Sep 11 2009 11:23 AM EDT
Jay-Z Gets Set For 9/11 Benefit Concert At Madison Square Garden
'I'm just humbled by the experience,' Jay says of show to benefit first responders' families.
By Eric Ditzian
NEW YORK — Friday night, on the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Jay-Z is giving a memorial benefit concert at Madison Square Garden. All proceeds from the Answer the Call tribute show will be donated to the New York Police & Fire Widows' & Children's Benefit Fund.
If the rap star's secret show at the Blender Theater on Wednesday was any hint of what he has in store for his MSG show, fans can expect old hits and fresh cuts off his just released album, The Blueprint 3. At Blender, Jay popped off classics like "Show Me What You Got," "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)" and "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," and new songs, such as "Run This Town" and "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)."
In a way, Jay's music will always be connected to 9/11, as the first Blueprint album was released on that date in 2001. Eight years later, he treasures the chance to give back on such a dark day.
"I'm humbled by this whole entire process, just my whole evolution coming to this place," he told MTV News after an August press conference to announce the show. "It just all worked out this way. The first album came out on this exact day. I was in Los Angeles and couldn't help out physically. For it to come full circle and us to be here and play Madison Square Garden and 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Answer the Call organization, I'm just humbled by the experience.
"This makes it real," Jay continued. "Someone really lost their brother, he sacrificed his life for others. You're humbled by those types of acts of heroism. You only hope to live up to that type of courage and strength. I'm doing a concert, I'm entertaining. At the end of the day, I'm doing a great thing, but it's not what this guy has done."
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I cant wait to watch this
