Night three of the Jay-Z Yankee Stadium shows came with a very efficient answer to the question of how to reward a crowd that had already waited too long: bring out Rihanna and Beyoncé.

The rapper’s latest stadium date turned into a guest-heavy spectacle, with both artists appearing during the show and sending the packed venue into the kind of reaction that quickly becomes everyone else’s phone footage.

Rihanna joined Jay-Z for “Run This Town”

Rihanna drew one of the night’s loudest responses when she came out for “Run This Town,” the 2009 hit she recorded with Jay-Z and Kanye West. Videos circulating on social media showed the crowd reacting immediately as she appeared, which is not exactly surprising. Stadium audiences tend to notice when Rihanna walks onstage.

She performed in a black leather look with sunglasses, keeping the visual brief clear: surprise guest, maximum impact, no unnecessary explanation.

Beyoncé performed “Drunk In Love”

Beyoncé also appeared during the show, performing “Drunk In Love” for the Yankee Stadium crowd. She wore a shimmering Yankees-themed outfit, a detail that gave the guest spot the appropriate home-field polish.

For Jay-Z, the pairing of Rihanna and Beyoncé on the same night was a high-value booking move. One superstar cameo is usually enough to dominate the post-show conversation. Two is the sort of programming decision that makes the delay feel slightly less like a logistical failure and slightly more like an expensive apology.

The show was delayed over a security concern

The night did not start smoothly. Jay-Z’s set was delayed for hours before he finally took the stage. When he addressed the crowd, he said the hold-up was caused by a security concern.

No further details were available, but the sequence was straightforward:

  • Fans waited through an hours-long delay.
  • Jay-Z later told the audience it involved security.
  • The show eventually began.
  • Rihanna and Beyoncé appeared as surprise guests.

That order matters. The guest appearances did not erase the delay, but they did change the tone of the night once the event actually got moving.

A rough start, then a major payoff

Jay-Z’s Yankee Stadium run was already built around scale: a major venue, a hometown setting, and a catalog full of New York-ready material. On night three, the production added two of the biggest possible guest names and gave fans the kind of moment that travels well online.

By then, the crowd had shifted from waiting mode into “Empire State of Mind” territory. Convenient, perhaps. Effective, definitely.