"I'm gonna catch up on movies," says Jay-Z, sipping red wine as he watches I Am Legend before the March 28 East Rutherford, N.J., show, "'cause I can't really go to the movie theater."

"I've been a fan since Reasonable Doubt," says Blige. "Jay-Z's never done us wrong."

"Some people like to be by themselves," says a genial Jay-Z backstage, "but I'm a people person."

"We've known each other for years," says Jay-Z, before hitting the stage with Blige. "We're longtime friends. It's a cool vibe."

The temperature in Blige's dressing room? "I don't like it really cold or 1,000 degrees either."

Spending quality time backstage with husband-manager Kendu Isaacs (right) and stepchildren Nasir (left), 8, and Jordan, 9, Blige says, "Everything I need is always on the road with me."

"We're touchable to our fans," says Blige, at a preshow meet-and-greet. "We have been our fans."