Jay-Z Returns to Southern California With a Hit-Filled Night at SoFi Stadium

Jay-Z opened his Friday night at SoFi Stadium with "Hovi Baby," then grinned at the roughly 70,000 fans who filled the Inglewood venue and acknowledged the occasion. "I've been away too long," he told them, and the crowd roared its agreement.

The concert, on Oct. 23, was his first Southern California headlining appearance since September 2018, when he and his wife Beyoncé played the Rose Bowl on the On The Run II Tour. Before that, his solo 4:44 Tour stopped at the Forum in Inglewood on Dec. 21, 2017. The weekend run, with a second show set for Saturday, also drew extra attention because of rumors this week that he will headline the halftime show at Super Bowl LXI, scheduled for SoFi Stadium on Feb. 14, 2027.

After "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" came second, Jay-Z spent about two hours moving through 35 songs and medleys that spanned three decades of music. "Run This Town," which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 100 in 2009, drew a huge response. His 14-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, joined him on piano for "The Story of O.J." and "Dead Presidents/Dead Presidents II," after a video showed her playing at different ages, often with her father smiling beside her.

The early portion also included "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)," which shifted into the late Nipsey Hussle's "Hustle & Motivate" while the screen showed a portrait of the Los Angeles rapper, who died in 2019. "Lucifer" and "No Church in the Wild / Lost+" followed back-to-back, dealing with sin, temptation, belief and redemption.

A video screen as wide as the football field supplied images throughout the night. Black-and-white, surveillance-style clips of housing projects and police helicopters accompanied "Can I Live." Although the tour marks the 30th anniversary of his debut album "Reasonable Doubt," that was the only song played from it. "Song Cry" was one of five tracks drawn from "The Blueprint," which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

The middle stretch kept the pace quick with "U Don't Know," which ended with a furious guitar solo, plus "Clique" and "Dust Off My Shoulder." "This Can't Be Life" showed a more introspective side, and Scarface, formerly of the Geto Boys, joined partway through. He stayed to sing lead on the Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me."

The final third opened with "99 Problems" and moved through songs about romance, including "Girls, Girls, Girls / 03 Bonnie & Clyde," "Excuse Me Miss / La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again)" and "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)." The last of those may have prompted the biggest singalong of the night. "Empire State of Mind," the 2009 single featuring Alicia Keys, is his only No. 1 hit as a lead artist. He has also contributed features to three No. 1 hits for Beyoncé, Rihanna and Mariah Carey.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself," he rapped to begin "Public Service Announcement." Jay-Z wore a New York Yankees cap, honoring his hometown team, with an umlaut over the Y to match the styling of the letter in his name.

"God Did," the 2022 DJ Khaled song featuring Jay-Z and John Legend, closed the night. Khaled rapped alongside him while Legend sang and played piano. Half of the eight-minute track is a verse from Jay-Z tracing his path from the street to the boardroom and his wish to help other Black Americans make the same journey. "I left the dope game with my record clean," he rapped early on.

Jay-Z plays SoFi Stadium again on Saturday, and if the rumors prove true, he could return in February for the Super Bowl.