“Can I take you to my home for a second?” asked Jay-Z as he led into “Empire State of Mind” during the first of two headlining shows at Inglewood, California’s SoFi Stadium. Thus, he did, as he’d been doing for the past hour-and-a-half, bringing Brooklyn to Los Angeles as he traced the corners of his vast discography, the backbone of a career that stretches 30 years with countless hits to match.
Jay touched down on the West Coast for an invigorated set Friday night as part of his yearlong “Jay-Z 30” celebration, which began with a one-off headlining show at Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic in late May. What followed were three back-to-back sold-out nights at Yankee Stadium, plus shows in London and Paris, and a robust eight-episode HBO docuseries breaking down the finer points of his catalog. Given all the chatter that Jay may have booked himself for Super Bowl 2027 as the Halftime Show performer — which would make sense, considering a year of unusually high activity nearly a decade after he released his last album — it was hard not to consider Friday’s concert as a test run for what could potentially be the biggest performance on the biggest stage this coming February. (After all, the Super Bowl is taking place in the same venue where he performed.)
As he’s consistently shown, Jay was in mint condition as he ran through hit after hit after hit at SoFi across a two-hour set, toggling the setlist of previous shows while keeping the focus centered on the electricity between himself, the audience and his band. Fans have, of course, come to expect high-wattage surprise stars: At his Yankee Stadium shows, he coronated the 25th and 30th anniversaries of “The Blueprint” and “Reasonable Doubt,” respectively, with cameos from his wife Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem and his daughter Blue Ivy Carter, to name just a few.
His SoFi show, meanwhile, felt pared-down with purpose. There were few guest stars throughout the night, with Blue Ivy playing the keys on “The Story of OJ” and “Dead Presidents,” a shift from when she tickled the ivories on “Feelin’ It” at Yankee Stadium. Scarface came out for “This Can’t Be Life” as well as his own classic “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” John Legend and DJ Khaled emerged for the night’s closer, “God Did,” a song that originally also featured Fridayy, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross.
(As an aside, having witnessed the very rare performance of “This Can’t Be Life,” I can’t help but note that Scarface’s verse is one of the most moving I’ve ever heard on a rap song. Listen if you haven’t, immediately.)
Amid the talking points surrounding Jay’s potential Halftime Show has been the question of whether or not he can carry a performance of that magnitude without bringing out guests. And by the sheer propulsion of the evening, plus the hits lining it, Jay once again reinforced that he’s the star of his own show, no matter which direction it points. At 56, he is a seasoned veteran, one of the few hip-hop acts who can book stadium shows across the world after such long periods of dormancy. Consider him an elder statesman, if you will, but the bravado and showmanship that he continues to exhibit feel like more than a decent justification for his continued relevance, despite what any detractor on the Internet might deign to claim.
Jay comes from a time when success was predicated mainly on skill, with business acumen running hand in hand alongside it. It’s why he managed to build an empire around his own talents, and why fans continue to show up by the thousands to behold them. The SoFi show was no exception, a dexterous display of lyrical acuity and magnetism that jolted to life with opener “Hovi Baby” and gave way to tracks like “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” and “Run This Town.” Many of the visuals were the same as his Yankee Stadium shows, right down to the opening shot of Beyoncé shaving his head, yet they still felt elevated and unique to his performance, building out the world of tracks like “Song Cry” and “Lucifer.”
It’s likely that Jay will pull out all the stops for the final night of his “Jay-Z 30” tour on Saturday night. (Fans clocked Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams having a Destiny’s Child reunion in one of the SoFi suites on Friday.) But if his first performance was any indication, Jay is up to the task, no matter how big the platform.
Check out the full setlist below:
Hovi Baby
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Beach Is Better
FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt
N—a What, N—a Who (Originator 99)
Run This Town
The Story of O.J. (with Blue Ivy Carter)
Dead Presidents (with Blue Ivy Carter)
Where I’m From
Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
Lucifer
No Church In the Wild
Can I Live
Family Feud
U Don’t Know
On to the Next One
Clique
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
I Know
Never Change
This Can’t Be Life (with Scarface)
Mind Playing Tricks on Me (with Scarface)
Song Cry
99 Problems
Girls, Girls, Girls
Excuse Me Miss / La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again)
Change the Game
Give It to Me / Money, Cash, Hoes
Jigga My N—a
Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)
Empire State of Mind
N—s in Paris / Big Pimpin’
God Did (with DJ Khaled and John Legend)