Jay-Z‘s third night in Yankee Stadium was hit with a near four-hour delay after fans reportedly rushed the gates.
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Sunday night (July 12) marked his third night at the venue, with the evening billed as ‘Extra Innings’, the follow-up to his previous ‘30’ and ‘25’ shows that celebrated the anniversaries of his ‘Reasonable Doubt’ and ‘The Blueprint’ albums.
According to a report from ABC7, an unidentified police source claimed that a large number of fans had rushed at least two of the stadium’s gates ahead of the gig. These fans reportedly got past security without being screened, prompting a full lockdown of the stadium, with fans not allowed in or out for an extended period of time.
One clip making the rounds on social media appeared to show A$AP Rocky, Charlamagne Tha God, and Fabolous stood outside waiting to get in, with the video captioned: “Wow, even celebrities are stuck outside the last Jay-Z Yankee Stadium show tonight.”
Jay-Z eventually took to the stage four hours after the concert’s listed start time at around midnight, telling the crowd: “I appreciate your patience. We gonna have a good time. I got some shit for you, I promise you.
“There was like ten thousand people outside,” he explained. “They closed all the doors ‘cause [people] rushed the door, and I didn’t want to start music and have people get trampled. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience.”
DEVELOPING: CHAOS OUTSIDE YANKEE STADIUM
Thousands of concertgoers are reportedly stuck outside Yankee Stadium, with gates said to have remained closed well after the show began. Witnesses also report medical assistance being requested for some attendees.#JayZ #YankeeStadium… pic.twitter.com/7MS6QwEvrL
— Rosa News Official (@Mirha1206) July 13, 2026
JAY-Z addresses tonight’s delay at Yankee Stadium after finally taking the stage:
“They closed all the doors, somebody rushed the door…” pic.twitter.com/bzqm2XVjQK
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) July 13, 2026
Jay-Z concert going into extra innings with Night 3, the finale in the Bronx. It’s almost 11 p.m., and he still hasn’t come on stage. Apparently, people tried to rush the gates outside, and they’ve officially closed the stadium, not letting anyone else in. No clue when this show… pic.twitter.com/e9bRqSAY0k
— Ashly Holder (@AshNoelleTV) July 13, 2026
JAY-Z’s third and final concert at Yankee Stadium was scheduled to begin at 8 PM but has still not started as of 11:30 PM.
ABC7 New York reports that a large group breached security, prompting a full stadium lockdown and leaving thousands of fans stuck outside. Celebrities such… pic.twitter.com/kQMQaiTMIL
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) July 13, 2026
On the first night, Beyoncé joined him onstage during the concert’s first song, singing Mary J. Blige’s part on ‘Can’t Knock the Hustle’, and that concert also featured guest appearances from their daughter Blue Ivy Carter, as well as Nas and Alicia Keys.
Night two, a celebration of the 25th anniversary of his ‘Blueprint’ album, featured guest spots from Eminem and Pharrell, with the huge gigs following the announcement that Jay-Z will be hitting London later this year as part of a trio of gigs celebrating his 30-year legacy.
He has previously announced concerts in Paris and Los Angeles, on September 10 and October 23, and recently added to that list with a show in London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 4. It will mark his first concert in the UK in over a decade – and you can find your tickets here.
The rapper returned to the stage for a rare solo performance last month, headlining Roots Picnic 2026 as his first festival date in seven years and breaking out some of his biggest hits.
That set also saw him take aim at Nicki Minaj, Drake, Kanye West, and more in a freestyle.
There have been rumours that Jay-Z is working on a new album, which will be the follow-up to 2017’s ‘4:44’ – swirling for years now, although friend and collaborator Cash Cobain recently put a dampener on hopes for new material, saying that the rapper told him recently that he is “absolutely not dropping an album” anytime soon (via X).
Elsewhere, it was confirmed Jay-Z and Eminem will reunite on Rakim‘s upcoming new album – marking their first collaboration in 25 years.
The two rap legends last appeared on the same track on 2001’s ‘Renegade’ from Jay-Z’s ‘The Blueprint’.
Now, they’re set to join forces once again on a currently untitled song, which will appear on a forthcoming collaborative album from Rakim, Kurupt and Masta Killa, due for release on August 28.
Earlier this year, Jay-Z shared the original version of the ‘Reasonable Doubt’ single ‘Dead Presidents’ on streaming platforms for the first time.
The post Jay-Z’s third Yankee Stadium show hit with hours-long delay after fans breach venue: “We didn’t want people to get trampled” appeared first on NME.
