Jay-Z Yankee Stadium concert starts after midnight following gate rush

NEW YORK (AP):

Jay-Z’s scheduled performance at Yankee Stadium did not begin until well past midnight Sunday, after large numbers of people without tickets attempted to force entry and prompted the ballpark to seal its gates for a prolonged stretch.

The rapper walked on at 12:17 a.m. Monday. Addressing the audience, he explained that “somebody rushed the door” and that he refused to open the set while risking that “people get trampled” as others tried to get in.

“Really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everybody was OK,” he said, expressing gratitude for fans who waited and assuring them of a “good time tonight”.

In a joint statement, the Yankees, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Live Nation reported that hundreds of unticketed people moved in large clusters, “stormed over peaceful ticketholders, and in some cases, breached security”. Officials kept entrances closed for a significant interval before gradually allowing access again.

Footage shot outside the venue captured a dense gathering around one entrance. Separate clips from within the stadium showed people surging through an open doorway until security personnel cut off further entry.

A New York Police Department representative said the department had no details available on arrests tied to the disturbance at the stadium.