★★★★★
After some evening showers Bellahouston park was swamped with muddy shoes and excited fans, all tensely waiting for the return of Marshall Mathers on Thursday the 24th of August. As expected a 35,000-strong crowd attended and didn’t let the dull skies cast a shadow over the occasion.
Appearing on stage after an impressive instrumental from his band Eminem kicked off the show ‘Square Dance’ before jumping into ‘Won’t Back Down’ and then hit the crowd with ‘3 am’ at around 9:30pm. Em took small breaks to talk to the fans and show his appreciation for Glasgow and its people.
He then carried on his blisteringly quick set with ‘Business’ and ‘Kill You’, songs from his 2000 release ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ and carried on spitting songs from all years of his career. Before moving to his next number Eminem addressed the crowd, he roared ‘F**K Donald Trump!’ which in turn the crowd exclaimed and began cheering. This was perfect timing for his next tune ‘White America’ a politically based song where he addresses the claims that he influences criminal activity in the children and young people who listen to his music. He was also sporting a T-shirt with ‘F**K TRUMP’ in plain white block letters across the chest of his black top. A bold message from a confident man.
He continued his thirty-plus set with ‘Mosh’ and ‘Evil Deeds’ before showcasing ‘Rap God’. From the name of the song alone it is expected that something special is there…and it was. With Marshall articulating quicker than you thought was possible it’s hard to even understand how he does it no matter learn it for yourself. According to Guinness World Records, Slim says 97 words in 15 seconds, that’s over 6 words a second. I think that song is without a doubt more than a tongue twister.
Moving speedily along he gave the Glasgow crowd Soldier, a song that hasn’t been performed since 2003. A few songs later and he was hyping the crowd up to sing along with his 2000 release ‘The Way I Am’, although due the sheer number of songs he was playing most tracks were cut down to a verse and chorus so he could fit then all into his hour and a half presentation.
At the halfway point Eminem played a few covers and songs he had previously featured in, songs such as ‘The Hills’ by ‘The Weeknd’ and ‘Airplanes Part 2’ by ‘B.o.B’. Next came a slight hiccup, while preforming his song ‘Stan’ Slim was rapping through a verse when he suddenly stopped and said he would have to re-do the song. Although the fans were confused they still gave him a cheer and soon after he asked to start again he got back into the song at the end of the verse.
From that point on it seemed to be hit after hit after hit with songs including ‘Like Toy Soldiers’, ‘Love the Way You Lie’, ’Till I Collapse’…the list goes on. At this point the gig was in full swing, the crowd singing almost every line to Slims’ delight. You could really feel the fans appreciation and respect for this superstar.
Before leaving the stage he performed ‘Not Afraid’ after talking about loss, addiction and other struggles in his life. At this point the light was almost gone and the stage seemed to have more power than ever, it was a truly great performance and it wasn’t over yet. Returning to the stage to give the fans his trademark song Eminem finished everything with ‘Lose Yourself’ and I think it’s fair to say, the crowd lost themselves.
A truly exceptional showcase from one of the greatest rappers of all time, it is clear why 35,000 people came to witness the ‘rap god’ Marshall ‘Slim Shady’ Mathers in the flesh.
EMINEM SETLIST:
BAND INTRO:
SQUARE DANCE
WON'T BACK DOWN
3 A.M.
BUSINESS
KILL YOU
WHITE AMERICA
MOSH
EVIL DEEDS
RAP GOD
SOLDIER
JUST DON'T GIVE A FUCK
CRIMINAL
THE WAY I AM
DETROIT VS EVERYBODY
FAST LANE
THE HILLS (REMIX)
DROP THE WORLD
AIRPLANES, PART II
STAN
SING FOR THE MOMENT
LIKE TOY SOLDIERS
FOREVER
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE
BERZERK
'TILL I COLLAPSE
CINDERELLA MAN
THE MONSTER
MY NAME IS
THE REAL SLIM SHADY
WITHOUT ME
NOT AFRAID
ENCORE:
LOSE YOURSELF
EMINEM UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
26 AUGUST: READING FESTIVAL 2017 - READING, UK
27 AUGUST: LEEDS FESTIVAL 2017 - LEEDS. UK
REVIEW BY: OWEN MELDRUM
