JAY-Z and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE at the Rogers Centre, Wednesday, July 17. Rating: NNNN
There aren’t a lot of performers that make you happy to see a show in the Rogers Centre. On my way to the Blue Jays’ home in 43-degree heat, I found myself wishing for the relative intimacy and accessibility of the ACC. But not when I got there. For egos and aura the size of Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake, and for an occasion as momentous as the first show on a massive Legends Of The Summer tour, you need a 54,000 capacity arena (that on this night was sold-out, holding 45,000, including Drake).
The legends arrived just after 9 pm, emerging at opposite ends of a monstrous stage, each in front of a gigantic screen projecting the other’s image. Predictably, they launched with Holy Grail – their shared opening track on Jay-Z’s brand-spanking new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail (No. 1 in Canada, Jay reminded us) – performed in front of the same religious statue imagery that graces Magna Carta’s cover.
The song plays much better live than on the record, and while most cameras were pointed toward Justin, on the left, I was marvelling at Jay-Z, on the right: Hov’s never been so hipster – short-sleeved white button up, with chains and a backwards Nets hat to give it edge. They set the tone with that tune – Justin’s falsetto was flawless, Jay’s rhymes effortlessly delivered with the confidence two decades in the spotlight and the deference of pop’s biggest star bring. I spent the rest of the night wishing I was Beyoncé, and, to a lesser, but not insignificant degree, Jessica Biel.
After a mashup of I Just Wanna Love U and Rock Your Body, they alternated songs from their greatest hits catalogues. This was a little choppy and seemed to halt momentum – it was much better when they each delved into longer mini-sets of their respective material.
There wasn’t much new or innovative – it would have been cool to hear them completely reinvent a Justin song with new raps by Jay-Z, or tear apart someone else’s classic. Instead, they were content to take turns at the mic, backed by impressive visual projections, those two mega-jumbo-trons plus a 14-person band whose energy was tireless (particularly the inspired drummer) despite wearing ridiculous shiny red pants that must have been intolerably hot.
Justin displayed some chops by jumping on electric guitar during U Don’t Know, or on the keys during other Hov classics, while Jay-Z mostly rested offstage when it was Justin’s turn – probably on a throne in the back, fanned by palms, surrounded by Beyoncé and Blue Ivy who are also in town.
The floor audience sat down only once – when Justin took an ill-advised slow turn at the piano. This would have been OK earlier in the show, but past the two-hour mark, it brought the energy down.
But of course, these guys have volumes of hits to rely upon, so it didn’t lag for long. By the time the nearly 3-hour show was over, we had heard Justin’s My Love, LoveStoned and Like I Love You (that boy really loves a lot), and from Hov: Lots from the Blueprint album, plus 99 Problems, Big Pimpin’, On To The Next, Tom Ford.
It was a little too easy to predict which songs would come when – when a spotlight shines on Justin singing Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York, it’s no shock what song Jay-Z will burst forth with next. But, it doesn’t make said burst any less satisfying. The show’s highlight was Jay-Z performing one of his most thoughtful and personal – Song Cry – before Justin attacked his greatest jam of all time, yup, Cry Me A River.
Predictably, they opened the encore with Suit & Tie, sipping champagne and wearing tuxedo jackets.
And then, the first moment of real surprise: After an irresistible singalong to Mirrors, it was curious to hear the sample of Alphaville’s Forever Young come up for what everyone knew was going to be the last song. Young Forever is one of the best songs on Blueprint 3, but not necessarily a show-closer. But then Jay-Z asked us all to sing along for Trayvon, and it made sense. Unpredictable, perfect sense.
