Eminem Victorious At Free Detroit Concert

Gary Graff
http://billboard.com
Photo: Associated Press

It was short and sweet but decidedly victorious as Eminem brought his "Relapse" back home with a special free concert in Detroit.

Marking the release of his first new studio album in five years, the rapper blitzed through eight songs in 35 minutes at the Sound Board theater in the MotorCity Hotel Casino, delivering seven tracks from "Relapse" (including the singles "We Made You" and "Crack a Bottle" and a medley of "Hello" and "Insane") and an encore of his 2002 hit "Lose Yourself" for which he brought the other members of his group, D12 on stage.

Looking fit in a gray hoodie, black T-shirt and black baseball cap, Eminem pronounced himself "a little bit nervous 'cause I don't have my right-hand man (the late MC Proof) with me." The crowd then obliged with gusto when he asked it to "make some noise if you miss Proof."

D12's Denaun Porter stepped into Proof's role as hype man, while longtime Eminem DJ Alchemist manned the turntables and laptop. Eminem also poked fun at the well-chronicled rehab stint he raps in great detail about on "Relapse." He said, "This might actually be one of the best shows I've ever done, 'cause when I get offstage I'm actually gonna remember it."

The entire performance was filmed, and two of the songs will be broadcast Friday on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for the third of Eminem's appearances on the late-night program.

About 2,200 tickets were distributed for the Detroit show, and Eminem himself Twittered different locations where fans could pick up tickets on Tuesday, including restaurants, a music store, a shoe store, Saint Andrews Hall and under a mailbox.

The show brought out other luminaries from Detroit's rap community, including Trick Trick, Dwele, Obie Trice, DJ Head and members of Proof's early group 5 Elementz.

Eminem hasn't announced any tour plans for "Relapse" yet, but he's slated to drop another album, "Relapse 2," in the fall.

The full set list for Tuesday's show included:
"3 A.M."
"Hello/Insane"
"Beautiful"
"Crack a Bottle"
"We Made You" "Underground"
(encore)"Lose Yourself" (with D12)

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