A Giant Homecoming for Eminem
If home is where you go and they have to let you in, Detroit mayor and hip hop aficionado Kwame Kilpatrick was one of thousands holding the door wide open for Eminem's triumphant return to the Motor City for two dates at Ford Field on July 12 and 13 this year. In a video played before each show, Kilpatrick was shown phoning Eminem overseas, appealing to the rapper to come home for the summer and perform at least once. Em put the mayor on hold briefly, then flung a doll into the air on his hotel balcony -- a la the baby-tossing Michael Jackson -- and when the phone conversation continued, Eminem announced to Kilpatrick: "For you and the city, I'll do two shows." Cue wild applause.
This rapport between mayor and superstar represented a vast departure from three years ago, when Eminem's tour got into hot water with then-mayor Dennis Archer for trying to play a video deemed too graphic by city leaders. Kilpatrick's larger-than-life video presence at this year's shows -- the only headlining appearances made by Eminem in the U.S. this year -- served to underscore how quickly political climates can change. Stepping onstage at 10 p.m. both nights, Eminem faced rapturous sold-out crowds, playing to a total of 95,000 fans. Quickly taking command of each evening, he served up 27 songs with seismic delivery on each date, making maximal use of his 90 minutes in the limelight. With opening sets from 50 Cent and Missy Elliott, plus appearances by local heroes Proof, D-12 and Obie Trice, the homecoming event made Detroit crackle and buzz with the energy of what was surely the grandest hip hop spectacle ever hosted by the city.
The set list was heavy on songs from The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show, dipping only sparingly into Eminem's 1999 debut, Luv Me. For those who caught last year's Anger Management Tour at the nearby Palace of Auburn Hills, this year's shows were basically a repeat, with the exception of songs from the 8 Mile soundtrack and a few other new stunts. Back again were production elements reminiscent of some evil carnival, complete with a ferris wheel, a master of ceremonies, tents and a giant video screen bordered by a banner advertising psychic readings. High above the stage, garish neon lights spelled out "The Eminem Show"; in true carny fashion, the "n" sputtered and flickered, on the verge of going out.
In the works since late last year, Eminem's Detroit shows pulled out all stops and spared no expense. Late Friday night before the Saturday opener, Em was still hunkered down inside Ferndale's 54 Sound Studio mixing the video that would open his act. (In addition to Mayor Kilpatrick, Kid Rock made a cameo appearance in another vignette as Eminem's liquor-swilling chauffeur, blasting through the streets of Detroit in a Hummer.) While no one can ascertain how big The Eminem Show will continue to get, one thing is certain: He's at the top of his game and shows no signs of slowing down. He's currently working on albums by D-12 and Obie Trice, as well as a disc of his own. And the fact that he can sell out stadiums...That is big.
