REVIEW: Eminem & Rihanna's Monster Tour rocks Detroit City on final night

Madeline Fetchiet | Founder/Writer Sam Gach | guest writer Aaron Gates | Guest Writer

In a two-night homecoming celebration, Eminem returned to Detroit for his last stop on the Monster Tour with Rihanna. I sat with my friends amongst a mixed crowd, one that could only be unifed by the King of the Motor City melting pot himself--Eminem.

The blonde bomber, accompanied by Rihanna closed the tour in the D to a Monster-ous audience of about 45,000. The young and old, rich and poor, white and black, all losing themselves in the music, the moment, under Detroit's skyline.

Having been to my fair share of concerts, especially in Detroit, I can say this was the best ever--bar none. My first (and hopefully not last) Eminem (and Rihanna) experience was wild, emotional and fun--three signs of a perfect show.

Clearly, I loved the Monster Tour. Nothing beats seeing my all-time favorite artist, Eminem, and a suprisingly impressive Rihanna tearing up Rock City. Sam Gach and Aaron Gates, friends in attendance with me and avid concert goers, share their thoughts on the Motor City monsters. The three of us break it down below.

Let's see how we compare.

Me

Favorite song Eminem performed: Lose Yourself

Favorite song Rihanna performed: "We Found Love."

Least favorite performance from Eminem and/or Rihanna: While I didn't have a least favorite of Rihanna's, I wish she had performed "Pon De Replay." As for Eminem, I was disappointed he didn't perform a full-length, more hype version of "Rap God". The song was an instant classic and remained on the billboard hot 100 for 10 weeks. This hip hop ode would have been on a differently level of "hype" if there was some build up, followed by the full length outburst overload known as "Rap God."

The venue (Comerica Park): Whle Detroit has the who's who of theaters and concert venues like the Fox Theater, The Filmore, St. Andrews Hall, and Ford Field to name a few, Comerica offers the best combination of acoustics, atmosphere and location. Comerica makes a great outdoor concert arena--great view of the Detroit skyline, good food/drinks within the park, and the acoustics sound great in the natural, outdoor setting. The location is perfect--while Ford Field is right next door, it's inside, and while the Palace would hold similar capacity, it's well, not in Detroit. When Eminem performs in his hometown, I want to see him in the city, not the suburbs, and Comerica is perfect for a bangin' sound and summer atmosphere.

Tips for parking/tailgating: While there are plenty of close parking structures, it's usually $30 and up, and tailgating is rarely tolerated. However, if you find a nearby lot, you can usually tailgate, pay less and only have a short walk to wear off a beer or two.

Surprises: I may have gotten my hopes up a bit expecting surprise guests like Michigan artists, Royce Da 5'9", or Jon Connor, but the show was packed with other surprises, nonetheless. I expected Eminem and Rihanna to collaberate throughout the show like they did--it was clear Rihanna was not his opening act--but I was pleasantly surprised at the style of their collaberations. My favorite was their rendition of "Run This Town" where Em dropped a verse of "Renegade" on the track.

Eminem as a performer: After seeing Jay Z and Kanye at the Watch The Throne tour, I didn't think another performance would hold a candle to it--UNTIL the Monster Tour. Eminem made Detroit feel remembered at a time when the rest of the country wants to forget the city that helped move it. He was electric, intense and didn't miss a beat--every rap sounding just like the album. Eminem and Rihanna put on the best concert I've ever been to, my Michigander bias aside.

Sam Gach

Favorite song Eminem performed: "Lose Yourself."

Favorite song Rihanna performed: "Diamonds."

Least favorite performance from Eminem and/or Rihanna: Honestly none.

The venue (Comerica Park): I thought it was great. Sound was great, and such an important venue culturally in the area due to passion for Tigers, as opposed to Lions etc. Weather was perfect so that could make or break it for a lot of ppl if it was super hot or rainy.

Tips for parking/tailgating: Depends on what you want to pay/how far you want to be.

Surprises: There was more collaboration than I thought and I loved that. I thought it'd be Rihanna then Eminem then finish together or something but I loved the collab.

Eminem as a performer: Thought Em was great. When I've seen him on TV performing at award shows, he has always seemed really reserved, but he was hype. I didn't think he was as emotionally about the whole "home town thing" as he couldn've been but overall thought it was great. Loved the show.

A.G.

Favorite song Eminem performed: “Lose Yourself” was the best song performed by Eminem. Eminem is a hero in Detroit. Since the beginning of Eminem’s rap career, he has stayed loyal to the city. The song is Detroit’s anthem. While “Lose Yourself” was performed, I could feel the connection and all of the love from the fans towards Eminem. Many people in Detroit have been a fan of him since day one, and during this song all of the 40,000 fans at Comerica Park lost themselves in the music and the moment. Detroiters have watched Eminem grow up as an artist right in front of their eyes, and I could feel everything that he had been through during this song.

Favorite song Rihanna performed: We Found Love was my favorite song that was Rihanna performed. “We Found Love” is a classic and took me back to my middle school and high school days. The song came at the perfect time during the concert because it helped build up for the finale. Rihanna turned Comerica Park into a large club.

The atmosphere: The atmosphere was electric. Usually during a 51-song concert set fans get tired and have to sit down. During this show, fans were all in for the whole two and a half hour set and nobody sat down. Rihanna and Eminem had so much fire and energy that I wanted to stand up to rap and sing right along with them. The lighting, fireworks, and band were excellent. Both artist seem like they were so excited to perform in Detroit.

The venue (Comerica Park): Comerica Park is a perfect venue for any concert. There is no bad seat at Comerica because you can sit in the upper level and still have a great view. Comerica is starting build a strong reputation as a concert venue in Detroit, and I think we will start to see more A-list artists play concerts there. Also, you can’t beat the back drop of Comerica with the Detroit skyline in the background. Ford Field is a dome and takes you away from Detroit, but Comerica makes you feel right at home.

Eminem or Jay Z: After going to the Monster Tour’s rival show, “On the Run,” I thought that both concerts were two of the best shows that I have ever been to. I have had a really tough time comparing the two concerts because they were both unique. Beyonce and Jay-Z’s concert was more set up as a movie. Each song related to their “On the Run” movie clips that were shown throughout the show. Beyonce and Jay-Z switched off after every song or every other song to keep fans on their feet. Eminem and Rihanna opened their set together, but then each artist performed 20 songs by themselves straight before closing the concert together. Each concert was unbelievable and was set up perfectly. Both Tours show how far rap music has come. I remember 10 years ago it was a big deal for Jay-Z and Eminem to sell out an arena, and now they are selling out some of the largest stadiums in the world.

Surprises: The finale was probably the most shocking part of the show. “Monster” was the perfect song to end the show, but I wasn’t expecting the beautiful fireworks in the background and the special green lighting for the song. I also enjoyed watching both artist take on the ALS ice bucket challenge.

Eminem as a performer: I have now had a chance to see Jay Z, Eminem, and Kanye who are undoubtedly the three biggest names in rap music. Each artist has their own style when performing, and they know how to command the stage. The thing that fans seem to enjoy about all three artist is that they take you through their struggles in life and relate to the audience throughout their shows. They talk about what they have now, but they never forget to share with fans the obstacles they encountered while striving to become successful. Most people who go to rap concerts have been fans of the rapper since day one, so they know if an artist is being real and bringing their “A” game.

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