This weekend was a big one for Jay-Z fans in the U.K., as Saturday marked his only performance on British soil in 2017, taking the stage the Virgin's V Festival. He'll be launching into a North American tour in the fall, but those in attendance this past weekend not only got to see some of the first live renditions of material from his standout 4:44 release from earlier this year, but they were also treated to a special kind of tribute, centered around his Linkin Park collaboration Collision Course.
He turned his attention to the passing of Chester Bennington, the band's frontman, but asking the organizers to dim the house lights before beginning this part of his show. "Can you guys light it up tonight for Chester from Linkin Park one time?" Jay asked the audience. "Please make some noise so he can hear you all the way in heaven tonight." He then launched into a performance of "Numb/Encore," a track that has hasn't been included in a Hov concert set since the early part of this decade. The crowd at Staffordshire's Weston Park sang most of the lyrics themselves, with Jay gladly relegating himself to the hype man duties on the track, dropping ad-libs here and there. It's a moment that will only help Jigga's legendary status grow even larger. Check out some video clips of the performance below.
Despite the absence from the rapper's live show rotation, the song and collaboration album shouldn't be underestimated in terms of its popularity or its impact in mid-2000's music culture. Not only did "Numb/Encore" win best rap/sung collaboration at the 2006 Grammy awards, but Collision Course debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's album chart and was eventually certified platinum.
Another eye-catching moment during his V Festival stop was when "Ni**as In Paris" took its turn in the spotlight, which didn't feature any of the Kanye West verses that are included on the actual record. Based on his revelations in a recent interview about the status of his and Kanye's relationship (or lack thereof), it's not hard to imagine why such a move was made. You can also check out a clip of that performance below.
