KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI)
Following the tragic death of his mother, Debbie Nelson, from Lung Cancer last Monday, there were questions surrounding whether American rap sensation, Eminem's highly anticipated Abu Dhabi after-race concert would go ahead.
By Wednesday, however, anxieties were lifted when the American artist confirmed in an Instagram post that the concert would go ahead.
"Well, if you want Shady, this is what I'll give ya," the post read, referring to the rappers famed alter ego, Slim Shady.
On Saturday night, the sold-out crowd at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena got more than what they were promised, in a performance complete with world-class stage design, old and new hits and energy reminiscent of the 52-year-old's younger days.
Opening with global hits followed by a series of songs from his later albums, Eminem rewarded the crowd with his nostalgic hits including "Stan" and "Without Me". The night eventually reached its peak with an unforgettable encore of "Lose Yourself", as Eminem's commanding performance and lyrical mastery left fans in awe.
"Should we move here? I'm thinking of moving here," Eminem told the ecstatic crowd at one point to their delight.
The performance was the rapper's first in a series of Middle East performances which will include concerts in Bahrain on December 10 and a headlining performance at Saudi Arabia's Soundstorm festival two days later.
The rapper's relationship with his mother was often rocky, as documented in the 2002 single "Cleanin' Out My Closet" where the rapper vents about his mother's bad habits. His mother would later sue and then settle two defamation lawsuits against the artist over statements surrounding their relationship in media interviews.
Eminem would later express some remorse for his earlier lyrics in the 2013 track "Headlights" and then go on to open the Detroit restaurant "Mom's Spaghetti" in 2017, named after a line in his anthem "Lose Yourself", as a series of pop-ups, before establishing a permanent location in Detroit in 2021.
"Mom's Spaghetti" made its Middle East debut at the Abu Dhabi Formula One at the Yas Marina Circuit over the weekend, offering popular dishes as well as rare and custom-designed Eminem memorabilia.
Eminem joined a line-up of high-profile artists performing as part of the concert series at Etihad Park. The series began on Thursday with separate sets by RnB singer Teddy Swims and DJ Peggy Gou, followed by Maroon 5 on Friday and British rockers Muse on Sunday.