Guess who's back? Murrayfield prepares for return of Eminem

Sunday Herald, The, Apr 10, 2005 by Jenifer Johnston

CONTROVERSIAL rapper Eminem is to perform at Murrayfield Stadium this year, playing two nights at the Edinburgh venue in September.

Tickets for US shows on his Anger Management tour with rapper 50 Cent went on sale last week, and the Murrayfield shows are expected to form a key part of his planned European tour in the autumn.

The rapper last played Scotland in 2003 when he performed at Hampden Stadium in Glasgow, selling out 40,000 tickets in 40 minutes. There were violent scenes at record stores across the country when a computer glitch left hundreds of fans who had queued overnight without tickets.

While sources told the Sunday Herald that Eminem will play two nights in a row at the home of Scottish rugby in September, a spokeswoman for Polydor Records would only say that no dates have been confirmed "as yet".

David James, commercial manager of Scottish Rugby, told the Sunday Herald: "We are very excited about key upcoming events, and are hoping to announce one major event very soon."

A spokeswoman for Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood, who compered Eminem's shows in 2003, said that "there is a lot of discussion about Eminem coming on tour in September".

Eminem will be in the UK next month for promotional events. Mockingbird, the fourth single from his album Encore, will be released in the UK on May 2.

While Eminem - real name Marshall Mathers - is almost guaranteed to sell out the 60,000-capacity Murrayfield, news of his Edinburgh dates comes as the city is embroiled in a row over music venues.

Historic Scotland has banned concerts at Edinburgh Castle this summer because of health and safety concerns, leading Edinburgh City Council leader Donald Anderson - who is keen to use the castle as a much-needed medium-sized music venue - to say the council had been "badly let down".

It is thought plans for Rod Stewart, Sting, Bob Dylan and Meatloaf to play an Edinburgh date have now been shelved.

Anderson said that he fears the capital has lost out on a key revenue stream: "We've lost not only momentum but an awful lot of money for the city."

Representatives from Murrayfield said they are keen to offer the stadium as an alternative to promoters who still want an Edinburgh date for their star acts.

But the idea of using the stadium as an alternative venue to Edinburgh Castle was derided by top promoter Mark Mackie of Regular Music.

"The castle holds 8000, Murrayfield holds 60,000, " he said. "If there was another midsize venue in Edinburgh that would suit these acts they'd be booked up already. There isn't."