Jay performed a crowd-pleasing plethora of New York themed classics; Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York,” and Gill Scott-Heron’s “New York Is Killing Me.”
Following the classic New York tunes he began “Empire State of Mind,” bringing out Alicia Keys, then Nas to sing “NY State of Mind” and “If I Ruled the World.” Throughout the evening, he changed into a black tux and then ended the concert wearing a black tee, Yankee hat and a sparkling gold chain. To close the show, Jay gave his first live performance of “Glory”, a song dedicated to his newborn daughter, Blue Ivy. It was emotionally charged to say the least.
Part of his goal for the concert was to bridge the gap between classical music, hip hop and jazz. Beyoncé, in her first public appearance since giving birth last month, attended the performance and the after party at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club. She looked absolutely stunning in a tight red dress that showed she most certainly hasn’t wasted any time in toning her post-baby body.
