New York, New York - A Jay-Z concert at Yankee Stadium in New York was delayed for more than four hours on Sunday after hundreds of ticketless fans tried to get in, organizers said.
"Hundreds of individuals in large groups – who did not have tickets to tonight's performance – stormed over peaceful ticket holders, and in some cases, breached security," a Live Nation representative told the AFP.
"Gates at all entrances of the Stadium were closed for an extended period of time" before they were "reopened cautiously and carefully to ensure the safety of those inside and outside," the spokesperson said.
The concert was scheduled to start at 8:00 PM, but hundreds of people remained outside the stadium, despite having valid tickets, an AFP reporter observed.
Ticket holders were eventually let in over a period of time, little by little, and Jay-Z finally took the stage at around 12:15 AM.
The concert was the last in a series of three shows by the 56-year-old artist, who had not played a major solo concert since 2017.
The American rapper briefly explained what had happened to the more than 40,000 people gathered in the stadium before launching into the show.
According to the Hollywood Report, Jay-Z told concert-goers "I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, but I had to make sure everyone was okay."
"Let me explain the delay to you guys," he said. "It was like 10,000 people outside, and we closed all the doors, and somebody rushed the door."
"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," he said. "I appreciate your patience."