Eminem and Jay-Z will team up later this year for a pair of ballpark concerts in their respective hometowns. The first co-headline show is set for September 2 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI, and will be followed by a second gig on September 13 at Yankee Stadium in New York, NY.
The leading men of hip-hop announced their plans during a May 12 baseball game at Comerica Park, which appropriately pitted the Tigers against the Yankees. “This is a once in a lifetime set of shows, and I know we’re both really going to bring it to our hometowns,” Eminem said in a statement.
Eminem will headline the show in his hometown of Detroit, and Jay-Z will helm the concert in his native New York, the latter artist explained during an interview on ESPN. Hova also commented, “We have so much love for our hometowns. We wanted to stretch the genre of hip hop music and show that it can play live audiences.”
Ticket prices and onsale dates for the concerts will be announced in the near future. Both shows will be produced by Live Nation, according to the duo’s press release.
The September 13 show will open the new Yankee Stadium to concert events. The ballpark officially opened its gates in April 2009, but has not hosted a full-length performance yet.
The old Yankee Stadium, which recently underwent demolition, had a rich history of performances from the likes of Pink Floyd and another famous New Yorker, Billy Joel. Comerica Park has also hosted its share of concerts, including a 2005 performance by Eminem.
Jay-Z recently completed the U.S. leg of his 2010 BP3 Tour, supporting his newest album “The Blueprint 3.” He performed briefly at the new Yankee Stadium in October 2009, singing “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys during Game 2 of the World Series.
The concerts will only be Eminem’s second and third headline shows since returning from a nearly four-year hiatus in 2009. He is also awaiting the June release of “Recovery,” his follow-up to last year’s chart-topping comeback album, “Relapse.”
