Jay-Z To Perform Opening Night At Renovated Webster Hall At End Of April

Ben Yakas

Published Apr 15, 2019

Modified Apr 15, 2019

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

After being closed for renovations for a little under two years, East Village venue Webster Hall will be reopening at the end of the month. And we now know who the big opening night headliner will be: an up-and-coming act named "Jay-Z" will make his Webster Hall debut on Friday, April 26th.

The show is being billed as B-Sides 2, a sequel to his Tidal-sponsored B-Sides concert at Terminal 5 in 2015, during which he pulled out a lot of rarities, deep cuts and older material. "When we were thinking about who would be the right choice to open this legendary venue, we knew it had to be a world-famous New York City icon," said Brett Yormark, CEO of BSE Global, which owns Bowery Presents. "No one fits that description better than JAY-Z, who will join an unparalleled list of celebrated performers who have played Webster Hall."

View this post on Instagram
JAY-Z is opening Webster Hall with ‘B-Sides 2’ on Friday, April 26 for Day 1 fans. AMEX Card Members can get tickets on 4/18 at 10am ET before the public onsale on 4/19 at 11am ET.
A post shared by Webster Hall (@websterhall) on Apr 15, 2019 at 4:34am PDT

A limited number of tickets will be made available for purchase to American Express Card Members beginning Thursday, April 18th at 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. Tickets for the general public go on sale on Friday, April 19th at 11 a.m.—and keep in mind they are going to be expensive tickets, ranging from $250 to $399.

Housed in an 1886 building, the independently-owned Webster Hall (formerly known as The Ritz in the '80s and '90s) was purchased in 2017 by a joint venture between Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (BSE Global) and AEG Presents, which previously purchased Bowery Presents. The group also runs such venues as Barclays Center and Terminal 5. The sale was estimated to be about $35 million (renovations cost well over $10 million as well).

Much of the old space has been preserved, but there is a revamped entryway (with three doors now); the Marlin Room, formerly its own tiny venue inside Webster, has been turned into a lounge; and there are new bathrooms and upgraded acoustics.

Other artists that have been announced to play the reopened space include Patti Smith, Broken Social Scene, MGMT, Built To Spill, Sharon Van Etten, Big Thief, and more. You can see more information about upcoming shows there here.