The Good, the Good, & the REALLY of Jay Z’s #MagnaCartaTour [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

On Friday, December 27, Jay Z’s #MagnaCarta tour stop in the ATL.  The city has been waiting for this concert for months. The notion of the King of NY [this title continues to be disputed] down in the Black Mecca of the South initiates only one thing…a night of partying of EPIC proportions.

The concert was held at Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta. Although the tickets stated that the concert would start at 8pm, that didn’t happen. One of my besties and I sat around for at least a hour and a half waiting. This is one reason why I rarely do concerts. They NEVER start on time! But being that it was the Jigga man (and my girlfriends birthday), I just sat back in my chair and people watched until the show begun.

Another thing, this was the first time I’ve ever sat in floor seats at the arena. Now, I see why. I’m only 5 foot 4 inches. My short stature definitely made it difficult for me to see the stage. Luckily, I was able to stand in the aisle for a minute to record a 15 second video for Instagram and snap a few pics. However, we were still sitting too far back for my short a**.

The GOOD…

Jay Z performed most of his hits from the album and a few from past albums (“Reasonable Doubt”, “Blueprint”, etc). What captured me most about the MC is that he’s not allowing age kill his swag. As a 44 year old, Shawn Carter looks damn good! And he still move about the stage with pep in his step. I was kind of shocked. Some older artists you see on television look all good. But when you see them in a live performance, they look like they can barely walk. So I applaud Jay Z for keeping his stamina up and health in great shape.

The GOOD…

During the intermission, Timbaland showcased his beat boxing and production skills for the packed arena. Timbo is one of the most talented producers in music. He’s worked with damn near everybody in the business. For the past year or two, I know he’s been solely working on both Jay Z and Beyonce’s project as well as Justin Timberlake. It was a different added touch to your standard concert intermission. Instead of taking a bathroom or concession stand break, Timberland keep the partying going by spinning some of his most notable hits. The Aliyah, Missy Elliott, and Ginuwine throwback tunes brought back memories.

The REALLY??!…

My bestie and I paid $150 (plus tax and fees) for our seats on the floor. For that amount money, I didn’t mind paying it to see a living legend in hip hop. However, I didn’t quite understand why I would pay that much to see one person…a RAPPER at that. Most rappers don’t come with stage presence. They don’t have background dancers. They don’t come with a bunch of Vegas-style stage props with lights and wild animals. Honestly, Kanye West is probably one of the only rappers who use mutli-million dollar stage props. And now I’m wishing I went to Ye’s concert at the beginning of December. Uuggh.

As such, I was disappointed at Jay for not giving us ATLiens a little extra pizzazz. With all the artists that live in Atlanta, he didn’t have any surprise guest(s). No nothing. To me, this made the show a bit lackluster. We were expecting maybe Beyonce (since she was in the city with him), Young Jeezy, or T.I.. Hell…somebody! Unfortunately, the audience got nothing but old Jigga man.

Unless, there are other artists on the bill next time, I probably won’t see him in concert again. I love Jay Z. But, I’m also a person who likes to get a “bang for her buck.”  Money don’t fall off trees around my way. I work hard for every dime I got. So, to feel like I spent it frivolously, makes me feel some type of way.

And like Future says, “I’m just being honest.”