Eminem Wraps Aus Tour With Flawless Perth Debut

The train to Eminem's first-ever Perth show smelt like a nightclub, with many punters no doubt craving ‘Mom’s Spaghetti’ from the Optus Stadium food menu upon arrival.

The sounds opening acts Boogie and Royce Da 5’9” leaked from the open air venue, serenading those slowly shuffling inside, and when Aussie hip hop maestros Hilltop Hoods arrived, the roar suggested it might be their own headline show; their lighting show and minor pyrotechnics display amplifying the already ecstatic crowd as they smashed through Chase That Feeling and I Love It.

"If you're not familiar with us, you might be familiar with this," Suffa said, welcoming The Nosebleed Section.

The hits continued with singalongs Won't Let You Down and 1955 before Adrian Eagle graced the stage to pick the pace up with Clark Griswold and Live & Let Go.

"Why did we have to make that song so fucking fast," Suffa said at the conclusion of new single Leave Me Lonely, which led into set closers Rattling The Keys To The Kingdom and Cosby Sweater.

READ MORE: Eminem Almost Made History In Perth This Week If It Wasn't For Ed Sheeran

60,500 was the evening's official headcount, with many fans in attendance waiting as long as 20 years – since the release of the rapper’s major-label debut album The Slim Shady LP in 1999 – to finally see him in Perth.

You could feel the anticipation, the tension in the air mirroring the pacing opening riff of classic Lose Yourself, which would be one of many favourites to make the cut over a relentless two-hour set.

With breakneck speed, Eminem offered up the Greatest intro ever, bouncing up and down, and sprinting from one end of the giant stage to the other (all while wearing a hoodie in unbearable heat), before jumping into Won't Back Down, which injected enough adrenaline into the crowd that many would struggle to fall asleep until 3am.

Eminem's right-hand man, Mr Porter, matched his intensity, filling out the lower vocal register in songs like Square Dance, while hyping up punters between songs.

With one sentence, Eminem summed up his West Coast omission on previous ventures Down Under - "we don't like flying".

“We sat on a motherfuckin’ plane for 20-something hours just to come over here and see you.”

The air was heavy with multiple kinds of smoke by the time White America rolled around and Eminem reinforced his title of Rap God in the song's dizzying bridge.

"This song is for anybody who’s ever lost someone close to their heart," Mr Porter yelled, as Eminem commanded a collective chant from the crowd to the rolling drums of rap ballad Sing For The Moment; a classic that packed enough of an emotional punch to knock anyone down.

Precision was the name of the game in Lucky You, Eminem once again offering up his trademark whirlwind lyric game, sometimes reaching what seemed like impossible speeds, before Mr Porter took fans on a trip down memory lane, rolling through the LP names in Eminem's back catalogue - taking a slight dig at Revival - and landing on 2018's surprising album, Kamikaze, with the rapper then dishing up a fitting Just Don’t Give A Fuck.

"Perth, can we call y’all friends?" Eminem asked. "I got one better - how about family? We're family tonight.”

Criminal had hands up with its peak 2000s quirkiness, while The Way I Am ushered in a pacing singalong that could have been heard from the surrounding suburbs and beyond. Its soaring guitar solo outro and accompanying fireworks display proved Eminem puts on a better rock show than some artists in that genre.

The mood shifted, with piano and strings taking prominence and guest vocalist Skylar Grey joining the band for ballads Walk On Water, Stan and Love The Way You Lie - she'd later reappear for The Monster which proved a production highlight as the giant screens at either side of the stage and behind displayed burning buildings.

"Play a full song!" yelled one punter in response to the shortened versions of songs. Not likely if you want all 32 tracks promised, and the hits continued in lighting fast fashion with 'Till I Collapse, breaking into a verse of We Will Rock You and then quickly transitioning into Cinderella Man before Royce Da 5’9” reappeared for his song Caterpillar and Bad Meets Evil’s Fast Lane. New Shady Records "family member" Boogie then got his time to shine, offering up his recent single Rainy Days.

"Perth, can we take you back to when we used to get fucked up?!" Eminem asked as the quirky and iconic scratches of My Name Is set the crowd into a frenzy, people losing their minds as it morphed into The Real Slim Shady and then Without Me; the only downfall being they weren't executed in full. Maybe that guy was onto something.

The shell shock was still wearing off during heartfelt single and farewell Not Afraid, and there was no doubt he’d soon return for an encore of Lose Yourself.

Perth's waited a long, long time for Eminem, and the rapper didn't let anyone down.