Simply Abu Dhabi VIII

6 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Eminem: lose yourself in themusic The hip-hop megastar stormed Du Arena on the final night of the F1 weekend, with a pyrotechnical performance of pure energy. T he evening entertainment at the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix is always spectacular, but this year turned out to be its best yet. On the first evening we were stunned by an amazing performance from Kylie Minogue, while the next night we had the huge pleasure of watching the brilliant Canadian rock band, Nickelback. Those two acts are tough ones to follow, but if there’s one global music star who’s up for a challenge, it’s Eminem. And when we found out that the world-class American rapper would be performing at the Du Arena to close the Formula One race weekend, we were thrilled. What can you say to introduce Eminem? The rap superstar’s achievements speak for themselves. He is among the best-selling artists in the world and has been named among the greatest artists of all time by such authorities as Rolling Stone magazine. He has sold over 42 million tracks and 49.1 million albums in the United States, and an incredible 100 million albums worldwide. The glorious Du Arena is one of our favourite places in Abu Dhabi. It has played vhost to many talented stars, but Eminem is equal to them all. He began the evening in thrilling fashion with a brilliant performance of Won't Back Down. The star appeared in a relaxed style, wearing a grey hoody, a black T-shirt, a chain and a baseball cap. But he left us in no doubt of his phenomenal musical ability. Rapping for a jaw-dropping total of 80 minutes, Eminem was accompanied by a live band, as well as some MCs and hip-hop artists, including Mr Porter from his group D12. The crowd was delighted whenever Eminem started up old hits, such as My Name Is and Way I Am. They were performed brilliantly, and we found Eminem’s newer material equally captivating. The incredible star has not always known such success, however. Eminem, who was born as Marshall Bruce Mathers III in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1972, had a difficult start in life. At the time of his birth, his mother was just fifteen, and his father left for good six months later. The youngMarshall moved between Kansas City and Detroit throughout his early childhood. He switched schools every few months and so found it difficult to make friends. He was often in trouble, but found that the power of rapping, rhyming and playing with words brought pleasure into an otherwise tough and lonely world.