Jay-Z Closed Out His Barclays Run With Some Help From His Lady
On Saturday night, Jay-Z played the last of eight shows christening Brooklyn’s brand-spanking-new Barclays Center, and Young Arena marked the climax with a move no less awesome for its inevitability: He brought out the mother of his child, superstar R&B and pop vocalist Beyoncé, for a quick little burst of bombast and spectacle. It was (at least according to this crystal-clear YouTube video, provided thanks to a livestream of the gig) awesome:
The first thing you might notice is that Knowles is playing fast and loose with her sporting allegiances here, readily swapping out any tribute to her native Houston Rockets for a Nets fitted cap. (And somewhere Jeremy Lin is all like, But half the reason I signed the offer sheet was because I thought it’d bring me closer to Bey!!!) There’s also that tentative butt slap Jay-Z lays down, which is most certainly the best thing we’re going to see all day. More importantly, though: Mere months after the birth of Blue Ivy (who, just for the record, does not yet have her own Wikipedia page), the all-encompassing Death Star performance experience that is Beyoncé seems to be quite operational. She even brought her A-game when it came to banter.
Second-best line:
“I wanna say happy birthday to a special friend of mine — Gwyn, I love you” (Yes, Gwyn[eth]. According to US Weekly, Paltrow celebrated her 40th Friday night in NYC with a star-studded crew including Ethan Hawke, Mike D, and “BFF” BK: “The group ate, drank, and mingled to a low-key, lounge-like piano soundtrack Paltrow and her pals ate chocolate cake for dessert, a source reveals.”)
First-best line:
Introducing “Crazy in Love”: “I want y’all to do the ‘uh-oh’ dance with me.”
Later, Jay and Bey came together for “Young Forever,” possibly the worst track Young Arena has ever recorded. But who cares?! Look at ’em together. Adorable.
Related: The Colossus of New York
Filed Under: Beyonce, Jay Z, Music News
More from Amos Barshad
-
We Went There: Blur Finally Makes It to Madison Square Garden
-
We Went There: Jay Z and Tidal Bring Beyoncé and Friends to Barclays Center
-
A Homecoming for Astronaut Jones: Tracy Morgan Returns to ‘SNL’
-
‘The Facts Are the Least You Can Rely On’: Director Danny Boyle Talks ‘Steve Jobs’
-
A Killer Trump, Miley’s Dead Petz, and Hillary Two-Times: Your ‘SNL’ Season Premiere Check-in
More Beyonce
-
We Went There: Jay Z and Tidal Bring Beyoncé and Friends to Barclays Center
-
Thought Experiment: Ronda Rousey’s ‘Road House’ and the Thrilling Future of Rebooted Action Movies
-
Side 1, Track 1: ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and the Best First Songs Ever
-
Stem the Tidal: How Jay Z Is Trying to Gain the Trust of Fans (and Old Friends) All Over Again
-
What Other Cool Stuff Can We Extort From an Increasingly Desperate Jay Z in Exchange for a Tidal Subscription?
More Hollywood Prospectus
-
Brand Echh: Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton Can’t Save the Lame ‘Our Brand Is Crisis’
-
50 Scenes That Do Not Appear in the Fox ‘X-Files’ Revival
-
In Praise of Beach Slang, 2015’s Best, Most Sincere Rock Band
-
Who Was Missing From Taylor Swift’s Miami Squad?
-
Happy ‘Halloween’: The Best Horror-Movie Monsters