Jay-Z takes public transport to big gig in Brooklyn

Rap superstar Jay-Z stunned onlookers on Saturday evening (06Oct12) when he hopped on a New York subway train to head to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where he performed the final show in his eight-night residency.

The hip-hop mogul decided to shun his usual ride, his chauffeured Maybach luxury car, and join locals on one of the city's oldest lines, the R train, from Canal Street in Manhattan to the new sports arena.

Escorted by security guards and plainclothes police officers, he happily posed for photos with fans and even struck up a conversation with one elderly passenger after taking a seat next to her.

Jay-Z exited the train when it pulled into the newly-renamed Atlantic Avenue - Barclays Center station in his native Brooklyn and continued to cause a stir as he made his way on foot to the nearby venue.

However, the rapper's wife Beyonce was nowhere in sight - she arrived at the Barclays Center later that night and surprised the crowd by joining her husband onstage to perform her hits Diva and Crazy In Love for the 19,000 fans in the audience and those tuning into YouTube.com, where the gig was streamed live.