Jay-Z performs

By Fred Gonzalez

   "All right, then.''

    And with that, rapper Jay-Z stepped on stage and opened his intimate Friday night show at the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater with the song Roc Boys, accompanied by a 9-piece band and a DJ.

    The "boys'' were definitely in the house, with comedian Pauly Shore in attendance as well as Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade (who must have made a quick exit from AmericanAirlines Arena after the Heat's loss to the Wizards on Friday night).

     The show was slated to start at 10 p.m., but Jay-Z didn't begin his 19-song performance until 11:40 p.m. and played for just over an hour. Fans who bought $70 seats in the upper deck of the Fillmore also received a pleasant surprise upon arrival, as they were moved downstairs to the $100 seats toward the back of the house. So with only two rows of seats upstairs (where Wade sat with friends), and the back of the Fillmore scattered with people (including Shore), the setting didn't have a sold-out feel - there was room to dance to the beats.

   As Jay-Z told the crowd between songs, "You guys are so smooth, it's like a basement party.''

    Billed as a "dress rehearsal,'' the concert was a stripped-down version of past Jay-Z shows, without massive visual screens. It was simple, crisp and classic, with the four-piece horn section delivering on Roc Boys, the percussionist giving I Know a Miami feel with his work on the bongos, and the drummer showcasing his skills on Show Me What You Got. The band also showed its versatility sampling AC-DC's Back in Black during 99 Problems, and the Jackson 5's I Want You Back during H to the Izzo. (No doubt Wade was rehabbing his knee injury to the beats.) 

   Jay-Z, dressed in white sneakers, blue jeans, a white t-shirt, gold chain and sunglasses, commanded the stage, grinning throughout the show; talking with the crowd several times during Excuse Me Miss; asking for the house lights to come on so he could see his Miami Beach fans; and singing a capella along with fans during Big Pimpin.

     About an hour into the show, Jay-Z played the crowd like a yo-yo, sampling through 15 songs in the DJ booth, playing 10-second snippets of each as he looked for the next song to perform. Each time, the crowd would yell in approval and begin dancing to the beats only to have Jay-Z veto the choice and switch to the next song. If anything, it was a reminder of the extensive number of hits in his arsenal. 

   "Don't you people want to go home?'' he asked, as he continued flipping through songs. "I want to go home.''

     Surely he did, with a Saturday performance slated at AmericanAirlines Arena with Mary J. Blige. But first he closed the show with Encore. A few minutes after the song ended, and fans realized the "basement party'' was over, everyone made their way to the exits - getting an only-in-Miami sight: Wade getting into his black, four-door Maybach, with Florida license plate "Doubt Me,'' which had been pulled up right to the front doors of the Fillmore.

PARTIAL SET LIST IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE

Song / Album

Rock Boys / American Gangster

I Know / American Gangster

I Just Want To Love You / The Dynasty

Show Me What You Got / Kingdom Come

99 Problems / The Black Album

Excuse Me Miss / The Blueprint - The Gift

Song Cry / The Blueprint

Jigga What, Jigga Who / Hard Knock Life

Jigga My N**** / Life and Times of Sean Carter

H to the Izzo / The Blueprint

Can I Get A ... / Hard Knock Life

Dirt Off My Shoulder / The Black Album

Public Service Announcement / The Black Album

Big Pimpin' / Life and Times of Sean Carter

Encore / The Black Album