Live Review: Eminem, Hilltop Hoods, Royce da 5'9", Boogie

Sydney’s cloudy skies cleared for the Rap God himself, as 70,000 hip hop fans made the pilgrimage to ANZ Stadium to catch Eminem’s first Sydney show in half a decade.

The first in a string of supports, Compton hip hop artist Boogie took to the stage, the “newest member of the Shady family” winning over a tonne of new fans with his impressive bars. Longtime Eminem-associated act Royce da 5’9” was the next to hype up the growing crowd. The Detroit rapper, in old-school hip hop attire, provided a high-energy set, his song with J Cole Boblo Boat and Bad Meets Evil (his duo with Eminem) track Lighters earning the crowds biggest cheers.

Dramatic fanfare and pyrotechnics announced the arrival of the only Australian act of the night, Hilltop Hoods. Accompanied on stage by a horn section, the Adelaide boys got the crowd going with the Aussie hip hop classics they’re responsible for - Chase That Feeling and The Nosebleed Section. To celebrate the release of their new album, The Great Expanse, which dropped earlier in the day, they brought out talented singer Adrian Eagle to perform recent song Clark Griswold before wrapping things up with Cosby Sweater, which had everyone well and truly warmed up and ready for Eminem.

A stadium full of deafening cheers erupted as a tracksuit-clad Eminem, aka Marshall Mathers, made his way onto the stage, kicking things off appropriately with Greatest - and it became immediately apparent why the rapper is, at the very least, one of the greatest of all time. Fireworks shot into the sky above him and a laser light show darted across the crowd, but the entertainer, alongside former D12 member Mr Porter, didn’t rely on any theatrics or pyrotechnics. Mathers' insane delivery was impressive enough to wow the crowd as he bounced across the span of the stage.

Rap God revealed how Eminem manages to fit a huge 32 tracks into his setlist; he raps so fast each song is over before it’s begun. Delivered like a huge guitar solo in a stadium rock show, with Mathers' hands conducting his own mouth, Rap God was a highlight of the night and left the crowd in awe of every line.

In celebration of the anniversary of Mathers' second album The Slim Shady LP, released 20 years ago almost to the day, the rapper performed fan-favourite Without Me, with several punters in Robin costumes (a reference to the songs video clip) displayed across the giant screen. “Sydney, we're family tonight,” Mathers announced, eliciting a strong, elated reaction from the crowd. 

The ‘ballad moment’ of the set came in the form of the Beyonce collaboration, Walk On Water, off 2018’s Revival. It almost felt like the Rap God was delivering a sermon to his audience with American singer Skylar Grey flawlessly delivering the song's hook. Grey stuck around for Stan, performed in front of rainy visuals, with Eminem changing the line, “Remember when we met in Denver,” to shout out Sydney, drawing a huge cheer from the crowd. Mathers led the crowd in singing happy birthday to Grey, who deserves major props, filling the shoes of Dido, Beyonce and Rihanna across the night.

Eminem made full use of the stadium environment, transitioning from 'Till I Collapse to Cinderella Man with a rendition of Queen’s We Will Rock You, the crowd providing a thundering stomp-clap beat. Royce da 5’9” was brought back onto the stage to perform Caterpillar and Bad Meets Evil track Fast Lane, Mathers declaring the artist “one of the top five rappers of all time”. Boogie also returned to the stage for a performance of their new collaboration Rainy Days, Eminem telling fans to “keep an eye on this one”.

“How many people are fucked up?” Mathers and Mr Porter asked the crowd. The answer was a lot. They took things back to the days when they themselves got fucked up with My Name Is and The Real Slim Shady, setting the crowd off into a frenzy. The vibe shifted in a touching and super powerful moment as the rapper dedicated the next song, Not Afraid to “anyone who’s gone through personal struggle”.

Suspense grew as ambient strings and the piano intro of Lose Yourself rang out around the arena and eager fans readied themselves for the encore, the moment they’d been waiting for. The iconic guitar riff kicked in and tens of thousands of fans tried to keep up, rapping along with Eminem - the result a muddled but enthusiastic attempt. With two decades worth of material (and even a few covers that he managed to squeeze in), Eminem defended his legacy well and proved his worthiness of the ‘Rap God’ title.