Jay-Z spent the weekend blowing fans’ minds during his epic three-show run at New York’s Yankee Stadium. But after night one brought cameos from wife Beyoncé, daughter Blue Ivy, Nas and Alicia Keys and night two dialed up an even wilder lineup featuring Eminem, Slick Rick and Pharrell, Sunday’s (July 12) show hit a snag.

Following a three-hour delay in kicking off last night’s final gig, Jay addressed the delay after taking the stage, telling fans that the start of the show was pushed back due to security concerns caused by a large crowd gathered outside the venue.

“Let me explain the delay to you guys. It was like 10,000 people outside, and we closed all the doors, and somebody rushed the door,” Jay said after finally taking the stage after midnight ET on Monday morning (July 13), according to a video posted by XXL. “They closed the door for you guys’ safety and everyone’s safety outside. There’s 10,000 people outside; I don’t want to start the music and people get trampled. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everyone was OK. I appreciate your patience.”

Jigga then promised his faithful that he had plenty more surprises in store for the epic Extra Innings finale of his Yankee Stadium run, which started nearly three hours later than the previous editions on Friday and Saturday night and was not constrained by the album anniversary-focused nature of the first two night’s shows.

The faithful who stuck around until nearly three in the morning were treated to a rare live appearance from Rihanna, who joined in on “Run This Town” before taking a solo turn with her 2015 Billboard Hot 100 No. 15 trap anthem “Bitch Better Have My Money,” as well as another cameo from Beyoncé on “Drunk in Love” and a cameo from multi-hyphenate Teyana Taylor, who joined Jay to sing the Mary J. Blige hook on “Can’t Knock the Hustle.”

Usher also popped-in for “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love)” and “Throwback,” while Pharrell came out again for a medley run that included “Love U (Give It 2 Me)” and “Frontin’,” and The-Dream subbed in for Frank Ocean on “No Church in the Wild” from Jay and Ye’s 2011 joint Watch the Throne album. Other guests included Jermaine Dupri, Fat Joe and Jadakiss, the Clipse, Jeezy and Swizz Beatz.

The weekend run was a celebration of, respectively, the 25th anniversary of Jay’s The Blueprint and the 30th anniversary of his seminal 1996 debut, Reasonable Doubt. Jay’s first significant run of shows since his 2017 4:44 tour will include a Sept. 4 show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, a Sept. 10 gig at Stade de France in Paris and an Oct.23 date at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.

The night before Confessions II officially became Madonna’s 10th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, the Queen of Pop transformed Queens’ Knockdown Center into the New York City edition of Club Confessions on Saturday (July 11) night to celebrate her latest album.

Despite being nowhere near a subway stop (or much else, unless you’re in the market for a chandelier), Knockdown Center plays host to some of the hottest dance music tickets in town, so it’s not a surprise to see big crowds outside the sizable venue. Even so, the lines for Madonna were beyond the norm, extending several blocks down the street. But for a free (yes, free) party boasting Madonna, Stuart Price (who co-produced Confessions II and 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor), Honey Dijon (a frequent Madge remixer who contributed to the Confessions II: Afterhours Edition release), Fcukers, Junior Sanchez and Sam-E, what the hell do you expect?

As on Club Confession’s previous London stop, entrance to the affair involved walking through a giant inflatable of a woman’s lower torso, legs spread, with speakers subbing in for the NSFW anatomy. After that, you strolled through a green laser-laden forest, evocative of the “Good for the Soul” portion of Madonna’s Confessions II short film (directed by TORSO), both of which served up TikTok/Instagram fodder for attendees.

A fantastic Fcukers set had the fashion-forward crowd (which, over the course of the night, included Kim Petras, Pabllo Vittar, Sky Ferreira, Christian Sirano, Julio Torres, Bob the Drag Queen and Plane Jane) moving, but when Stuart Price took the boards to usher in the entrance everyone was waiting for, the temperature in the room shifted. Madonna hit the stage at 1:10 a.m. (fairly early, considering the doors didn’t even open until 10 p.m.) with a declaration and a challenge: “New York, I love you so much – but are you ready?!”

Fans, many of whom stood in line for an hour, responded with a roar of love and a sea of cellphones. “It’s mother” intoned a deep voice over a thumping beat. Between Price’s deft ability to keep a crowd moving and Madonna’s larger-than-life aura, school was indeed in session at Club Confessions thanks to the seasoned dance club faculty on stage — including Honey Dijon, who took the decks toward the end of Madonna’s appearance.

Confessions II songs occupied most of the setlist, with “Get Together” from the O.G. Confessions and a few choice vintage cuts (“Thief of Hearts” from Erotica and “Physical Attraction” from her self-titled debut) making appearances. Highlights included hundreds of people singing (and feeling) the chorus of “I Feel So Free”; Madonna head-banging next to Honey Dijon during a “Love Sensation” remix; and the Queen of Pop gyrating her hips and mouthing along to the 1983 throwback “Physical Attraction.” But “Danceteria” was the standout cut. Even though the album has been out just over a week, it seemed like everyone at Club Confessions knew the lyrics to “Danceteria,” right down to the pointed pauses (“He’s the DJ / hide the cocaine”) and her laundry list of early ‘80s scenesters. Beyond that, the experience of listening to the autobiographical “Danceteria” while dancing in front of Madonna herself was a surreal treat.

After Madonna and Price left the stage, Dijon delivered a phenomenal set that led the room through ecstatic release – sure, Madonna was the main attraction, but when she left the building, so did just enough people that you could truly dance on the dance floor. (As opposed to body bumping — not that there’s anything wrong with a little body bumpin’.)

Less than 12 hours after Club Confessions New York City closed up, Billboard reported that Madonna’s Confessions II had debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking her 10th No. 1 on the chart and her biggest streaming week ever. That win also puts the Club Confessions host in an exclusive club of artists with 10 or more albums to their name – something only 11 acts, Madonna included, can boast.