Jay-Z did not go on stage until after midnight on the third night of his hometown residency at Yankee Stadium. He rewarded the sold-out crowd, who were held outside of the venue for approximately four hours, with an incredible guest list.
It was well worth the wait.
There has been a lot of chatter about the current state of live music. Artists all over the world are canceling shows due to a lack of ticket sales and poor attendance— a phenomenon known as “blue dot fever.” This is proof that concerts are not dead!
A security breach caused a four-hour delay.
The third night of Jay-Z’s residency in the Bronx was going to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET. It did not start on time.
A security breach forced the stadium to shut down. People tried to rush the gates. All of the entrances shut off.
⚠️This was part of the issue that caused the delay at the Jay-Z show – @yankeestadium please improve security and organization as this could have been dangerous for those outside and inside the stadium‼️ pic.twitter.com/WW6WcCfQgT
— HipHopKlipz36 (@hiphopklipz36) July 13, 2026
Rosalynn Glover told Eyewitness News what happened.
“”We got here a little after 8, went to Gate 2, they bum rushed Gate 2. Bum rushed. People went past security, were not checked and got into the stadium. They closed down Gate 2, we went to Gate 4, same thing happened.We were at the suite section, they would not even let us in there.”
Everybody had to wait outside. Even celebrities. Nobody in. Nobody out.
It was a really unfortunate scene.
Fans were eventually allowed inside of the stadium. However, the show still did not start right away.
Rai G gave a detailed play-by-play update on Threads. The timeline looked something like this:
- 11:28pm — “No Jaÿ-Z. They finally stopped playing elevator music. No show. The girl in front of me just lit a real cigarette because she’s stressed. People are napping. I’m next.”
- “They need to figure out a safe way to just call this show.”
- 11:43pm — “Announcement had just been made to ask we give them some patience as they get everyone in safely as that’s all they(and Jay) want.”
- 11:55pm — “For context, I’ve been here since 5:25pm. I had a few drinks, food, and copped my merch. I watched the stadium feel with people waiting to experience this amazing moment in time and here we are listening to Ice Cube”
- ~12:10am — “The band is on stage again. Well they have been for song tracks. Somebody heard us talking about the music. Crowd is restless but we’re here. I know Jay will pay the fines and all that but…there are literally people behind me sleep. Like snoring.
- 12:16am — “WE HAVE A SHOW!”
- 2:51am — “SHOW OVER.”
- 3:06am — “Finally making it out the stadium after going down all those inclines.”
- 3:30am — “made it on the train”
Jay-Z explained what happened as soon as he got on stage:
“Let me explain the delay to you guys. It was like 10,000 people outside, and we closed all the doors, and somebody rushed the door. They closed the door for you guys’ safety and everyone’s safety outside. There’s 10,000 people outside; I don’t want to start the music and people get trampled. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everyone was OK. I appreciate your patience.”
A vast majority of the crowd waited it out. Yankee Stadium was packed. Even after midnight! Almost every seat was filled.
Jay-Z brought out ALL of the guests at Yankee Stadium.
Those who stayed saw an incredible show. Teyana Taylor kicked off the star-studded list of guest appearances for ‘Can’t Knock The Hustle.’
Jermaine Dupri joined Jay-Z on stage for ‘Money Ain’t A Thing.’
Young Jeezy played two songs: ‘Seen It All’ and ‘Go Crazy.’
Usher pulled up for ‘Heart of the City.’
The Dream performed ‘No Church in the Wild.’
Rihanna sang ‘Run This Town’ and ‘BBHMM’
Jay-Z brought out Swizz Beatz for ‘Jigga My N—‘ and ‘On to the Next One.’
Pharrell Williams stayed on stage for ‘Excuse Me Miss,’ ‘I Just Wanna Love You’ and ‘Frontin.’
Clipse also popped up for ‘Grindin.’
Shawn Carter tapped his wife, Beyonce, for ‘Drunk In Love.’
Jadakiss and Fat Joe closed things out with ‘New York.’
You can’t ask for a better lineup. Especially in New York. Jay-Z made good for the delay. Nobody left dissapointed.
Jay-Z set a new attendance record at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night. 44,916 fans waited four hours! They are proof that live music isn’t dead. That’s next level.