Jay-Z
December 21, 2017
The Forum – Los Angeles, CA
On the 31st show date, Jay-Z brought the closing of his ‘4:44’ Tour to the Forum in Inglewood, CA. A night that claimed to be sold out, left a noticeable amount of empty seats throughout the arena, but nonetheless, the tour closer was a success.
24 year old, rising rapper, Vic Mensa kicked off the show, a whole 35 minutes after he was scheduled to perform. The artist had his set cut short, likely due to his tardiness, but managed to entertain the crowd with some of his hits, and a guest appearance from his friend G-Eazy who performed his hit song No Limit.
The stage set-up was very similar to the Kanye West setup, with the stage placed in the middle of the floor seating area, giving a better view for everyone in the arena. Split screens floated above and all around the stage and proceeded to move during Jay-Z’s performance.
Just a bit after his scheduled start time, Jay-Z and the crowd alike, were ready. The split screens moved forward, toward the middle of the stage, almost enclosing the stage. A video of Jay-Z smoking began to play on the screens as the fans grew louder. The show kicked off with Kill Jay Z.
The 31 song setlist included songs from 10 albums and gave old school and new school fans something to vibe and rap along to. 99 Problems had the entire arena screaming out the words, along with Niggas in Paris, The Story of O.J and Dirt Off Your Shoulder.
Jay-Z seemed very genuine when speaking with the crowd, acknowledging them all and showing his gratitude for their presence. He encouraged everyone to continue to follow their dreams, no matter what other people tell them. He shared personal stories of his struggles and connected with the crowd as a human, rather than some big, untouchable, rapper.
Following Smile, Jay-Z’s encore of Numb was dedicated to a “brave young man by the name of Chester Bennington from a group called Linkin Park.” Jay-Z and Linkin Park had worked together for the collaboration album Collision Course back in 2004 and Bennington had recently passed away due to suicide. Jay-Z made it a point for the audience to “check on your people” because “mental health is a real issue, it’s not taboo and it’s not nothing to be embarrassed about.” He went on to have the audience put their phones in the air to light the arena for Bennington and ended the night with Numb.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
Jay-Z
Vic Mensa
