Live Review: Jay-Z @ Oxegen 2010

When & Where? Main Stage on Friday 9th July @ 21:00.

Despite appearing on stage about half an hour later than advertised, Jay-Z thrilled the crowd from start to finish. Effortlessly cool, the huge crowd (easily the biggest I saw in the two days I was at the festival) were captivated by his every move, every word.

Described by Niall Byrne on state.ie as the "ultimate rap showman. He’s untouchable yet he’s with us all the way, right there thankful, grateful and supportive to the audience.", Jay-Z played a hit filled set. Taking tracks from each of his eleven albums, including a glut of recent singles, a rare medley (U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday blended with his own Ain't No Love (In The Heart of the City)) and samples of his work with other artists (including the Rihanna mega-hit Umbrella which managed to stop the rain, and the recent Mr. Hudson track Young Forever which was accompanied by a mass singalong from the entire crowd) he was backed by a superb band and the ever reliable Memphis Bleek.

The Gigaman's own mega hits Dirt Off Your Shoulder, 99 Problems, Hard Knock Life and the set closer Encore gripped the crowd, with many not so much as missing a word. Jay-Z's own freestyling and general chat with the crowd (he picked out over a dozen members of the crowd to personally thank for their participation, and told the entire crowd that he knew someone in the field would change the world) gave the performance a completely unique feel.

Reminds me of the whole "hip-hop artists cant headline festivals" argument - why was there ever even a debate? Never has one man captivated an audience at Oxegen. A certain headline act on Sunday night has a lot to do to top this show.