This past friday, as we know, was the 8th anniversary of September 11th. Every New Yorker had their own way of mourning, commemorating, and remembering the tragic events, and lives lost on that fateful day. For Shawn Carter, the rapper known as Jay-Z, a brooklyn native, music icon, and business mogul, this meant holding a benefit concert at Madison Square Concert, with all proceeds going directly to 9/11 charities.

Besides the music, the concert itself was a virtual cornucopia of art and culture. From the outfits of the artists (as well as the audience), their performances, complete with choreographed song, dance, and attire, the illumination of flashing lights, and the decoration of the stage background and foreground, which had dazzling displays of NYC cityscapes made of light, all elements of the concert honored the memory of 9/11. The most poignant of these was during a tribute Jay-Z made between songs that honored our fallen family members, while two pillars of light shone resiliently in the background, comprised of the faces of the lost.

Because this was a concert I was not allowed to take my laptop with me. I took many pictures with a disposable camera, but those have not yet been developed. In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy this image showing Jay-Z at the encore of his performance, standing strong and proud, in front of an enormous American Flag.