Celebrating New York: Jay-Z at Madison Square Garden

“This is about celebrating life,” Jay-Z said at his September 11 "Answer the Call" concert at Madison Square Garden. The king of rap gave us much to celebrate. Early on he announced, “I’m gonna take my time out here tonight,” but while his presence may have been chill, the concert was a fast-paced tour de force. Beyoncé, who wore a sparkling military-inspired silver and black leotard, danced hard and fast through “Diva”; Rihanna, also full-leg-bearing in silver and black, joined Jay-Z and Kanye West on “Run This Town”; John Mayer gave an electric guitar solo on “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”; Santigold joined Jay-Z on “Brooklyn Go Hard”; and the great Mary J Blige came on stage for "Can't Knock the Hustle."

We got the old favorites ("The Bounce," "Hardknock Life") and the instant classics from the new album Blueprint 3, released eight years to the day after the first in the trilogy came out (on September 11, 2001). During a moment of silence, Jay-Z even took off his sunglasses.

The stage backdrop, a video wall that showed images as well as live close-ups of the performers, ratcheted up emotions. Jay-Z opened the show with “Empire State of Mind” (one of those instant classics from from Blueprint 3) in front of a Manhattan skyline, which morphed into a moving aerial tour of the city. Later, we saw a neon-lights rendition of Times Square (a little outdated, since the Virgin music store has closed), very cute.

Other images included an abstract rendering of the American flag, and a multi-screen montage of Jay-Z and Beyoncé on a yacht, but the New York skyline was the unifying theme. For “Young Forever,” images of those who died on September 11 filled in the outlines of buildings. A few moments into the song, Jay-Z stopped the voice track (from the young Brit Mr. Hudson). “Thank you to everybody who lost their lives so we could live ours,” he said.

It was an iconic New York night placing Jay-Z in the pantheon of New York party hosts, entertainers, and business successes. Raised Shawn Carter in Brooklyn, Jay-Z called on “New York to make some noise,” challenging us to scream louder — and we obliged. He said he had seen our strength and resilience and “tonight I see you even stronger.” To make sure we knew he had seen us, he scanned the arena to call out individuals in the audience: “I see you in the striped shirt, and you way up top in the orange. I see you, you’re not wearing a shirt, you’re loosey-goosey tonight,” he said (indeed, the man, as captured on a video screen, had a bare chest). This heartwarming Romper Room moment went on and on, showing there is a big heart in this city.

ABSOLUT Vodka, Live Nation, and Jay-Z underwrote the event, with proceeds from ticket and merchandise sales going to the New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund. The $25 white T-shirt wasn’t the most fashionable rap concert memento ever, but its plainness was appropriate for the tone of the evening. Also appropriate was the lack of sponsor signage: the closest we came to seeing a nod to ABSOLUT was the stage backdrop of the Manhattan skyline light up in blue.