Setting aside the seating confusion and high ticket prices, the Last Smash Platinum Bash was a total blast.
The first concert at Arizona Stadium in three decades kept the crowd moving almost nonstop Wednesday with captivating sets from the Veronicas, Third Eye Blind, Kelly Clarkson and Jay-Z.
The audience of mostly teens and twentysomethings danced and screamed for most of the night.
Sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, the concert drew an estimated 12,000 fans to the west side of the stadium. The student organizers had hoped to sell 17,000 tickets.
Early on, despite the hundreds huddled around you, there was a sense of isolation from staring at the abyss of roughly 45,000 empty seats around the stadium.
That feeling faded when the sun went down. The football field went largely untouched because the stage was set up on the sideline. A huge video screen behind the performers gave the crowd a closer look.
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Not that Jay-Z needed any magnification: He shone the brightest.
Dressed in a leather jacket, T-shirt, camouflage shorts and sunglasses, Jay-Z was so mesmerizing, it was hard to remember much of what came before.
Or who had played way before him: Fleetwood Mac headlined a 1977 concert at Arizona Stadium, and Stevie Nicks and Co. couldn't have seemed further away as Jay-Z let loose.
The New York rapper ripped through a 75-minute set that was heavy on hits. He joked early on that when he was called to perform at the Last Smash, he thought the organizers had phoned the wrong person, looking for Justin "JT" Timberlake instead.
"I'm glad I took the call," he said.
Jay-Z's dexterous lyrical delivery was almost machinelike at times, particularly on songs such as "U Don't Know" and "Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)."
Backed by a full band, complete with two drummers, guitarists, bass, keyboards and a DJ, Jay-Z tore through hits such as "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," and "99 Problems," which featured a surprise appearance by rapper Memphis Bleek.
Jay-Z stopped a couple of times in an attempt to correct some sound difficulties he was having.
"I think we blew an amp," he said. "That means we're just getting started."
He closed his set with "Roc Boys (And The Winner Is) … " from 2007's "American Gangster," before encoring with his verse from the remix to "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" and "Numb/Encore," from his collaboration with nu-metal rockers Linkin Park.
Clarkson turned in a solid 50-minute performance, which was punctuated by jest and banter.
"I'm in a really quirky mood tonight," she said. "I never thought I'd get to play a show with Jay-Z."
The barefoot Clarkson opened with "Walk Away" from her 2004 album, "Breakaway."
Her deep, soulful voice boomed during "Because of You," and you really got an idea why she won the first season of "American Idol."
Earlier in the night, the Vernonicas impressed with a 30-minute set led by sassy, spunky twin-sister vocalists Jessica and Lisa Origliasso.
Third Eye Blind kept the crowd cheering for an hour with old favorites such as "Jumper" and "Motorcycle Drive By."
Tucson's Ryanhood, who drew the most votes in an online Caliente contest, opened the concert with a 20-minute set.
Review
Jay-Z in concert Wednesday at Arizona Stadium, with Kelly Clarkson, Third Eye Blind, the Veronicas and Ryanhood.
