Photo credit: Facebook/HotNewHipHop.com
Jay-Z kicked off a two night London run on Friday, September 4, delivering a sold out opening show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Fans packed the venue in North London for a night built around surprise guests and career spanning hits.
Sir Idris Elba set the tone before the music started
Sir Idris Elba opened the show with the same intro that famously introduced Jay-Z’s 2007 American Gangster album. Jay-Z then moved straight into Pray before working through fan favorites including BAM, Beach Is Better and On To The Next One. Elba’s appearance set an early tone for a night packed with surprises.
The guest list turned into a hip hop reunion
DJ Khaled joined the stage for God Did, and UK rapper Giggs performed his breakout hit Talking The Hardest. Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean of the Fugees then surprised the crowd with a run of classics, including Ready Or Not, Killing Me Softly and Fu-Gee-La. Jay-Z kept the momentum going afterward with more career defining tracks, including Jigga What Jigga Who, Run This Town and Hard Knock Life.
A birthday surprise stopped the show
Midway through the set, Jay-Z paused for a brief intermission to shout out his wife, Beyoncé, who was in the crowd celebrating her birthday that same night. Fireworks burst around the stadium in her honor, catching the crowd completely off guard and turning the moment into one of the night’s biggest highlights. Jay-Z closed the show soon after with Numb/Encore.
A stadium full of famous faces
The crowd itself doubled as a highlight reel. Sir David Beckham, Cynthia Erivo, Michael B. Jordan, Jordan Dunn, Olivia Dean, Rick Rubin, Thomas Tuchel, Dave, Viddal Riley, AJ Odudu and Kano were all spotted in attendance. Throughout the night, Jay-Z cycled through several looks, including custom June Ambrose designs and a Sacai cardigan paired with Margiela pants.
What comes next
Jay-Z returns to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a second London show on Saturday, September 5. The run is part of JAY-Z30, a year long celebration marking three decades since the release of Reasonable Doubt. The initiative continues through concerts, exclusive products and special events across 2026 and beyond.
Full setlist from night one
- Intro featuring Sir Idris Elba
- Pray
- Bam
- Jigga My *igga
- Beach Is Better
- Fuckwithmeyouknowigotit
- Jigga What, Jigga Who
- Run This Town
- On To The Next One
- Empire State Of Mind
- Family Feud
- U Don’t Know
- Dead Presidents
- Where I’m From
- Hard Knock Life
- Lucifer
- No Church In The Wild
- Can I Live
- 99 Problems
- Girls, Girls, Girls
- Excuse Me Miss
- La-La-La
- Give It To Me
- Dirt Off Your Shoulder
- Never Change
- Song Cry
- God Did (DJ Khaled)
- Talking The Hardest (Giggs)
- Heart Of The City
- Ready Or Not (Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean)
- Killing Me Softly (Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean)
- Fu-Gee-La (Ms. Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean)
- N*ggas In Paris
- Big Pimpin
- PSA
- Numb/Encore
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