Jay Z opens London anniversary concert with Fugees reunion and Beyoncé's birthday celebration

Jay Z turned his first British solo concert in more than a decade into a massive spectacle. On September 4 he opened a two night run at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London as part of his worldwide JAŸ Z 30 tour, celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of his debut album Reasonable Doubt from 1996. His last solo show in London was back in 2013, when he wrapped up the Magna Carta World Tour at The O2 Arena. He did appear in the city in 2018, but that was as part of the On the Run II Tour alongside Beyoncé.

The evening kicked off with a special touch: actor Idris Elba delivered the spoken intro that Jay Z originally used on his 2007 album American Gangster. The rapper then took the stage himself and told the crowd how he first traveled to London in 1989 with his mentor Jaz O and realized what was possible for his career. He described the city as a place that holds a special meaning in his life, adding that music had saved him.

The guest appearances gave the night the feel of a proper event, putting it on a level with his earlier shows this year at Yankee Stadium in New York, where stars like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem and Alicia Keys had shown up. In London it was DJ Khaled who appeared first, performing God Did. London rapper Giggs then took the stage, visibly overwhelmed by the sight of a packed stadium, to perform his breakthrough single Talkin Da Hardest. The highlight of the guest parade was Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, who performed together as Fugees and played three classics: Ready or Not, Killing Me Softly With His Song and Fu Gee La. Jay Z added extra weight to the reunion by sharing that he once toured Europe as the opening act for the Fugees. The show closed out with Public Service Announcement and Numb/Encore, the well known collaboration with Linkin Park.

A personal moment also came during the concert: it was Beyoncé's 45th birthday that evening. Jay Z announced that a certain young lady was celebrating her birthday, and joked that he could hardly ask her to perform on her special day. Instead he directed a helicopter spotlight toward the skybox where she was watching with friends, sent fireworks into the sky and asked the packed stadium to sing Happy Birthday together. Beyoncé appeared on the big screens in a hoodie, blowing kisses to the crowd below.

The concert drew an impressive lineup of famous faces in the audience, including David Beckham, Michael B. Jordan, Rick Rubin, British football manager Thomas Tuchel, and musicians such as Dave and Olivia Dean. The tour continues on September 5 with a second night at the same London stadium, then heads to the Stade de France in Paris on September 10, and wraps up at the end of October with two nights at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Those final dates were added to the original schedule later due to high ticket demand.