Eminem to ‘bless’ Aussie fans with 2019 tour

RAP superstar Eminem will bring his Rapture 2019 tour to Australian stadiums next February.

The tour will kick off in Brisbane at QSAC in February 20, and travel to Sydney’s ANZ Stadium on February 22, the MCG on February 24 with Em- inem playing Perth for the first time, at Optus Stadium on February 27.

While absent from our stages for the past five years, Eminem has been a strong presence on the Australian charts and airwaves, most recently with his surprise album Kamikaze.

The record rocketed straight to No. 1 last month and is at No. 2 after six weeks in the ARIA charts, with three singles Killshot, Lucky You and Venom in the top 50.

Kamikaze answered critics of his ninth record Revival, which divided fans and critics for featuring many pop guests including Ed Sheeran and Beyonce and its unfocused production.

On its release he was roundly criticised for his use of a homophobic slur on the diss track Fall, with artists including Troye Sivan, whose own record Bloom was released the same day as Kamikaze, calling him out for the offensive word.

Eminem later apologised during an interview. He was interviewed by Elton John for his Beats 1 radio show last week, reminding about their groundbreaking performance of Stan at the 2001 Grammys.

“Listen, I’m blessed,” Eminem said. “I think that we both are in a sense of being able to have longevity, you know. It only comes from hard work.”

Pre-sale begins on October 17 and general from October 22.