It started with a text: “He said, ‘It’s time,’ so that’s all I needed to hear,” says Adam Blackstone, Jay-Z’s bassist and longtime collaborator. He’s discussing the first word he received about the string of shows the legendary rapper would be staging throughout the year, starting with a grand return to the stage at Philadelphia’s Roots Picnic in late May followed by a trio of nights at Yankee Stadium where, last weekend, they celebrated the 25th and 30th anniversaries of “The Blueprint” and “Reasonable Doubt,” plus a bonus night dubbed “Extra Innings” honoring the breadth of his catalog.
For Blackstone, who first worked with Jay-Z for his then-farewell 2003 concert “Fade to Black” at Madison Square Garden, it brought him into the creative fold with Young Guru, Jay’s engineer and DJ, and Omar Edwards, musical director, to assemble bespoke performances that came together right up until show time. The philosophy, Blackstone tells Variety, was to “execute Jay’s vision. This is the set list that he wants. He’s approved. Now let’s put it in playlist form, add our live spice on top of it and give it that stadium flair. And so it’s a process, but it’s a wonderful process, especially when we see how the outcome.”
