“We’ve done things together,” the
With the superstar duo set to stage a massive home-and-home series — a pair of
The biggest North American concerts this year, says one
executive. The heaviest ticket demand one Live Nation honcho has ever
experienced. A “once-in-a-lifetime production” for an industry veteran
who has staged Super Bowl halftime shows.
There’s historical significance too. The sold-out
dates aren’t just testament to the enduring power of Em and Jay-Z, two
of the world’s biggest music acts — they also mark a milestone for
hip-hop itself.
“They’re putting hip-hop on the same playing field as anything else,” says L.A. hip-hop journalist
citing rock’s storied history of concert spectacle. “If I’m a
15-year-old who’s getting into this music, it makes anything possible.”
Turning
“Marshall and Jay had the idea,” says Live Nation’s
Plans were shepherded via Jay-Z’s relationship with
Live Nation — the pioneering “360 deal” that gives the company a stake
in his tours, recordings and publishing.
First on the list: nailing down a window that fit
the baseball schedule, while accommodating the show’s unique needs as a
one-off event rather than a full-length tour.
“The production is very, very complicated, a lot of moving parts, because it’s only the four shows,” says production director
Work began several weeks before the May
announcement. World-renowned lighting and scene designers were
enlisted, and at Live Nation’s
Eminem and Jay-Z were hands-on through the entire process, says Parise.
“This is their vision,” he says. “My job was to make
it reality. But the concept, the idea, the messages they’re trying to
get across — it’s all theirs.”
Parise won’t divulge many details. But like others
involved with the show, he describes it as a massive set heavy on video
elements and special effects. Parise, a 22-year industry veteran, says
the two artists were “intent on creating something you don’t see every
day.”
Fifty-plus semitrailers will haul the production from
“Put it this way,” he says. “It would be difficult to tour this show, and I think that tells you everything.”
Over six days at
which hosted an Eminem show in 2005, a crew of about 300 has been
erecting the stage, building light and audio structures, and laying
protective covering atop the playing field.
About 40,000 people will fill the ballpark for each show, including fans from
“We probably could have done four dates (at
“The way we announced it nationally on ESPN and Fox, with the artists
in town, certainly helped the exposure. We have them coming from all
around for this show, and I think it will have a huge economic impact
in
It’s expected that Eminem will follow Jay-Z for the
Yourself” — is one of two keyboardists in the six-piece ensemble that
has accompanied the rapper onstage since last October.
“It’s definitely bringing the energy of the album
tracks up to a whole different place,” says Resto. “I really think
Marshall is enjoying it.”
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