Jay-Z's Two Yankee Stadium Anniversary Concerts: Guests, Setlists, and Highlights
Jay-Z went home to New York and threw himself two anniversary parties that doubled as a history lesson. On Friday, July 10 and Saturday, July 11, 2026, the Brooklyn native headlined back-to-back nights at Yankee Stadium: JAY-Z 30, marking three decades of his debut album Reasonable Doubt, and JAY-Z 25, celebrating a quarter century of The Blueprint. Both nights sold out, both broke attendance records, and both delivered the kind of guest list only Jay-Z can assemble.
Night One: Reasonable Doubt Turns 30
Friday's show was built around the 1996 debut that started it all. Jay-Z reminded the crowd that Reasonable Doubt sold 43,000 copies in its first week. The roughly 45,000 people inside Yankee Stadium on Friday night outnumbered that figure, a point he did not let the audience miss.
Of the 24 songs performed, nine came from Reasonable Doubt, woven between career-spanning hits. The night opened with "Can't Knock the Hustle," with Beyoncé stepping in for Mary J. Blige's hook. Their daughter Blue Ivy Carter played piano to open "Feelin' It," one of the most talked-about moments of the weekend.
The guest list read like a history of New York rap:
- Nas joined for "The World Is Yours," "N.Y. State of Mind," and "Where I'm From," a full-circle moment for two artists who once defined rap's most famous feud
- Memphis Bleek came out for "Coming of Age"
- Jaz-O, Jay-Z's earliest mentor, made a surprise appearance during "Regrets"
- Alicia Keys closed the night with "Empire State of Mind," the only way a Yankee Stadium show could realistically end
Album cuts like "Brooklyn's Finest," "Dead Presidents," "D'Evils," "22 Two's," and "Friend or Foe" got their moment too, with a Notorious B.I.G. tribute landing during "Brooklyn's Finest."
Night Two: The Blueprint Turns 25
Saturday belonged to The Blueprint, the 2001 album recorded in two weeks that many consider the best of Jay-Z's career. The show opened with "The Ruler's Back," and the man who inspired it, Slick Rick, walked out to bring the reference full circle.
The biggest surprise came mid-set: Eminem joined Jay-Z for "Renegade," the Blueprint deep cut the two have rarely performed together. Pharrell Williams then took over the back half of the night, running through "Excuse Me Miss," "Frontin'," "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)," and "Allure."
The set was tighter than Friday's, clocking in around 90 minutes, but the night made its own history: 45,832 tickets sold, breaking the Yankee Stadium concert attendance record that Friday's show had set 24 hours earlier. The crowd itself was a spectacle, with Dave Chappelle, Gabrielle Union, Jayson Tatum, and Coco Jones among the famous faces in the stands.
The Bonus Night: Extra Innings
Demand for the two anniversary shows was strong enough that Jay-Z added a third night back in March. "Extra Innings" closed out the residency on Sunday, July 12, and unlike the first two nights it carried no album theme, opening the door to a broader run through his catalog.
What's Next for Jay-Z in 2026
The Yankee Stadium residency was the centerpiece of a year-long JAY-Z 30 celebration, and the anniversary series is going international this fall:
- London: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 4, his only UK show of the year
- Paris: September 10
- Los Angeles: October 23
Check the Jay-Z page on TourWax for tickets and updates as more dates are confirmed.
Browse more hip-hop tours on TourWax, or see what other artists are announcing for 2026.