Jay-Z was performing after midnight after a security breach caused his show at Yankee Stadium to be delayed more than four hours as unticketed crowds flooded the venue.
Jay-Z took the stage at Yankee Stadium just after midnight Monday morning, but his performance was delayed more than four hours after a security breach forced the venue to seal off all entrances.
Hundreds of people without tickets stormed the gates on Sunday night, overwhelming security staff and causing chaos that left thousands of legal ticket holders trapped outside waiting for the situation to be brought under control.
New York Mayor Zoran Mamdani acknowledged the incident at a press conference on Monday and said the city would investigate the issue.
“We will be following up on what happened last night because I know many New Yorkers were delayed due to safety violations by people without tickets, and that caused delays for many others for several hours,” Mamdani said.
The mayor did not specify who would follow up or what form it would take, but his comments suggested the city was taking the safety incident seriously.
The show was originally scheduled to start at 8pm on Sunday, but did not start until 12:17pm on Monday.
When Jay-Z finally took the stage, he spoke directly to the audience about what happened.
“There were people coming to the door,” he told the audience, explaining his decision to postpone the show. “I don’t want to start by having people get trampled on the way in. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, but I have to make sure everyone is okay.”
According to NBC New York, the Yankees, Roc Nation and Live Nation released a joint statement confirming that large numbers of unticketed individuals “charged at peaceful ticket holders” and “in some cases breached security.”
The statement praised the response of the NYPD and stadium security, saying they reopened the gates cautiously and cautiously with “thoughtful guidance.”
Mamdani also revealed a personal connection to the time, saying Jay-Z’s 2001 album The Blueprint was the first CD he ever received.
He mentioned seeing footage of Nas and Jay-Z performing together during the residency, and reflected on how the clean version of the album introduced him to hip-hop culture.
Even though the mayor himself didn’t attend the three shows at Yankee Stadium, he seemed genuinely invested in the findings.
The NYPD had no immediate information about arrests related to the breach, but video footage outside the stadium showed a large crowd gathering at the entrance, with people rushing through the open gates before security could stop them.
Those who waited during the delay were rewarded with over 40 songs, including guest appearances from Beyoncé, Rihanna, Clipse, Pharrell, Fat Joe, Jadakiss and Jeezy.
