1. I’m not often challenged on my Nas knowledge, but one particularly drunken patron decided to quiz me as we were making our way into the venue: “Just say one line! One line from Nas!” It came out before I even had a chance to think about it: “I’m out for dead f*cking presidents to represent me!” I got a “Hell, yeah!” and a fist bump for my trouble.

2. With Bruno Mars playing down the hall at the Chelsea on the same night, I wondered if Nas would have trouble drawing a crowd. Not an issue—the Boulevard Pool was absolutely packed, which made the decision to leave part of the pool uncovered a questionable one.

3. It doesn’t really get better than hearing Illmatic—which Nas is touring this year on its 20th anniversary—reproduced in its entirety to an audience that knows every single word, even taking Nas’ cue to spit bits like “Sleep is the cousin of death!” And it’s a true tribute to the album’s staying power that most of those in the audience were probably in diapers when it was released.

4. Nas’ masterpiece has many subtle touches, but none of those could be heard over the booming bass, a sound issue that didn’t improve as I moved to multiple areas throughout the venue. But the crowd loved every minute, and Nas seemed genuinely engaged with his audience, reminiscing about cassette tapes and telling women to “stand tall.”

5. Despite doing the entire album plus a handful of other singles including “Got Ur Self a Gun,” “If I Ruled the World” and “One Mic,” the whole show was over in just less than one hour. Granted, we were primarily there to hear Illmatic, but still … what?