Eminem is being slammed after playing this sound effect at his concert...
- Publish date
- Monday, 11 Jun 2018, 2:05PM
Eminem has come under major fire after using gunshot noises at a concert over the weekend.
Performing at the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee, the 45-year-old rapper caused panic among concertgoers when one of his songs ended with realistic gunshot sound effects.
In videos uploaded to social media, fans in the crowd can be heard screaming and seen ducking as the gunshot sounds go off at the end of his performance of "Kill You," from his 2000 album, The Marshall Mathers LP.
@AndreaRussett @sandwahhh @macykatemusic found this on instagram, the way everyone screams and the camera drops is terrifying pic.twitter.com/mZRwdqoWB4
— Sydney (@Sydneyheight1) 10 June 2018
Festival-goers have taken to Twitter to criticise his decision to use the violent sound effects, with many saying the noises were inappropriate given the prevalence of mass shootings in America.
Some have even said there should have been a warning if potentially traumatising or triggering sound effects were going to be used.
Being at a festival/concert in these current times brings new concerns & fears. Had to leave @Eminem set after 3rd gunshot at @Bonnaroo cuz panic was setting in my section (front pit). Extremely realistic &scary! Would have been good to have a warning before show. #irresponsible
— Cristi Williams (@ShadingLimelite) 10 June 2018
i was having a good time at eminem’s set then he played a realistic gunshot noise. the whole crowd ducked and i’ve never felt more traumatized and ready to panic. completely inappropriate
— red (@sandwahhh) 10 June 2018
it just happened again. 3 times. we left the concert area and it still sounds so real from far away and everyone ducked again. we’re all shaking. NOT OKAY EMINEM.
— red (@sandwahhh) 10 June 2018
Less than a year after Vegas and @Eminem thinks it’s a good idea to blast gun shot sfx onstage at a music festival? Bad call on this headliner @bonnaroo. What happened to Radiate Positivity?
— Brad King (@BradKing32) 10 June 2018
coming from a performing stand point, i get the effect of sound effects on stage, but there’s a certain point that cross’s the line. i’m one of eminem’s number 1 fans but to hear 3 gun shots coming straight from his set had me scared af. not gonna lie. especially in this world...
— M (@macykatemusic) 10 June 2018
While others defended the hip-hop star, pointing out that he has incorporated gunshot sound effects in his music many times before.
i get andrea has ptsd, and it must have been awful for her and her friends, but eminem has done it for years, his music is about abuse, he grew up w gunshots ... this is real life.
— ☁︎ molly (@etoilelawley) 10 June 2018
So apparently Eminem is performing at Bonnaroo right now and a bunch of younger people are losing their shit because his set included realistic gunshot sound effects. I dunno what song(s) it was from, but it sounds to me like a bunch of people became Eminem fans post 2002.
— Trill Walton (@Mooque) 10 June 2018
Following the outrage, a spokesman for Eminem said: "Contrary to inaccurate reports, Eminem does not use gunshot sound effects during his live show. The effect used by Eminem in his set at Bonnaroo was a pyrotechnic concussion which creates a loud boom. He has used this effect - as have hundreds of other artists - in his live show for over 10 years, including previous U.S. festival dates, without complaint."
The nervous reaction comes after the deadly mass shooting at last year's Route 91 country music festival in Las Vegas.
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