HomeMusicYahoo! Wireless Day 3 live review

Yahoo! Wireless Day 3 live review

The final day of Yahoo! Wireless took place yesterday at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. After two sun-drenched days, the sun showed no signs of stopping and the crowds piled into the park once again for a final day of live music across five different stages. The buzz was incredible for Jay-Z and Justin Timberlakeā€™s joint Legends of the Summer headline slot following their individual sets on the previous days. Before we got to the big finale we spent the day checking out more acts and enjoying great music in the sunshine.

First up was upcoming urban/pop star Charlie Brown who opened up the Yahoo! Stage and got the day off to a strong start. Since debuting on the scene with Dependency featuring Yungen and Ms. D, the rising star has scored a Top 10 smash with On My Way. He performed that track as part of his set yesterday and whipped the crowd into a sing-a-long frenzy. He also performed a live version of his new track Bones which is set to be as big, if not bigger, than On My Way. Heā€™s definitely one to keep an eye on in the rest of 2013.

2 Chainz drew a rather large crowd for his 35-minute set on the Pepsi Max Stage. Decked out in his trademark two chains (see where he got his name from?), the US rapper served up a serious amount of swagger during his set. Birthday Song was the moment the crowd really burst into life singing and rapping along throughout. We Own It, from the Fast & Furious soundtrack, was another highlight as the rapper worked the stage and whipped up the crowd. He plugged his new album B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time which is due for release later in the year before leaving the stage having thoroughly entertained.

Magnetic Man was one of the highlights of the day attracting a large crowd despite their set being cut short due to technical problems. It was still a solid performance from the DJs, which included Benga and their MC keeping the crowd going. The Pepsi Max Stage was packed and tracks like Fire just got people more excited and jumping about. The short set ended with a performance of Magnetic Man’s hit I Need Air and it was nothing short of amazing with great visuals and a crowd that was up for anything.

Following our interview with them earlier in the day, we checked out pop newcomers Mausi on the SB:TV stage. The band specialises in sunny uptempo Euro-pop and pulled in a great crowd during their set. New single Move is a shimmering electro-pop gem and was one of the highlights of the bandā€™s set. It sounds like the best single Kylie Minogue has never recorded and is incredibly infectious. Mausi had a great stage presence and got the audience dancing away throughout their tight set.

Back on the Main Stage we enjoyed a performance from Nas. Undoubtedly one of hip-hop’s biggest stars, Nas rewarded his fans and Wireless festival-goers with a strong set filled with his biggest hits. Nas’ onstage presence was itself infectious however what we loved the most about the performance was how low-key it was; who cares about a big show when you can let the music speak for itself right?! I Can went down a treat and its positive message seemed perfect on such a beautiful day. Other tracks included the Puff Daddy collaborationĀ Hate Me Now Ā and Ā Cherry Wine with the late Amy Winehouse. The big tracks of the day though were the old ones like One Mic and Made You Look, and with that Nas finished his set on a high just in time to let A Tribe Called Quest take the stage.

The moment weā€™d all been waiting for arrived at 7.45pm when Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake arrived on stage for their eagerly-anticipated co-headline show Legends of the Summer. Arriving on stage together the duo performed Holy Grail from Jay-Zā€™s Magna Cartaā€¦ Holy Grail before doing a mash-up of their hits. They then took it in turns to perform their own songs and guested during each otherā€™s. Anyone who saw the headline sets from each artist on the previous nights would have been familiar with the setlist as it was essentially the same but in a different order and with a few surprises.

It was a real buzz seeing Jay-Z and Justin sharing the same stage and vibing off each other. Justin played guitar and piano on several of Jay-Zā€™s tracks whilst Jay-Z joined in for several of Justinā€™s. They clearly enjoyed sharing the stage together. Hearing Justin singing the chorus to I Just Wanna Love You (Give It To Me) was pretty special as was his rendition of New York, New York either side of Jay-Zā€™s smash Empire State of Mind. Other highlights over the course of the set included Jay-Zā€™s hit 99 Problems and new track Tom Ford, whilst Justin entertained with an amazing rendition of Mirrors and My Love.

As the set was drawing to a close the crowd went wild as Rihanna made a surprise appearance to sing Run This Town with Jay-Z. The superstar had been at T in the Park the previous day performing so rumours had already started to spread that she might make an appearance at Wireless. The performance was one of the highlights of the night and was a real surprise. Justin returned after to perform SexyBack which made the crowd erupt with appreciation. The night closed with Suit & Tie which featured both Justin and Jay-Z on stage.

Yahoo! Wireless was an incredible three days of fantastic live music from some of the worldā€™s biggest artists, and some of the new talent rising up to the top. The weekend offered plenty of variety, lots of memories and plenty of ā€˜glad we were thereā€™ moments. Next year is going to have a lot to live up to and we canā€™t wait to see who they secure as the headliners. For now though itā€™s all about Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake who came, saw and conquered over three days.

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of PiƱata Media. With over 19 years of journalism experience, Pip has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world. He is also a qualified digital marketing expert with over 20 years of experience.

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