By Catherine Sodano, Staff Writer
Jay- Z brought the house down on March 12 at the Nassau Coliseum for his “The Blueprint 3 Tour.” It was a sold out concert that began around 8 P.M., opening with Trey Songz. Trey Songz sang some of his famed hits such as “Say Aah,” “I Invented Sex,” “Successful,” and “Neighbors Know My Name.” He dazzled the stage with his presence, leaving the ladies in the audience asking for more. He set the mood with candles on the HD big screens behind him, bringing up a fan on stage to serenade her with a glass of champagne.
After Trey took the stage, fans were roaring in anticipation for Jay-Z’s big arrival. He kicked off the show with hit song “Run This Town,” with every fan rapping each word. Fans shouted alongside Jay for his two-hour performance. The concert even ran a bit late, Jay-Z said, “we’re going into overtime here,” with his fans approval. Jay-Z blew past the Nassau Coliseum’s 11 p.m. curfew and end time for all concerts, because he was having too good of a time enjoying every moment of the enthusiastic fans.
Jay-Z was the focus of attention for the night undeniably, but his 11-piece band, and effects can be considered just another colossal success for Jay-Z. He brought out Young Jeezy, and Memphis Bleek, who rapped with him on stage for a straight three minutes, sparring back and forth. With the outstanding acoustics in the arena, and the laid back band blaring their horns, bass, and drums, Jay-Z knew just when to bring it all to a stop. He told the band to hold the music for his hit song “Hater” because the crowd shouting the lyrics was so boisterous he thought the song would sound better a’capella.
Jay-Z also took special notice of his more dedicated fans at the show; one girl sitting on the floor held up a sign saying “I’ve been to your past 12 shows and I’m going to AC to your show tomorrow to see you again,” so he called her out in the middle of his performance saying “I recognized you from the past 12 concerts,” and proceeded to bring the fan on stage to give her a hug. Jay-Z made the pricey ticket cost all worth it for the fans.