Eminem - Anger Management Tour

Milton Keynes Bowl, Monday 23rd June

In a fit of pique I pick up the nearest plastic water bottle and heave it into the direction from whence it came only to see my girlish lob skim a nearby Rock Steady Security grunter's ear. Fortunately, he's too pre-occupied with the mini-skirted banshee currently struggling with three other members of security as they attempt to drag her from the melee whilst her legs defiantly embrace a metal safety barrier. In an entirely separate incident, fists fly between a large group of young Asian youths until the 5000 or so punters in the front pit take it upon themselves to respond to the ongoing barrage of liquid missiles from the rest of the Bowl. It's like the raining frogs scene from Magnolia - only with bottles of piss. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Eminem show.

Cypress Hill's undignified exit has just left the dated rap-rockers with redder faces than many of today's overheated Shady-philes. The sound hilariously cuts out in the middle of Pigs, a joyful ode to our local hard-working constabulary, and continues to do so every time B-Real opens his mouth. This delayed start, coupled with a predictable hip-hop for beginners set by Westwood (that could barely be heard in the first few rows, never mind the rest of the field) leaves the frustrated crowd restless and minor chaos quickly erupts. The lengthy bongo workout that the 'Hill resort to in order to test the sound triggers a shared tribal consciousness and the quicker the beats, the faster the bottles bounce on unsuspecting bonces. The band sulkily return for one more number, (Rock) Superstar, but by this time half of Milton Keynes have the backs turned on the stage, eyes upwards. Xzibit's arrival on stage reminds everybody why they're here as his raw beats and menacing growl refocuses the audience's attention, whetting their appetite for the undisputed king of controversy that is Marshall Mathers.

Video screens broadcast a cut-up of American media outrage with Em's critics attributing the fall of modern humanity to a trailer-trash boy from Detroit. It's an incisive and effective way of humiliating rabid, reactionary right-wingers - So Solid, take note! The ferris wheel entrance is not that spectacular but the Square Dance that follows is. Although Em and his crew do not seem entirely sure where they are - Milton? Europe? London? - the tightly choreographed performance showcases a determined global superstar at the peak of his powers.

Eminem's unafraid to share the limelight with his peers as D12, Obie Trice and toothy muscle-head 50 Cent make their respective contributions. Out of which, 50 has the lion's share and commands a solo spot for a run-through of his recent hits including an eagerly anticipated and inevitably raucous In Da Club.

The greatest appreciation is unashamedly reserved for the recent film numbers, as Em returns after 50 Cent's efforts with an incendiary Lose Yourself. Although these numbers lack the raw reality or shock horror schtick of the first album, their appeal lies within the underlying saccharine coated idealism and zero to hero sensibilities. The success of such a mainstream approach is evident as small children nod their heads and pump their hands in time with skunk waving ghetto buoys.

Just one disappointingly flat encore is permitted as Em raps with a clumsily rendered cartoon image of his offspring on My Dad's Gone Crazy and concludes with D12 on Rap Game before the obligatory fireworks kick in. Despite the ending, the whole gig feels like a real 'event' and it's just a shame that a permanent corporate sheen suffocates the possibility of any spontaneous creativity. Yet, with Justin Timberlake and Jack 'n' Meg also swiping all the hype so far in 2003, it's difficult to see how the UK music industry will cope with this particularly well-oiled US onslaught.

Set List:

Square Dance
Business
White America
Kill You
D12 on: When the Music Stops
Pimp Like Me
Purple Pills
Stan
The Way I Am
Soldier
Cleaning Out My Closet
Obie Trice on: Drips
50 Cent on: Love Me
Wanksta
In Da Club
21 Questions
Eminem returns: Lose Yourself
8 Mile
Superman
Drug Ballad
Sing for the Moment
Without Me

Encore: My Dad's Gone Crazy
Rap Game with D12