Jay-Z Pays Homage To Notorious B.I.G. At First Barclays Center Performance

Last night’s soldout performance wasn’t just another concert for Jay-Z. It was a gig the hip-hop star will remember for the rest of his life. It was a tribute to Brooklyn, a tribute to a vision nine years in the making and a tribute to the incredible star power he now wields.

As part owner of the recently relocated Brooklyn Nets, Jay-Z announced long ago that he’d open the team’s new building, the Barclays Center, with a series of concerts. He kept the ticket prices low in order to allow local residents access, and when the gigs sold out almost immediately, he upped the total to eight in order to allow more people in the doors.

Last night was the first of those gigs, the first look most Brooklyn residents got at the gigantic arena, and despite ticket-scanning headaches and a host of other first evening problems, the atmosphere was overwhelmingly positive.

According to Billboard, Jay-Z paid homage to his partner in the venture Bruce Ratner and also to the history of the borough by projecting an image of Notorious BIG onto a silk screen and later bringing out legend Big Daddy Kane during his encore.

Here’s what the man of the evening had to say during one of his addresses to the crowd…

During the next seven performances, Jay-Z will likely incorporate more guest stars and do more crazy things. Tonight, however, it was about celebrating all that’s been accomplished and basking in all the possibilities the building has to offer.