Jay-Z announces first concert in almost a decade
Jay-Z has announced his first live show in nine years.
Hov is set to headline the 2026 Roots Picnic on March 30th, which is taking place at the Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia.
Not only is the Brooklyn rapper performing, but The Roots will join him for the entirety of his set.
The festival took to Instagram to announce the news on March 17th, writing in the caption, “Philly, It’s time! Our May 30th Roots Picnic headliner is none other than JAŸ-Z! Pre-sale tickets are available NOW at rootspicnic.com! Use code: ROOTS26.”
The news comes shortly after Hov changed the styling of his name to JAŸ-Z to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, which was released in 1996.
Jay-Z’s last solo concert took place in December 2017, performing in Inglewood, California, as part of his 4:44 Tour.
In a statement, The Roots’ manager and president of Live Nation Urban, Shawn Gee, said, “Moving the Roots Picnic to Belmont Plateau and bringing JAŸ-Z and The Roots together to perform are both bucket-list moments for us.”
He continued, “After meeting with Mayor Cherelle Parker and hearing her vision for Philadelphia 250, she truly inspired us to dream even bigger, and we’re grateful to her, Commissioner Susan Slawson, Jazelle Jones and everyone who helped make it happen. We can’t wait to see everyone in May at the Plat.”
It will be his first time on stage since joining his wife, Beyoncé, on the final international date of her Cowboy Carter Tour in Paris in June 2025. He performed ‘N*ggas in Paris’, ‘Crazy in Love’, and ‘Drunk in Love’.
Hov’s last appearance at a festival was in 2019 when Pharrell welcomed him as a special guest at Something in the Water in Virginia Beach.