Jay-Z concert delayed for hours after ticketless fans rush Yankee Stadium with some breaching security
The final show of Jay-Z's anniversary concert series at Yankee Stadium on Sunday was delayed for hours after hundreds of ticketless fans flooded the gates and breached security, according to officials.
The concert was supposed to start at 8 p.m., but the gates at all entrances of the stadium were shut down for an extended period. Video showed long lines of fans crowded outside for hours.
The show eventually began past midnight, with Jay-Z explaining there was a security breach. He said it was delayed to avoid people getting trampled.
"Stormed over peaceful ticketholders"
The New York Yankees, Roc Nation and Live Nation released a joint statement explaining what happened.
"On Sunday evening at various fan entrances at Yankee Stadium, hundreds of individuals in large groups -- who did not have tickets to tonight's performance -- stormed over peaceful ticketholders, and in some cases, breached security. As a result, gates at all entrances of the Stadium were closed for an extended period of time," part of the statement read.
The FDNY said it responded to several medical calls outside the stadium during the chaos and treated six people, but they were all for minor injuries. FDNY crews had a hard time getting into the area because of how packed it was outside, firefighters said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani also weighed in.
"I know that there are many New Yorkers who were delayed after there was a breach of security by those that didn't have tickets. And then it resulted in a multiple-hour delay for many others. So that's something we'll follow up on," he said Monday.
Fans rave about concert despite delay
Fans said they stood and waited around for hours with little to no communication despite having tickets for the event.
"There was no staff person outside. So you have thousands of people who's been on line," concertgoer Monique Brown said. "I chose not to be on line because I don't want to be trampled or anything like that, but you have thousands of people that's been standing on line, and every gate for the stadium is closed."
Concertgoers were frustrated by the wait, but many said the show made up for the delay.
"It was great. I don't have any complaints. It was a little late; he came about 12:00-12:15 a.m., but it was definitely a show to remember," said one fan.
Another fan from Georgia said she was in her seat by 7:30 p.m., but her son drove up from New Jersey and wasn't inside until 11:30 p.m.
"They said they wanted to make sure everybody got in safe because it was a lot of chaos outside of the gates. It was crazy," she said.
"It was the most amazing concert I've ever been to in my life," a fan from Dallas said. "Even though we had to wait until midnight, it was worth every moment."
