Crowd manages to put Eminem's anger at top

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jul 15, 2005 by J. ADRIAN STANLEY THE GAZETTE

Ego is king at a hip-hop show, and that certainly rang true at the Pepsi Center on Thursday night.

From the oversized statue of gold-toothed and dreaded Lil Jon, to 50 Cent's flight from the top of scaffolding, to the chest-pounding might of Eminem, no one at this Denver show was advocating modesty as the best policy. Whatever these guys may have thought of themselves, however, Eminem was clearly the star of the show.

It wasn't just Eminem's natural ability on stage, or his smooth vocal performance, or even the extravagant stage backdrop, video, pyrotechnics and lights. This was just Eminem's crowd.

With all this love and adoration clearly focused on him, Eminem could not fail. His performance was thrilling; he cruised hits like "Mosh," "Ass Like That" and "My Name Is," with the confidence of a returning hero. The effects had the same sensory overload of Vegas after a night of serious drinking. In short, it was overblown, very dramatized and fantastic.

In comparison, 50 Cent, who occupies a pretty cushy seat in the rap world, felt like an exceptionally good opener. It wasn't that 50 Cent wasn't on his game. He did a good job hitting the high points of his career with songs like "In da Club," "Candy Shop" and "P.I.M.P." He and his crew poured more water on the audience than a Hayman fire hose, brought out hot newcomers like Young Buck and beckoned the audience to reply -- to less than hysteric response.

Lil Jon, king of the crunk, was received with an equally lukewarm response. The crowd cheered, but it was a not a panty-throwing reception.

It must be hard to orchestrate a tour like the Anger Management Tour. Because MCs earn their popularity by having a unique style, it's very hard to group them together and expect an audience to appreciate them all equally.

In a way, it's reminiscent of the battles these guys championed to get where they are today. While there was some hot competition, Eminem certainly earned Denver's crown.