Three gigs in London in one week? Nothing seems beyond Sean 'Jay-Z' Carter this week, as he gave blistering performances first at The Roundhouse on Thursday night (where guests included Ian Brown and key BBC suit and occasional presenter Alan Yentob) and again over two night supporting Coldplay at Wembley Stadium. But let's concentrate on the first show primarily, because if ever there was evidence that Jay-Z and hip hop could speak and project beyond its core audience while keeping its spirit and swagger intact, this was it. As time goes in - and particularly after that career-building Glastonbury show - it really does appear that Jay-Z is to hip hop what U2 and Coldplay are to rock - in other words, their genre's iconic ambassador.

Of course, it helps that he has the catalogue to match his new-found status. And it says a lot that all 3,000 £70 tickets sold out in minutes - although Carter thanks the crowd for saying it sold out in twenty second but hey, that's showbiz. The screens, the band, the flow, the sheer presence and charisma of the man and his music could barely be criticized. He's hip hop power and charm personified and he knows precisely how to keep The Roundhouse in the palm of his hand. Opening with 'DOA' and 'U Don't Know' with long-time sidekick Memphis Bleek, it's the raw blend of horns, drums, guitars and of course THAT voice which makes this show almost as incendiary as his previous show-stopper at the Royal Albert Hall - which was the first hip hop show at the evnue in its history, lest we forget. Later on we're treated to a quick singalong of 'Wonderwall' before he walks off - only to return seconds later for 'Excuse Me Miss' and blistering 'Black Album' show-stopper 'Lucifer.'

Speaking on BBC One's flagship political programme The Andrew Marr Show last week, Jay-Z said that taking to the stage at Glastonbury felt like collecting a Grammy. "That was like winning the first Grammy for me. It was one of those times where , you know…almost like knocking the door down," he said, before suggesting that "Noel Gallagher, I think he perpetuated the old way of thinking."

And if the reaction to his set at Wembley is anything to go by, that post-Oasis thinking certainly seems to be the case. Because Wembley Stadium is PACKED when we arrive at 7:15 and when Carter comes on at 7:20, the place goes STIR CRAZY. Not for Jigga the lukewarm support reaction normally saved for the warm-up act: he's even more ferocious than on Thursday, his band are on fire and every hit - from 'Big Pimping' and 'New York State Of Mind' and 'Give It To Me' to the closing 'Numb/Encore' - are treated like long-long friends by the crowd who we'd assumed had just come for Chris Martin. In fact, that last tune is treated like a stadium rock anthem, despite its success being due to a painful pact with Linkin Park - and that precisely because it now is.

At the end of the 1 hour show, Jay-Z picks out key members of the crowd to share his gratitude. The camera pans around and we see for the first time that there are scores of hip hop fans in the front of the stadium floor: home-made signs, even. And the man's reaction is worth the entry price alone: he can't quite believe the love. There are girls sporting Jay-Z t-shirts, there are guys who have sung along to every word and on top of this, there are 80,000 fans who have come to hear 'Yellow' and 'Fix You' and hell, they now like him too. It won't be long before he's bringing an all-star hip hop show to Wembley on his own.

When is the end really the end? I think most of you know the answer to this already.

When a club finally closes its doors due to the ground, walls and ceiling are being bought rather than as a result of the recession is something of a mixed blessing, but whatever the venue's future, it's still incredibly heartbreaking that our favourite club in London has finally bitten the dust after so many incredible parties in its decade-plus history. There are still persistent rumours that the club will re-open in two months time under new management - we'll see. 'Apparently' isn't a big word in this writer's game.

And ah, the memories! I can remember seeing Cassius play their first ever London date at The End. (Daft Punk played at the club for Soma several years earlier too). I remember coming back from a triumphant Homelands and being allowed into the club to see Carl Cox wearing nothing but waterproofs and wellington boots - now that IS hardcore. Erick Morillo dropped 'Do Your Thing' as the first track of his only appearance at the club. Sven Vath pummelled the place with 'Stoppage Time'. Felix Da Housecat obliterated the main room with cuts from Diddy and Depeche Mode at a particularly messy mescal and Patron-addled Bugged Out! party last year. When I worked at Muzik Magazine (another RIP there), we put on our fifth birthday party at the club with Sven Vath, Dave Clarke, Jacques Lu Cont, Erick Morillo and a blistering live set from BT. Everyone gave their services for free and no-one went home remembering much about the evening that night either.

But that's what made the place so special. It brought out the best in the punters and the people playing there. It gave us 'Love Story', it was the first club to be spear-headed by a former pop star/MC called Richard and it launched the career of Erol Alkan and dozens of others fledgling DJs. Scissor Sisters and LCD Soundsystem came to play early on at Trash while Prince and Kelis both surrepticiously came to check out garage institution Twice As Nice one Sunday. Even David Beckham popped his head in once - and got behind the decks.

And what of the closing party? Well, Laurent Garnier was the night's true star, playing everything from Simple Minds' 'Theme For Great Cities' alongside Rolando's 'Knights Of The Jaguar', Blur's 'Song 2', Nirvana's 'Lithium' and Nathan Fake's 'The Sky Is Pink'. He also implored people to light up any cigarettes they might have left. And why not? What's the worst that could happen? Getting banned from a club that's due to close any minute?

Although the party was rumoured to be stopping at mid-day, Garnier continued playing until almost 3PM. Upstairs in AKA, Matthew B dropped Sono's 'Keep Control' and KOT's 'Finally' wearing a suitably piratanical headband. At 5PM I went upstairs to the VIP area to buy a drink only to discover that the bar had literally been drunk dry. I left soon after, wondering what time the place stayed open until. I went round for one final look and found a fresh-faced Erol surveying the empty carnage of the main room having been to bed and come back after a spot of lunch. Upstairs, Layo, his sister Zoe and ten years of friends and family were still holding up the bar - although by this point, every bottle of tequila, champagne and coffee tequila had left the building too. It was time to go.

Precisely twenty-four hours later, I only have one question that I'm hoping someone will answer: what time did they finally close their good or it there a party still raging in AKA right now?