Only six days before Eminem and Rihanna’s “Monster Tour” was scheduled to hold its first performance in Passadena (Aug. 7), the Detroit-superstar gave Lollapalooza audience members a taste of what to expect.
Eminem’s Friday set at Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival packed a slew of surprise songs, and artists, as Detroit’s Royce da 5’9″, and co-headlining tour partner Rihanna were brought to the stage to the delight of fans. Being Em’s first Lollapalooza performance since 2011, the ‘rap God’ treated fans to new, old and reincarnated favorites. (Eminem’s closing set conflicted with Lollapalooza performances by Artic Monkeys, Zedd and Phantogram.)
Eminem and Monster-partner Rihanna performed two of their biggest hits, “Love the Way You Lie,” and “The Monster,” but also reworked his Marshal Mathers LP classic “Stan” (1999) with Rihanna providing Dido’s vocal parts. In addition to his upcoming crowd-pleasers, Em also performed Slim Shady favorites such as: “Kill You,” “My Name Is,” “Without Me,” “The Real Slim Shady,” and “Lose Yourself” (which was accompanied by Detroit-themed visuals as the show’s closer.)
In true Detroit fashion, Bad Meets Evil-bandmate Royce da 5’9″ also joined Em on stage for a rendition of “Fast Lane.” Eminem’s Monster Tour begins August 7, at the Rose Bowl in Passadena, and will make two consecutive stops at Detroit’s Comerica Park on August 22 and 23.
Watch “Love the Way You Lie,” “The Monster,” “Stan,” and “Fast Lane” performed during Lollapalooza 2014 below: