NEW YORK — Brooklyn’s Barclays Center was the place to be New Years Eve, as Jay-Z and Coldplay rocked the stage draw 2012 to a close and bring in the new year. In front of a packed house, Jay-Z, who blends rock and rap to unite the music genres’ common heritage, toasted the New Year with the help of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s wife Gwyneth Paltrow, kids Apple and Moses and singer Bridget Kelly. 
Coldplay, the British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland, has won a number of music awards throughout their career, including seven Brit Awards—winning Best British Group three times, five MTV Video Music Awards, and seven Grammy Awards from twenty five nominations. Coldplay have sold over 60 million records worldwide. In December 2009, Rolling Stone readers voted the group the fourth-best artist of the 2000s.
In attendance at the big Brooklyn New Years Eve 2013 bash were Christina Aguilera, Victor Cruz, Jake Gyllenhaal, Adrienne Bailon and more. DJ Cassidy spun tunes for the crowd while VIP guests sipped on specialty cocktails mixed with D’USSE®, Jay-Z’s cognac of choice. The night came to an end with Jay-Z’s “New York State of Mind.”
After the show, Jay-Z and friends filtered into the D’USSE® Lounge backstage where they continued the celebration.
For the unintiated, D’USSE – pronouced dew-say – is a new expression of Cognac that dares the palate like never before. Born from the prestigious Chateau de Cognac, France, D’USSE blends over 200 years of tradition with the inspiration of a passionate Cellar Master who set out to create his own legacy. The result is a uniquely powerful, authentic Cognac that starts off with distinguished intensity and then gives way to a pleasantly smooth, balanced finish.
In related news, 2013 already looks like it will be a productive year for Jay-Z, as he is reportedly working to help the produce the score for Baz Luhrmann’s remake of “The Great Gatsby,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire. Jay-Z will be working with The Bullitts’ frontliner Jeymes Samuel, Seal’s younger brother.
