Reviews are pouring in from Jay-Z’s headlining set at All Points West in Jersey City, NJ last night and it looks like I missed out on one of the best shows of the year. Sure, Hova was stepping in at the last minute for fellow Brooklyn hip-hop giants the Beastie Boys, but that was no excuse for a phoned-in set: Jay-Z killed, playing a 28-song set, including a Michael Jackson tribute and special dedication to Adam “MCA” Yauch, whose recent cancer diagnosis led to last night’s awesome substitute performance.
“Jay-Z at All Points West,” Hova rapped (replacing original lyric “Beastie Boys at the Garden”) in his opening cover of the Beasties’ “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” reports Brooklyn Vegan. Later in the set, he announced, “I wanna dedicate this whole show to MCA. Get well soon!” According to Billboard, Hova added that the Beasties are “pioneers, one of the reasons [he’s] on this stage.”
The show wouldn’t be complete, however, without a Michael Jackson tribute: “If you take one thing from this concert, it should be that we don’t mourn death, we celebrate life,” Jay-Z said, before playing “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” with an added Jackson 5 “I Want You Back” sample.
Here’s an okay-quality YouTube of “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.” For more info on Jay-Z’s first U.S. festival gig, go here, there, or thataway.