Magna Carter World Tour

Background

On February 22, 2013, Jay Z and Justin Timberlake announced their co-headlining Legends of the Summer Tour Initially this tour was speculated to be in promotion of Timberlake's new album The 20/20 Experience and comeback to music, and was to only feature Jay Z's previous hits. However, on July 24, 2013, Jay Z released his twelfth studio album Magna Carta Holy Grail. Rumors begun of a solo headlining tour from Jay Z to support the new album and on July 26, 2013, the Magna Carter World Tour was officially announced.

Critical reception

The opening night of the tour received positive reviews from critics. Katie Fitzpatrick, from Manchester Evening News gave the performance 4 out of 5 stars, stating "If we aren't arm waving along to modern anthems such as 99 Problems and Empire State of Mind, we're standing with respectful attention as though we're beholding a life-altering church sermon." Nick Hasted from The Independent also gave the opening concert 4 out of 5 stars. He explained "Regularly tonight, he goes further, breaking down his wall of hip-hop sound for bursts of a cappella rapping. It's the bare, breathing sound of one man's talent, preciously rare at an arena show. His new, twelfth album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, wrestles with the challenges of fame and celebrity family, trying to make them as compelling as the drug-dealing street life he left behind in Brooklyn long ago. But while he's on stage, those contradictions melt away."

Rave reviews continued throughout the European leg of the tour. Ed Power from The Telegraph, who attended the first show in Dublin concluded his review with "A tough guy with a gooey centre, little about Jay-Z's swagger is especially original but he carries it off better than anyone else in the game." He went on to give the performance 4 out of 5 stars. At the first of his 4 back to back London O₂ Arena shows, Hannah Britt from the Daily Express opened her praising review with "With a sea of screaming fans holding their palms up towards him, you’d never know that Jay Z once dealt crack cocaine on the streets of Brooklyn." and continued to positively speak on the rappers personality, stating "With a confidence that comes with being a highly respected artist, married to Beyoncé and mind-blowingly minted, he seemed as comfortable talking to the crowd as I would be sat on my living room sofa. Picking people from the audience at random, he thanked them for being there. It was a nice touch, adding a sense of humility to his on-stage persona." However, Alicia Adejobi from Entertainment Wise who attended the same show questioned whether the hip hop mogul could still hold a crowd on his own (after touring respectively for the past two years with collaborators Kanye West and Justin Timberlake). She concluded with a mixed review of the show stating "Perhaps we're so used to seeing him on stage with the likes of Kanye, Justin Timberlake and even his wife Beyonce, but it felt as though something was slightly missing from the night. It's clear from the frequent breaks and interludes that Jay Z just simply isn't as energetic as he once was in his 20s"

Commercial performance

Due to the "phenomenal" demand as well as all dates in the United Kingdom selling out, promoters added second shows in Manchester and London. Ticket prices for the UK leg ranged between £42-£78. Other sources reported that some of the UK dates had sold out within "seconds" with website Mirror.co.uk joking "[Jay Z] tickets are fast turning into the Holy Grail" (a pun based on the rappers hit song with Justin Timberlake). On September 6, 2013, a second leg of the tour was announced, to take place in North America during December 2013/early 2014.

Broadcasts and recordings

A promotional video for the tour was released by Live Nation's official YouTube account to promote the original ticket sales of the tour. The video showed footage from Jay Z's headlining performance at the 2013 Wireless Festival, including footage of the large crowd and him on stage (although no performances of songs were included)

Support acts

Set list

This set list is representative of the first show in London. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

1. "Higher" (Intro) / "U Don't Know"
2. "Crown"
3. "On to the Next One"
4. "Holy Grail"
5. "FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt"
6. "Beach Is Better"
7. "99 Problems"
8. "Big Pimpin'"
9. "Picasso Baby"
10. "Tom Ford"
11. "Dirt off Your Shoulder"
12. "Somewhereinamerica"
13. "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)"
14. "Pound Cake"
15. "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)"
16. "Niggas in Paris"
17. "Public Service Announcement"
18. "Clique"
19. "Run This Town"

20. "Encore"
21. "Empire State of Mind"
22. "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"
23. "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"
24. "Young Forever"

Shows