Why Jay-Z didn’t cancel Night 3 of Yankee Stadium concert amid hours delay

Jay-Z fans had to wait over two hours to get into Night 3 of his Yankee Stadium residency over the weekend, and it was reportedly close to being canceled because of the delay.

For the 30th anniversary of Jay’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt, the hip-hop icon put on a historic three-day run of concerts at the iconic MLB stadium from July 10- 12. While the first two nights, getting into the stadium was fine, Night 3 went viral due to some fans — including celebrities — waiting hours to get in to see Hov. The delay was not on Jay’s part, but there was a security breach in which hundreds of non-ticketed fans bum-rushed the entrance, which resulted in all the gates being shut down. According to TMZ, there were discussions on a possible cancellation of the show, but Hov decided not to since several fans went out of their way to witness the historic night and it would be difficult to book the stadium for another night to reschedule.

The night was supposed to kick off at 9 p.m., but it was 11 p.m., and there were still thousands of guests outside. The show didn’t end up starting until midnight. However, despite the delay, the concert began trending on social media after the surprise guests took the stage, including his wife Beyoncé, Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, Fat Joe, and Jeezy.

Jay spoke to fans once he hit the stage and apologized for the delay.

“Let me explain the delay to you guys,” Jay said after finally kicking off the show at midnight. “It was like 10,000 people outside, and we closed all the doors, and somebody rushed the door. They closed the door for you guys’ safety and everyone’s safety outside. There’s 10,000 people outside; I don’t want to start the music and people get trampled. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everyone was OK. I appreciate your patience.”

Additionally, Jay’s team at Roc Nation as well as Yankee Stadium and LiveNation also released a joint statement after the show, saying: “The Yankees, Roc Nation and Live Nation express our deep gratitude to the NYPD and to Yankee Stadium security personnel for their leadership and direction throughout the evening, putting the welfare of attendees above all other considerations.”

Through the three-day event, fans got to witness Jay perform Reasonable Doubt on Night 1 and celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Blueprint on Night 2.

Jay will be hitting the stage next in London on Sept. 4 (Beyoncé’s birthday) followed by a Paris show on Sept. 10. West coast fans will be able to catch Jay live on Oct. 23.

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