Jay-Z Closes 'Jay-Z 30' Concert Series at SoFi Stadium With Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Too Short

Jay-Z closed his yearlong "Jay-Z 30" concert series on Saturday, Oct. 24, with a second night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, bringing out Too Short, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre for a run of West Coast hits, USA Today's Caché McClay reported. The show ended a two-night Los Angeles stand that began Friday, Oct. 23, and marked the final stop in a run of performances celebrating 30 years since the release of his debut album, "Reasonable Doubt."

According to USA Today, the 25-time Grammy winner took the stage around 9:25 p.m. local time and opened with his 2002 track "The Watcher 2." "You ready, Los Angeles?!" he asked the crowd, according to the outlet, before adding, "Thank you for being here tonight. Tonight is special."

Too Short, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre join the finale

USA Today reported that Jay-Z blended Too Short's "Blow the Whistle" into his opening song before the Oakland-born rapper joined him onstage to perform it. A recap posted on the official Jay-Z 30 press site said Snoop Dogg came out first for "Murder Was the Case," and Dr. Dre then joined him for "The Next Episode," "California Love," "Nothin' but a 'G' Thang" and "Still D.R.E."

The press site's recap said the night closed with "Empire State of Mind" and "Big Pimpin'," followed by "Public Service Announcement (Interlude)" and "Encore." Celebrities spotted in attendance included Lizzo, Kelly Rowland, Vanessa Bryant, DJ Khaled, Tiffany Haddish, Jessica Alba, Schoolboy Q and Wizkid, according to the same recap, which described the night as sold out.

Both USA Today and the press site reported that Jay-Z again paid tribute to the late Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle, who died in March 2019. USA Today reported that Jay-Z showed an image of Hussle on the screen, mixed in his song "Hussle & Motivate," worked "Last Time That I Checc'd" into "On to the Next One" and called him "Nip the great."

Jay-Z addresses attendance claims

Variety's review of the closing show reported that Jay-Z used the final song, "Encore," to respond to social media posts claiming that SoFi was not entirely sold out or that many tickets had been given away. "People will tell you that nobody was in here tonight, but you got eyes. You can see. People will tell you that the music wasn't great, but you got ears," he said, according to Variety.

He went on to connect the claims to technology, according to the outlet. "This world with AI and everything, it's been going on forever. They called it propaganda before. But now, the technology has caught up and people are tricked," he said. Variety described the finale as an hour-and-a-half set and published a setlist of 39 entries, from "The Watcher 2" through "Encore."

Friday's opening night

The first of the two Los Angeles shows took place Friday, Oct. 23. Variety's Steven J. Horowitz reported that Jay-Z's daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, played keys on "The Story of OJ" and "Dead Presidents," that Scarface joined him for "This Can't Be Life" and "Mind Playing Tricks on Me," and that John Legend and DJ Khaled came out for the closing song, "God Did." Variety reported that the Friday set ran about two hours and opened with "Hovi Baby."

The Jay-Z 30 press site's account of the opening night described that show as sold out and said Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, G-Eazy, Tia Mowry and Omari Hardwick were among the guests in attendance. Variety reported that fans spotted Beyoncé, Rowland and Williams together in one of the stadium's suites on Friday.

A year of anniversary shows

According to Variety, the "Jay-Z 30" series began with a one-off headlining set at Philadelphia's Roots Picnic in late May. USA Today reported that Jay-Z then played three shows at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on July 10, 11 and 12, celebrating "Reasonable Doubt," released June 25, 1996, and "The Blueprint," released Sept. 11, 2001, with guests including Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, Eminem, Pharrell Williams and Rihanna. USA Today also reported that he performed two shows in London and one in Paris on Sept. 10, and premiered the HBO docuseries "Jay-Z in 8" on Sept. 13.

When Jay-Z and Roc Nation first announced the Los Angeles concert in June, it was a single date on Friday, Oct. 23, alongside the Paris show at Stade de France, Variety reported at the time. A later announcement on the press site said second stadium shows in London and Los Angeles were added due to unprecedented demand, following his record-breaking three-night run at Yankee Stadium.

Variety noted in its opening-night review that the next Super Bowl, in February, will be played at the same stadium, and that there has been chatter about Jay-Z possibly performing at the halftime show. Its review of the finale described the halftime question as still hanging over the concert. Neither Variety nor USA Today reported any halftime announcement at either Los Angeles show.