Jay-Z fans were incensed Sunday night after a chaotic scene at his Yankee Stadium concert left them waiting for five hours before the show got underway.
The lengthy hold-up followed a security scare in which concertgoers reportedly forced their way through a checkpoint, raising fears that people could be crushed in the crowd.
Yankee Stadium sources said Jay-Z, 56, had still not taken the stage by midnight, though the event drew major star power, including his wife Beyonce, 44, and Rihanna, 38.
After finally appearing before the crowd, Jay-Z repeatedly apologized for the wait, telling fans: ‘I appreciate your patience. We gonna have a good time.
‘I got some s**t for you, I promise you. There was like ten thousand people outside and they closed all the doors ‘cuz [people] rushed the door and I didn’t want to start music and have people get trampled.
‘We gotta go to work tomorrow’: Jay-Z fans were furious after being forced to wait FIVE HOURS amid chaos at his Yankee Stadium concert on Sunday (stock image)
‘I’m really sorry for the inconvenience.’
A police source told New York’s ABC7 that ‘a large number of fans rushed at least two of the stadium’s gates and got past security without being screened.
‘A full lockdown of the stadium ensued, with fans neither being allowed out of the venue nor inside for an extended period of time.’
And social media accounts of fans in attendance seemed to back up this account as they wrote: ‘Ok Jay, we been waiting for five hours! WTF we gotta go to work tomorrow.’
‘At this point the only thing that can make up for this is Dan – Beyoncé I mean you gotta bring everybody out at this point #jayz #newyorkcity #beyonce #nyc #jayzconcert.’
‘People are throwing up, fainting and asking for medics at the Jay Z show. This is insane, inhuman and very dangerous. Police arent doing anything. #jayz30.’
‘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.
Fans took to social media to express their dismay at the chaos and couldn’t understand how the security breach had taken place
‘No clue when this show is going to start. We’ve been waiting more than three hours.’
Fans shared videos of people running in through the doors and added: ‘Wow even celebrities are stuck outside the last Jay Z yankee stadium show tonight.
‘Fabolous, Charlamagne, and A$AP Rocky seen outside waiting to get in, along with someone being wheelchaired out.’
‘This was part of the issue that caused the delay at the Jay-Z show – please improve security and organization as this could have been dangerous for those outside and inside the stadium.’
‘So we’ve all been outside trying to get in to see Jay Z because hundreds of fans mobbed the place and got in for free so now they locked the doors.’
The New York Yankees, Roc Nation and Live Nation issued a joint statement to Daily Mail on Monday.
They said: ‘On Sunday evening at various fan entrances at Yankee Stadium, hundreds of individuals in large groups — who did not have tickets to tonight’s performance — stormed over peaceful ticketholders, and in some cases, breached security.
‘As a result, gates at all entrances of the Stadium were closed for an extended period of time.
‘With the thoughtful guidance of the NYPD, gates were reopened cautiously and carefully to ensure the safety of those inside and outside.
‘The Yankees, Roc Nation and Live Nation express our deep gratitude to the NYPD and to Yankee Stadium security personnel for their leadership and direction throughout the evening, putting the welfare of attendees above all other considerations.’
